Nico Rosberg and one of his «three best laps in Formula 1» to take the Pole in Singapore!
The Mercedes driver dominated his 200th qualifying session in the world's premier racing discipline, with a sovereign pole victory over the competition! Lewis Hamilton couldn't say the same in front of the journalists this time, third and beaten by Ricciardo's Red Bull...
A Saturday at the Zenith for Rosberg
Q3: 1st -> 1:42.584 (12 Laps)
Is the world of Formula 1 witnessing a new turning point in this 2016 season? After securing the pole without a fight against his dear rival at Spa-Francorchamps, after being soundly defeated by him at Monza (a gap of +0.478); Nico Rosberg has, in a way, returned the favor to Lewis Hamilton. The margin is even greater here: +0.704 this time, on a much longer circuit than in Italy, it must be noted.
Already very calm yesterday and earlier today (first at the end of FP2 and FP3), the former Williams driver knew how to time his effort when needed to make a strong impression. In Q2, the recent winner at Monza set the absolute record of the weekend: in 1:43:020, with a +0.451 gap on Lewis Hamilton.
Repeat performance in Q3, right from the first run. According to his own words, Nico Rosberg simply pulled off a perfect lap. It’s worth mentioning that this time of 1:42.584 is simply the absolute best time ever achieved in Singapore during Qualifications. Until then, Sebastian Vettel held the record after his 2013 pole position, achieved at the wheel of his Red Bull, with a time of 1:42.841. Proof, if any were needed, that cars equipped with a V6 engine can be as fast as the former V8s!
« It was one of my top three laps ever in Formula 1, so I am very happy that it happens on the weekend of my 200th Grand Prix! »
This symbolic number doesn’t seem to affect him much for the moment, as he will only become the 16th driver in history to reach such a milestone tomorrow. But for now, Rosberg has stars in his eyes after his performance today.
« I am really happy about that one. I drove very well today. It was very close with the Red Bull drivers: they were fast, especially with the super-softs in Q2. We did nothing wrong, which is very cool! »
Be careful, however, of a potential slip-up as the two Red Bulls and, of course, his teammate will be on the lookout in case of a setback. But at the time of the press conference for the top three, Rosberg seemed quite confident about his competitiveness compared to the Austrian car.
Regarding Daniel Ricciardo’s second place, who will start on an offset strategy, the German stated that he is “not worried.”
«But I will still keep an eye on him. Their pace since Friday is clearly a threat, especially with this strategy. »
NL to NR: ‘I take my hat off to you, sir. That was a superb pole lap.’*
(*quote not accurate 😜)#F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/yA9buUH9xn
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) 17 septembre 2016
Lewis Hamilton, never in the right rhythm
Q3: 3rd -> 1:43.288 (12 Laps)
Unlike in Monza, Lewis Hamilton did not soar above the pack this afternoon in Singapore. Except in Q1, number 44 never got ahead of number 6. The gap widened as the session progressed. Clearly, the Englishman remained stuck with a set-up far from ideal. He still wanted to salute the dedication of his team, who put themselves in the right direction after an even more complicated 2015 session:
« Really a frustrating session. I didn’t complete many satisfying laps. We need to have pace on this track, which I didn’t have. But the guys did a great job extracting the potential from my car. I hope now that I will get back the second place for the team. »
Sibyllin, still the leader of the drivers’ standings, did not elaborate on his performance. A good sport, he also congratulated his teammate, who was much more convincing.
« It hasn’t been my weekend so far. Nico did a fantastic job showing the car’s true potential.
I wasn’t able to get a better lap today.
Will the world championship rankings change hands at the end of tomorrow’s race? With 250 points for Hamilton against 248 points for Rosberg, the 2016 Formula 1 season could witness an interesting shift in terms of stakes. But the race will be extremely long, and caution is advised right from the start, which sometimes holds unpleasant surprises for Mercedes drivers… With 7 poles each now, Rosberg could take the lead in the number of victories, as he currently has 7 wins this season, compared to 6 for Lewis Hamilton.
