Singapore Grand Prix updates from Marina Bay Street Circuit
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2.42pm BST
Lap 49: Ricciardo is still having problems with power, and it increasingly looks like the podium will comprise Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel. Hamilton is favourite, but has to choose carefully when to pit hes still building a lead, but on increasingly worn and slippery tyres.
Sergio Perez is making his way back he overtakes Kvyat and Ericsson in one fell swoop, and the Mexican is up to 14th.
2.40pm BST
Lap 48: All about building this lead for Lewis Hamilton now its up to 18 seconds. Two drivers whove had quiet races Jenson Button and Pastor Maldonado have made steady progress. Button is chasing down Valtteri Bottas, whos struggling on worn tyres, while Maldonaldo is up into the points.
2.38pm BST
Lap 46: Hamilton is pulling the lead out by two seconds per lap but he still isnt certain of getting out of the pits with his lead intact. A likely scenario is that he comes out of the pits on fresh tyres, but with at least one canny old hand ahead of him. This could be an intriguing end to whats been a largely processional race...
2.34pm BST
Lap 44: Bold from Hamilton, who wants to rack up a 20-second plus lead on Vettel in order to account for a pit stop, and another safety car stoppage. Meanwhile, Daniil Kvyat is another rider who cant get a drink of water, and he sounds pretty vexed on the team radio.
2.31pm BST
Lap 42: The latest from the Mercedes team radio is that they fancy Vettel and Ricciardo will attempt to finish the race without a further stop. As they rightly point out, its a long way to go.
2.28pm BST
Lap 41: Adrian Sutil has been forced to retire, and therell be no points for Sauber today, with both drivers out of the race. Theres more frustration for Sebastian Vettel, with the champ being told once again that his car doesnt have the pace to fit another pit stop in, with so many rivals breathing down his neck.
2.25pm BST
Lap 39: The combination of Lewis Hamilton, such a naturally quick driver and this outrageous beast of a Mercedes car, is a pretty potent one, and hes left the field behind there. He sets a new fastest lap, and hes already six seconds clear! Mercedes are unstoppable when it all goes right.
2.23pm BST
Lap 38: Ooh, here we go the green flags out and they steam down Raffles Boulevard. Its frenetic as the front six jostle for position, but Lewis Hamilton is just too quick, putting a second on Sebastian Vettel in one sector alone.
2.20pm BST
Anybody out there? Anyone experiencing a more frustrating Sunday than Nico Rosberg? Get in touch.
2.18pm BST
Lap 36: Adrian Sutil has picked up a stop-go penalty, for that incident with Perez before the safety car came out.
Theres talk that this race may now exceed the two-hour mark, and that therefore the number of laps may be trimmed. Sergio Perez is unhappy with the penalty handed out to Sutil, claiming over the team radio that the Sauber driver was at fault. Interesting...
2.13pm BST
Lap 35: The safety cars still out, and plenty of drivers are taking the opportunity to pit and make adjustments, before we get back underway again. The TV cameras are filling time with some spectacular shots of Singapore by night. Kevin Magnussen, currently in mid-table in his McLaren, is unable to drink any water, because its burning his mouth. Eesh.
2.11pm BST
2.07pm BST
Lap 32: Hamilton didnt get the memo about track debris in time, and has told his team that he rode right over it. No cause for panic just yet. Bad Jean-Eric is at it again, going wide and overtaking Raikkonen while the safety cars out. Why cant he behave himself?
2.05pm BST
The safety car is out
Lap 31: Were halfway through, and to celebrate, out comes the safety car, continuing Singapores unbroken record of a yellow flag in every race. Clearly, thats bad news for Lewis Hamilton, who was beginning to rebuild an imperious lead over Alonso.
2.03pm BST
Lap 30: Ricciardo is losing power in the Red Bull; hes fourth, but 20 seconds behind Hamilton. Its unlikely well see any fresh heroics from the Australian today. Unsurprisingly, Alonso has burned through more fuel than any other driver in the top ten; Hamilton has used the least. The race leader will look to put the hammer down in the next few laps.
2.00pm BST
Lap 28: Its as you were, with all four leaders having pitted twice. Hamilton has now taken the fastest lap (1:51.793), which is just rubbing it in. He does need to keep the pace up; Alonso is now under five seconds behind him, after finally displacing Vettel during that run of pit stops.
Heres the race so far (well, up to Lap 25), in a nifty chart. Note Hamiltons unbroken reign in first place. Note it!
1.56pm BST
Lap 27: Hamilton pits, and gets his front wing slots cleaned to get rid of the aforementioned debris. Its a marginally longer pit stop as a result it took 4.7 seconds. Hell still have a hefty lead. Both Vettel and Ricciardo have now switched to soft compound tyres, while Alonso has beaten his own fastest lap: hes just clocked 1:52.115.
