Mercedes pair "nice and relaxed" ahead of Singapore GP; Hamilton on pole position with Rosberg alongside on the front-row
Sunday 21 September 2014 18:04, UK
Ahead of Sunday’s Singapore GP, Lewis Hamilton reckons relations with Nico Rosberg are “back to normal” after their Spa dust-up.
Hamilton was speaking after claiming pole position for F1’s annual night race by just 0.007 seconds from Rosberg, whose frustration at missing out by such a small margin rang through loud and clear as he returned to the pits at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
The Briton was forced to retire from last month’s Belgian GP after his collision with Rosberg, who later took the blame for the controversial incident.
Yet according to Hamilton, the atmosphere in the Mercedes camp is now “nice and relaxed - nothing really different to be honest.”
He added: “We went into Spa with the same kind of atmosphere. Of course, it was difficult after Spa but things feel like they’re back to normal.
“We’re just working away, pushing as hard as we can. We want to win and we’re desperately trying to.”
Hamilton is looking to make further inroads into his team-mate’s title lead – which currently stands at 22 points – but it’s not just Rosberg who is keeping him close company this weekend.
With the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel starting on row two ahead of Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari and Felipe Massa’s Williams, just 0.3s separated the top six in qualifying, with four different constructors in the mix.
As such, Mercedes’ advantage is smaller than it has been all season. Yet Hamilton is relishing the prospect of a close race – even if the title protagonists don’t have it all their own way this time.
“I don’t know why they’re quick this weekend; they must have brought upgrades or something. But they’re closer,” he said.
“I think it’s good for the sport. We’ll see over these next few races just how close they’ll be but for me it made it more fun.
“It’s a real fight but also we have a car to fight, so it’s a great feeling. It means you’ve got to do the job – and it’s a great feeling when you do.”
A thunderstorm swept through Singapore in the hours after qualifying, which means the race will start on a ‘green’ track – and with overtaking generally difficult, tyre wear could prove crucial to progress.
The two softest tyre compounds – soft and supersoft – are being used this weekend, and Hamilton reckons more pit stops will result.
“It’s going to be a very tough race. I think today it looked closer and I think tomorrow will be very much the same. But hopefully we’ll still have a slight edge,” he said.
“Tyre degradation and all that stuff is going to be quite interesting tomorrow and this weather could come around as well.”
The 2009 Singapore GP winner thinks the overnight rain will “change the dynamic of the race a bit. I suppose if it stayed the same as it was, if it was very grippy and everything, the tyres would last.
“With it cleaner tomorrow, it’s definitely going to change the balance of the car.
“It may be more pit stops or less pit stops; we’ll see. I’d imagine it means more pit stops.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton said his 0.007s margin over Rosberg wasn’t the smallest he’s ever had after taking pole.
“I do remember one that was six-thousandths years ago. But 007 is cool.”
