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Rosberg signals his intentions

SINGAPORE — Once again, for the eighth year running, the 3,000 lux lights came on for the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, as some of the world’s fastest cars left their garages last night for their first practice rounds on the 5.065km Marina Bay street circuit.

At the first practice session of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix yesterday, Nico Rosberg of Mercedes led with the fastest lap time of 1min47.995sec. Photo: Jason Quah

At the first practice session of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix yesterday, Nico Rosberg of Mercedes led with the fastest lap time of 1min47.995sec. Photo: Jason Quah

SINGAPORE — Once again, for the eighth year running, the 3,000 lux lights came on for the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, as some of the world’s fastest cars left their garages last night for their first practice rounds on the 5.065km Marina Bay street circuit.

And the buzz this weekend is focused on the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, the former karting friends-turned-rivals currently locked in a fierce battle for the world championship title.

Much is at stake for both drivers here, as Hamilton looks to consolidate his position at the top — he is currently the leader with 252 points. Victory tomorrow will see the Briton equal childhood hero Ayrton Senna’s record (41 wins) and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, for third spot on the all-time F1 winners’ list behind Michael Schumacher (91) and Alain Prost (51).

Rosberg, currently second on 199 points with three race wins, is aiming to close the 53-point gap on his team-mate after a calamitous weekend in Monza earlier this month, where he was forced to retire just three laps from the finish after his engine caught fire. On the hunt for his first world title, Rosberg had vowed “maximum attack” here at the Marina Bay, and the German will be looking to deliver on his promise tomorrow and Sunday.

With his F1 W06 Hybrid car fitted with its fourth and final penalty-free engine, Rosberg’s engine woes appear to have been resolved ahead of today’s qualifying session. The 30-year-old led in the first practice, posting the fastest lap time of 1min 47.995sec, while Hamilton was second on 1:48.314 and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo third on 1:48.331. But Mercedes struggled with their tyres in the second session as Hamilton finished fourth fastest in 1:46.479 and Rosberg seventh on 1:46.781.

It was however a good one for the Red Bull cars, with Daniil Kvyat and Ricciardo posting the first and fastest times of 1:46.142 and 1:46.256, while Kimi Raikkonen was second in 1:46.181. Said Rosberg: “I started off well, but then went the wrong way for P2 which wasn’t good. But I still learnt a lot from today’s session, so I know what to do for tomorrow’s set-up ... I’m still out there to win, so it doesn’t change anything. The track is good, but it’s been challenging and hot.”

Hamilton said he was not thinking of Senna’s record and was focused instead on just doing his job.

“The car feels good for this weekend, but it’s very close between the teams,” he said. “We’re not nervous however, because that’s always the case here. But I’m confident that we’ll be able to set up our fastest car for qualifying and raceday.”

Meanwhile, Kvyat said that the practice times have given a boost to team confidence. “Tomorrow we’ll see what the other drivers are going to do, but it looks promising so far and we’ll try to keep it up,” he said, “Hopefully it’ll bring even more good results. We know we’re competitive, but the top will always be tight.”

However, yesterday’s session provided a nightmare debut for Alexander Rossi — the first American driver to compete in F1 since 2007 — after his Marussia Manor car slammed into a wall at Turn 18 just minutes from the end of the first practice. The 23-year-old emerged unhurt and returned in P2 to complete nine laps in total.

While the haze situation appeared to have abated yesterday with the three-hour Pollutants Standard Index (PSI) level at 124 at 6pm, there will be no let-up in the title hunt as qualifying gets underway at 9pm tonight.

The odds will be stacked against Rosberg, who has never won the race on Singapore’s twisty 23-turn circuit, while Hamilton — who has claimed pole position in all but one of the 12 races this season — has emerged triumphant in 2009 and 2014.

However, three-time world champion Jackie Stewart believes it will be hard to dislodge the Mercedes pair from the front of the grid this weekend. “It would be good for F1 if another team did win, but at the moment the superiority of Mercedes is so big that it’s almost fait accompli,” he said.

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