2013 started much as 2012 had ended for Mercedes, as the pre-season indicated that the car was unreliable, with Rosberg suffering from damage to his exhaust on the first day of testing in Jerez, and Hamilton suffering a brake failure on the second day. However, as testing continued Mercedes showed signs of pace, particularly in the final Barcelona test. At the first race in Melbourne both Rosberg and Hamilton qualified well inside the top 10, with Hamilton finishing 5th place whilst Rosberg suffered more problems with his car, eventually retiring. In the second race of the season, Mercedes finished 3rd (Hamilton) and 4th (Rosberg), amid a controversial Malaysian Grand Prix. Brawn spoke to both drivers over team radio asking them to hold position for fear of high degrading Pirelli tyres and a lack of fuel on board both cars. The third race at China established Mercedes' pace as title contenders when Hamilton took Mercedes' second pole position in two years at China whilst Rosberg qualified 4th. Hamilton went on to finish in 3rd place but Rosberg again had to retire with an anti-rollbar failure.