Nico Rosberg was the fastest driver out on track for both sessions in the desert, but Mercedes were showing their dominance again, finishing FP2 a full second faster than the rest of the field. In the first session, there was more running than normal due to the lower than average temperatures. Stoffel Vandoorne made his debut as deputy for Fernando Alonso, whilst Alfonso Celis was in for Force India, neither of them making too much impact on the timesheets.