Singapore - Mercedes team-mates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will renew their sometimes hostile rivalry on the floodlit streets of Singapore this weekend at a circuit where mistakes or collisions normally result in race retirement.
With six races remaining in the 19-round season, Rosberg leads Hamilton by 22 points but the momentum and crowd sentiment are on the Briton's side after he won at Monza a fortnight ago following his ruined grand prix in Belgium.
Hamilton failed to finish in Spa in September after an unnecessary collision with Rosberg but gained a modicum of revenge in Italy when the German relinquished first place to his team-mate after cracking under pressure midway through the race.
Rosberg finished second in both races and was booed on the podium on each occasion for benefiting from his over-aggressive approach in Belgium but Mercedes will be hoping the pair can rein in their fighting instincts to avoid further mishaps.
Since Monza, however, Formula One has banned radio race assistance, including coded messages, so it will be interesting to see how the team can control its drivers on an unforgiving 23-turn layout in the heat and humidity of Singapore.
Mercedes, which has won all but three of the 13 races this season, is expected to dominate again with Hamilton installed as a marginal favourite due to his better record on the Marina Bay Street Circuit, where he won in 2009.
“Despite the highs and lows, I'm still well and truly in the hunt for the championship and that is something that gives me huge motivation for the final six races - starting in Singapore.”
Hamilton said: ”It's a great place to begin the final flyaway phase of the season. The city is buzzing and the track is mega. It's a street circuit and I love street circuits.”
He was unfortunate not to win the inaugural race in 2008 and a mechanical failure when clear at the front denied him victory two years ago, while Rosberg can take heart from one of his earliest successes in Formula One at the venue.
“I got my second ever podium here with P2 in 2008,” he said, “and I generally enjoy street circuits, so I'm looking to go one better this time around.”
SECOND FIDDLE
World champion Sebastian Vettel has endured a miserable winless campaign but will arrive in Singapore seeking a fourth consecutive win in the island state, driving an improving Red Bull that is expected to present the sternest opposition yet to Mercedes.
Vettel, however, has been forced to play second fiddle to team-mate Daniel Ricciardo all season with the Australian winning three races, leading to whispers in the paddock that Vettel's future could lie away from Red Bull, with Ferrari a possible destination.
While Red Bull has moved quickly to quash any exit rumours, team principal Christian Horner was also keen to play down expectations of a return to the top of the tree for the reigning champions in Southeast Asia.
“At Singapore, there are a few more corners and a few less straights than at Monza,” Horner said after his cars came fifth and sixth in Italy. “We're looking forward to going back there.”
“It's a track that we've always gone well at in the last few years. But there's no guarantees in this business, and we expect the Mercedes to be incredibly quick.”
The Mercedes-powered Williams has been somewhat of a revelation this season with Valtteri Bottas claiming four podiums in the past six races while team-mate Felipe Massa enjoyed a third at Monza.
Another strong result is expected in Singapore but Bottas believes the car will find it difficult to compete for another podium finish with its aerodynamic efficiency less effective on the demanding and tight Singapore roads.
“Singapore, maybe Brazil, they could be difficult ones,” Bottas said. “But we reckon there are some good ones to come.
“We are still aiming to bring some updates later in the season, so Suzuka, Austin and Abu Dhabi, for example, I think we can fight for the podium definitely. We'll keep pushing.”
STATISTICS FOR THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
Lap distance:. 5.065km. Total distance: 308.828km (61 laps)
2013 pole: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull - 1m42.841s
2013 winner: Vettel
Race lap record: 1m48.574s, Vettel 2013
Start time: Noon GMT (2pm SAST, 8pm local time)
Tyres: Soft (yellow), Supersoft (red)
WINS
Mercedes has won all but three races so far this season. The exceptions were Canada, Hungary and Belgium - all won by Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
Red Bull's quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel has 39 career wins, Fernando Alonso 32, Lewis Hamilton 28, Kimi Raikkonen 20 and Jenson Button 15. Championship leader Nico Rosberg has seven.
Hamilton's win at Monza moved him ahead of triple champion Jackie Stewart in the all-time list of winners. The only British driver to have won more is 1992 champion Nigel Mansell (31).
Hamilton has won six races this season, Rosberg four and Ricciardo three.
Ferrari has won 221 races, McLaren 182, Williams 114 and Red Bull 50. Mercedes has won 23, the same number as now-defunct Tyrrell.
McLaren has not won for 32 races, a run that dates back to Brazil 2012 but is not their longest drought. Most recently, it went 48 races without a win between 1993 and 1997.
Ferrari's previous win was in Spain in May 2013 - the last time a team other than Mercedes or Red Bull won.
Mercedes has had seven one-two finishes this season. The record of 10 in a season was set by McLaren in 1988.
POLE POSITION
Mercedes and Williams are the only teams to have started a race on pole position this year.
Rosberg (Bahrain/Monaco/Canada/Britain/Germany/Hungary/Belgium) has had seven poles this year to Hamilton's five (Australia/Malaysia/China/Spain/Italy). Brazilian Felipe Massa was on pole for Williams in Austria.
Vettel has 45 career poles. Hamilton has 36 - more than any other British driver in the history of Formula One.
Ferrari's previous pole was in Germany with Alonso in 2012.
POINTS
Caterham, who came into the sport in 2010, is the only team on the grid yet to score a point.
Ferrari has finished a record 80 successive races with at least one car in the points, a run that dates back to the 2010 German Grand Prix.
Alonso's retirement at Monza means no driver has scored in every race this season. Ricciardo has gone 11 races in a row in the points.
Sauber has gone 13 races without scoring, its longest barren run since entering the sport in 1993. It went nine in a row between October 1995 and May 1996, at a time when only the top six cars scored points.
SINGAPORE
The Singapore Grand Prix is the only one held entirely at night.
Only champions have won at the Marina Bay circuit. Vettel has won the past three races in Singapore, Alonso has triumphed twice (2008 and 2010)and Hamilton once (2009).
Alonso has been on the podium in five of the six Singapore Grands Prix to date.
The race has been won from pole position on four occasions. The lowest winning grid position was Alonso, starting 15th in 2008.
There has been at least one safety car intervention in every race in Singapore so far, with nine in total.
The race is the longest on the calendar in terms of time taken to complete, ranging from between one hour and 56 minutes to the time limit of two hours, and has more corners than any other circuit.
Reuters