In what was a strategy dominated race, it was Mercedes driver, Nico Rosberg who was victorious around the streets of Singapore. This victory marked Rosberg’s eighth win this season, and twenty second win of his career.
Nico Rosberg Wins the Singapore Grand Prix
It was Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg who was victorious at the Singapore Grand Prix, winning a tightly contested race. Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo finished in second place, however, was very close to taking the lead. Rosberg’s win came under threat in the final stages of the race when Red Bull Racing fitted fresh tyres to Ricciardo’s car, allowing the Australian driver to close in by up to 2.5 seconds a lap. Red Bull estimated that Ricciardo would be on Rosberg’s tail with approximately four laps to go. However, when Ricciardo encountered traffic, this looming threat became less present, with Ricciardo only closing in with one lap to go. Lewis Hamilton finished in third place for Mercedes.
This result has meant that Rosberg has taken the lead in the drivers championship, now leading by eight points after being behind Hamilton by two points ahead of this weekend.
The two Ferrari cars of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel finished in fourth and fifth place while Max Verstaappen finished in sixth place for Red Bull. Verstappen had a poor start, with his initial getaway being somewhat strong. However, Vertsappen was slowed by a spinning Nico Hulkenberg at the race start, with Hulkenberg being clipped by Carlos Sainz, causing him to crash into the wall.
Fernando Alonso finished in seventh place for McLaren while Sergio Perez finished in eighth place for Force India. Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat made a top 10 appearance, finishing in ninth place, while Kevin Magnussen finished in tenth place for Renault. This tenth place finish for Magnussen has marked his second points finish of the 2016 Formula 1 Season, potentially securing his place in Formula 1 next year, with his place at Renault being under jeopardy from upcoming star, Esteban Ocon.
Three drivers retired from the Singapore Grand Prix, with Nico Hulkenberg retiring from the race before the end of the first lap. Valtteri Bottas also retired for Williams, with the Finnish driver’s seatbelts coming loose in the mid stages of the race. This however, was not the cause of Bottas’ retirement. Instead, Bottas retired after his engine overheated during a long pits stop in which Williams mechanics tightened his seat belts. Jenson Button also retired for McLaren, with the British driver’s race being ruined at the start after he made contact with Bottas on the first lap.
For driver of the day, there are two candidates in the form of Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel. Nico Rosberg had a much deserved win in Singapore, displaying true pace in what could be described as his finest race. It is Sebastian Vettel however, who is my driver of the day. After qualifying in last place on Saturday, Vettel drove a strategic yet dominant race, finishing in fifth place. Vettel also showed other drivers how to overtake in Singapore, pulling off aggressive manoeuvres in order to work his way up the grid.
Results from the Singapore GP:
- Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 25 points
- Daniel Ricciardo, Re Bull Racing, 18 points
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 15 points
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 12 points
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 10 points
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 8 points
- Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 6 points
- Sergio Perez, Force India, 4 points
- Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 2 points
- Kevin Magnussen, Renault, 1 point
- Esteban Gutierrez, Haas F1, 0 points
- Felipe Massa, Williams, 0 points
- Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 0 points
- Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 0 points
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 0 points
- Pascal Wehrlein, Manor, 0 points
- Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 0 points
- Esteban Ocon, Sauber, 0 points
- Jenson Button, McLaren, Ret
- Valtteri Bottas, Williams, Ret
- Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, Ret
- Romain Grosjean, Haas F1, DNS
Drivers Standings after 15 races:
- Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 273 points
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 265 points
- Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing, 179 points
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 153 points
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 148 points
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 129 points
- Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 70 points
- Sergio Perez, Force India, 66 points
- Nico Hulkenberg, Force India,46 points
- Felipe Massa, Williams, 41 points
- Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 36 points
- Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 30 points
- Romain Grosjean, Haas F1, 28 points
- Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 25 points
- Jenson Button, McLaren, 17 points
- Kevin Magnussen, Renault, 7 points
- Pascal Wehrlein, Manor, 1 point
- Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, 1 point
- Esteban Gutierrez, Haas F1, 0 points
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 0 points
- Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 0 points
- Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 0 points
- Rio Haryanto, Manor, 0 points
- Esteban Ocon, Manor, 0 points
Constructors Standings after 15 races:
- Mercedes, 538 points
- Red Bull Racing, 316 points
- Ferrari, 301 points
- Force India, 112 points
- Williams, 111 points
- McLaren, 54 points
- Toro Rosso, 47 points
- Haas F1, 28 points
- Renault, 7 points
- Manor, 1 point
- Sauber, 0 points
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