1.55pm BST
A quick chat with Nico Rosberg: Apparently the German driver had issues with steering, his clutch and DRS. In short, the car wasnt working at all. He seems philosophical; he must be pretty devastated.
1.52pm BST
Lap 25: Hamiltons lead is now up to eleven seconds. Just 36 more laps of bumpy, narrow racing in tropical humidity, without making a single mistake, and hell coast to victory. Alonso pits again, and is now down to fifth. Massa has also stopped twice, and cruises past Nico Hulkenberg down the straight to go back up to eighth. Vettel needs to pit urgently to hold off Alonso, who is in marauding form.
1.48pm BST
Lap 23: A bit of radio chat Hamilton has been informed that his car has picked up a bit of debris on the left wing; he doesnt seem too fussed about it. Meanwhile, Red Bull are urging Sebastian Vettel to get the most out of his revs, as he tries desperately to hold off Alonso. The Spaniard is 1.2 seconds behind now, and looking good for second place.
1.45pm BST
Lap 22: Alonso is on a mission, shaving time off Vettels Red Bull through every sector. They tear past the city hall, with the gap now a shade over two seconds. The commentary team claim that Alonso shaves while hes cleaning his teeth. No idea.
1.42pm BST
Lap 20: Ferraris Fernando Alonso has set the fastest lap - hes currently 2.39 seconds behind Vettel, and just over four seconds ahead of Ricciardo.
1.41pm BST
Lap 18: Heres the current top ten:
1. Hamilton
1.37pm BST
Not the views of The Guardian:
1.36pm BST
Lap 17: Is this the day that the title momentum swings back to Hamilton? It couldnt have gone much better so far, although you feel his inner competitor would rather have Rosberg out there. Given the bizarre problems that have dogged his team-mate, hell still be a bit twitchy.
Away from the Mercedes drama, Felipe Massa is up to sixth after a solid start, Danny Ricciardo has just set the days fastest lap, and Jean-Eric Vergne has picked up a stop-go penalty for exceeding track limits. For shame, Jean-Eric. For shame.
1.33pm BST
Lap 15: That was inevitable, really. After a farcical pit stop, Rosberg is simply unable to restart his stalled car, jamming the console angrily to no avail. He waves his hands hes had enough.
1.31pm BST
Lap 14: Hamilton pits in 2.9 seconds, not long after Sebastian Vettel. The defending champions just been told that he doesnt have the speed to mount a challenge to Hamilton, and to sit back for the time being and save fuel. Galling.
1.27pm BST
Lap 12: As if things werent hard enough for Rosberg, his radios on the blink. Oh, and track restrictions in Singapore mean he has to slow down to 16km per hour when he enters the pit lane. And the slower he goes, the harder itll be to accelerate again. Id be surprised if he finishes the race.
A fair few points contenders are pitting early, including Kimi Raikkonen, who is a touch tardy, and only just gets out ahead of Williamss Valtteri Bottas.
1.22pm BST
Lap 10: Hamilton now has a three second lead over Sebastian Vettel, the winner of the last three races here. Rosberg is 51 seconds behind Hamilton now, and clearly driving in a car thats, shall we say, not 100%. If it stays like this, Lewis Hamilton will lead going into the next race in Japan.
Meanwhile, this seems a touch cavalier from a team currently involved in a race. Suggestions welcome, though Ill pass them on.
1.20pm BST
Lap 8: The current top five is still: 1. Hamilton 2. Vettel 3. Alonso 4. Ricciardo 5. Raikkonen. A whopping thirteen seconds separates the front five. Further down the field, Vergne passes Kvyat to move into tenth, and poor Nico Rosberg is up to 20th.
1.17pm BST
Lap 7: No further action for either the Alonso or Magnussen incidents. The only intrigue we have right now is a tight race for 9th, with Magnussen, Kvyat and Vergne within a second of each other. Jules Bianchi is being told to watch the temperature on his front brakes a problem thats also affecting Lewis Hamilton to a lesser degree.
1.14pm BST
Lap 6: After missing out on pole position by 0.007 seconds, Rosberg is now over 30 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton. Its all going swimmingly for Hamilton, at the front of the grid and under much less pressure at the start than he would have expected. This could be a pivotal moment in the championship race...
1.12pm BST
Lap 4: The field is spread out, and although DRS is now enabled, nobody is able to do a great deal with it. Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button also nearly collided, and have lost position to both Williams cars. Whod be in a Formula One team, eh?
1.10pm BST
Lap 2: Alonso, perhaps unsurprisingly, is under investigation for that feisty roar around the field. He may get out of it, as he surrendered his place to Vettel so quickly perhaps intentionally. Elsewhere, Nico Rosberg is out of the pits and racing but hes right at the back. Others with issues early on are Nico Hulkenberg and Kamui Kobayashi, but no retirees yet.
