Mercedes come out of the European section of the season with a healthy 181 points gap to their nearest rivals in the constructors’ championship, Ferrari. Furthermore, just like last year, their two drivers are top of the standings in the drivers’ championship. The gap between them increased substantially in the last race, when Rosberg suffered engine problems, and had to retire. This left Hamilton to take his seventh win of the season, and go 53 points clear at the top.
2015 Singapore Grand Prix Mercedes Preview
No. 6 Nico Rosberg (DEU)
2015 Form: 17*,2,8,2,1,2,1,1,3,2,3,2
*Retired on lap 51 of 53 with engine failure, but classified as 17th due to completing more than 90% race distance.
2014 Singapore Grand Prix: Grid P2, Race DNF (wiring loom fault)
Rosberg was a decent record around here. Out of his seven races along the Marina Bay, he has scored in five of them. In the inaugural race in 2008, Rosberg came second, less than three-seconds behind race-winner Fernando Alonso. In 2009, he came just outside the points, in 11th place. He would’ve scored if it hadn’t been for a drive-through penalty for crossing the pit exit line. He came fifth in 2010 and 2012, and seventh-place in 2011. In 2013, he qualified second, and in the first corner challenged Vettel for the lead, but went wide. He finished in fourth-place in the end. Last year saw his only retirement, where due to a fault in the wiring loom, his car wouldn’t get off the grid, and had to start from the pit-lane. His car was heavily underpowered for the next few laps, and retired at his first pit-stop.
No. 44 Lewis Hamilton (GBR)
2015 Form: 1,1,6,1,2,1,3,2,1,1,2,1
2014 Singapore Grand Prix: Grid P1, Race P1
Hamilton has one of the best records of the current drivers in F1 around the streets of Marina Bay. Only Vettel, with three wins and two podiums, and Alonso with two wins and three podiums, have a better run of form. He also has the record of the number of pole positions. Hamilton finished under three-seconds behind Rosberg in 2008, albeit in different teams. Rosberg was in a Williams, and Hamilton was in a McLaren. A year later, he took his first pole position, and went on to win the race by nearly 10 seconds from the Toyota of Timo Glock. Hamilton retired in 2010, with a broken suspension, after an attempt to pass Mark Webber at Turn 7. In 2011, a tangle with Felipe Massa, again at Turn 7, left the Brit receiving a drive-through penalty before coming home in fifth-place. The Brazilian interpreted Hamilton’s post-race interview to publicly criticise the manoeuvre. In 2012, he qualified on pole position, and was leading the race before a gearbox failure forced him to retire. An uneventful fifth-place finish in 2013 was followed by a third pole position and second win last year.
It was at this stage last year that the championship took a dramatic turn. Rosberg went into the race leading by 22 points, but with his retirement, and Hamilton taking the win, the Brit came ahead leading the championship, and went on to win the title. Fast forward to now, Rosberg will be hoping that it will be his turn to have lady luck singing for him, otherwise his sight of the title will be obscured by the thick smog of Hamilton.
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