Hamilton was hampered by a brake problem which he was urged to manage by his Mercedes team from the outset of the race – although Rosberg, in the sister vehicle, was also told to nurse a similar issue. “This weekend has just been a bit of a tricky one for me, but I’m still glad I could get back up on the podium and get some points for the team”.
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Red Bull attempted a similar strategy to that of Hamilton with Ricciardo – taking on the softer, fresher tyre compound – in an attempt to catch Rosberg.
Daniel Ricciardo was narrowly edged out by Nico Rosberg in the Singapore Grand Prix.
“Statistics like that are not something I focus on, it doesn’t have any importance to me”, Rosberg, 31, said, in response to The New Paper’s question at the post-race press conference last night.
“These things happen. I feel optimistic and good at this track so we’ll see”. I pushed so much at the end with that supersoft and really tried to do something but it wasn’t close enough. “I’m still in the fight and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got”.
Ricciardo set the fastest second and third sector times of the whole race on his out-lap, which would have eliminated his deficit of just over 2.5 seconds to Rosberg had the Mercedes driver stopped – with the Australian’s pace continuing to surprise in the first part of the final stint.
“Nico has performed fantastically well this weekend, he’s done an awesome job, and I expect him to continue like that, so I’ve just got to make sure that I do the same”.
“He started on the back foot by not having enough laps”, acknowledged Wolff after the race.
With five laps remaining Ricciardo had closed to within 5.2s of Rosberg, only to miss out by 0.448s come the checkered flag.
Rosberg championship challenge, which seemed all but extinguished at the end of July, looks to be confidently back on track. Verstappen had a tussle with Daniil Kvyat, who he replaced in the Red Bull team earlier in the season, before overtaking both the Russian and Fernando Alonso to take a top six spot. Ferrari immediately reacted to the move as did Red Bull. When Rosberg won the opening four races of the season, the points gap was 43, but seven races later, the Briton had pulled ahead.
Ricciardo’s Red Bull team followed suit and the Australian nearly took full advantage as he closed on Rosberg in the final few laps but the latter was able to just about hang on for a vital win.
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“We need to start coming out with some plan because this is all the pace I’ve got with the brakes”, demanded the championship leader on the radio.