1.07pm BST
Lap 1: Hamilton cruises into the lead on the short run down the corner, but Fernando Alonso tears wide in an attempt to move up to second Vettel outmuscled Danny Ricciardo and holds off Alonso, and its he who is next in line behind Hamilton. Meanwhile, Jenson Button is off to a shaky start, running close to the wall on an early left-hander, and losing a place to Felipe Massa.
1.02pm BST
Hamilton, Ricciardo and the rest accelerate away for the parade lap, while Nico Rosberg is stranded almost comically. The yellow flag is waved immediately, and the Mercedes is wheeled away to attempt a pit start. Desperate for the German driver.
1.00pm BST
Rosbergs issue has still not been fixed the team radio are now telling him to try pulling away manually. If thats not an option, hell have to start from the pit lane. What frustration for the title contender! Hamilton pulls his visor down, trying his best to ignore whats going on next to him... were underway shortly.
12.55pm BST
While we wait on Rosberg, other drivers, including Jenson Button and Pastor Maldonado, are climbing into their cars. Toro Rossos Daniil Kvyat is also making some last-minute adjustments.
Heres our own Paul Weaver on another issue that might get drivers, and team directors, in a sweat today the new radio rules:
Formula Ones curious reputation for disposing of something simple and replacing it with something far more complex was in robust health on Friday after the decision to postpone part of the radio ban between teams and drivers until next season.
This could be the most confusing radio story since Guglielmo Marconi bewildered everyone by banging on about electromagnetic radiation and wireless telegraphy more than a century ago. It all started because Bernie Ecclestone, the sports chief executive, became worried about the perception that the modern F1 driver is little more than a puppet.
12.51pm BST
Mechanics are still furiously tinkering with Rosbergs car the problem seemed to be fixed. Toto Woolf sounds much more concerned now, and is talking vaguely about electronic problems, connected to the steering wheel. Theyve tried two different consoles now. Far from an ideal start...
12.45pm BST
Rosberg is, allegedly, out on the track now. Hamilton has just been pushed through the pit lane throng, like some sort of motorised emperor. A reminder, if it were needed, that Rosberg leads the driverss standings by 22 points from Hamilton despite the British driver winning six races to Rosbergs four.
Meanwhile, Seb Vettel is giving it the big talk he says he feels good, and rates his chances out of ten today as very good.
12.42pm BST
Drama in the Mercedes garage...
Nico Rosberg appears to have some sort of gearbox issue which the Mercedes mechanics are working furiously on. The German doesnt look too flustered as he tests his rear wheels. Ah, hes had to replace his steering wheel, as confirmed by a Mercedes staffer in a fetching teal jumpsuit. He has to get out onto the track imminently, or itll be a pit lane start. It appears to all be in hand, though.
12.38pm BST
Pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton is chatting with big Damon Hill. He was impressed by the surprising pace shown by Mercedess rivals, including Ferrari where did that come from? and is coy on the ongoing Rosberg beef, predictably happy to do his talking on the track, rather than into a microphone. Damon is keen to point out that Nico has yet to win one, but Lewis is having none of it.I still feel like Im chasing my first championship. If [Rosberg] doesnt finish today, hes still in the mix. If I dont, Im not.
12.31pm BST
Around half an hour until we get underway. Its a sultry evening in Singapore, but the rain we saw yesterday hasnt made an appearance. Heres a reminder of how theyll line up on the grid:
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) Mercedes; 2. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes; 3. Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull; 4. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull; 5. Fernando Alonso (Sp) Ferrari; 6. Felipe Massa (Br) Williams; 7. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari; 8. Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Williams; 9. Kevin Magnussen (Den) McLaren; 10. Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Toro Rosso; 11. Jenson Button (GB) McLaren; 12. Jean-Eric Vergne (Fr) Toro Rosso; 13. Nico Hülkenberg (Ger) Force India; 14. Esteban Gutiérrez (Mex) Sauber; 15. Sergio Pérez (Mex) Force India; 16. Romain Grosjean (Fr) Lotus; 17. Adrian Sutil (Ger) Sauber; 18. Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Lotus; 19. Jules Bianchi (Fr) Marussia; 20. Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Caterham; 21. Max Chilton (GB) Marussia; 22. Marcus Ericsson (Swe) Caterham.
12.00pm BST
Good afternoon. Is it hot in here, or is it just me? Round 14 of this years Formula One championship brings us to Singapore, a relatively new race thats become notorious for its bruising corners and gruelling heat. Despite being the only night race currently on the calendar, itll still be close to 30 degrees when the race begins.
Its not just hot out on the track theres been higher funk levels than Rick Jamess laundry basket in Mercedes pit area this season. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have become the best of frenemies, fighting out a ferocious title chase despite being, in theory at least, on the same team.
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