Singapore race: who will get it? Hamilton does

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg might have been hoping for a straight fight in Singapore, but the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel have given themselves a great platform to interrupt the Mercedes duo’s private battle for the world championship.

“Coming into the weekend we thought that if we could be within two- or three-tenths of Mercedes then there was a realistic chance to stay with them in the race,” said Ricciardo. “We actually ended up closer to them than we thought in qualifying, so that’s good. If the start goes okay then it’s about trying to be smart and doing something with the strategy.”

The Australian is the only non-Mercedes driver to have won in 2014 and he’s proven particularly adept at picking up the pieces when the Silver Arrows falter. He also has little to lose in terms of the championship, which makes him a dangerous proposition for Hamilton and Rosberg.

“If I can get close, then I’ll have a go,” Ricciardo said menacingly after qualifying. “I haven’t been shy doing that this year, but it’s difficult on a street circuit.”

Don’t forget Alonso

“If you had told me yesterday that we would still be competitive in qualifying, probably I wouldn’t have believed it. And in fact this fifth place is a bit different to usual, because the gap to pole is really small. This weekend, I’ve felt comfortable right from the first session and probably much of that is down to the characteristics of the track. It’s impossible to compare it to other races, because this one and Monaco are a law unto themselves. But definitely, we have made a step forward since the start of the season and I’m sure the car will continue to improve right the way to the end. Tomorrow’s race will be long and very demanding from a mechanical point of view. Reliability will play a key role as will tyre management, which could make a big difference.”

So who will get it?

Rosberg is still in trouble with is sterring wheel (12:51 GMT).

 

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Pts
1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 60 Winner 1 25
2 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 60 +13.5 secs 4 18
3 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault 60 +14.2 secs 3 15
4 14 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 60 +15.3 secs 5 12
5 19 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 60 +42.1 secs 6 10
6 25 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Renault 60 +56.8 secs 12 8
7 11 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 60 +59.0 secs 15 6
8 7 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 60 +60.6 secs 7 4
9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 60 +61.6 secs 13 2
10 20 Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 60 +62.2 secs 9 1
11 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes +65.0 secs 8
12 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault +66.9 secs 18
13 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault +68.0 secs 16
14 26 Daniil Kvyat STR-Renault +72.0 secs 10
15 9 Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault +94.1 secs 22
16 17 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari +94.5 secs 19
17 4 Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari +1 Lap 21
Ret 22 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes +8 Lap 11
Ret 99 Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari +20 Laps 17
Ret 21 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari +43 Laps 14
Ret 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes +47 Laps 2
Ret 10 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault + secs 20