The Singapore Grand Prix is not known for too many overtaking manoeuvres. In fact, if there is a general complaint about Formula One not allowing wheel-to-wheel action, then the Marina Bay circuit is exhibit one in this worrisome charge. A high downforce set-up, a narrow track and quick degradation on tyres don’t allow drivers enough opportunities to get ahead.
It makes the “undercut” a very attractive proposition here. For those unfamiliar with this racing term, in general it means overtaking in the pit lane. When a particular car cannot get past the one in front, it pits for fresh tyres and then goes out to do some quicker laps, in turn moving up the order when the car ahead pits. Of course, there are several factors at play here – for example, finding an optimal empty track and not getting caught in backmarkers. But with modern technology, F1 teams are able to work out pit-stop windows wherein their cars can come out on relatively free tracks and take advantage.
Singapore, as such, is the hotbed for under-cutting. And on Sunday, this strategy was deployed all across the board, making for an intriguing end of the race. It began with Sebastian Vettel’s immaculate drive from 22nd to fifth, not making any mistakes and picking opponents whilst in the pitlane.
“At one point I thought we could get very close to the battle for third, but we lost a bit too much in the opening stage of the race, which was expected. We were hoping for a safety car that didn’t come, but nevertheless an optimum result,” said the four-time champion, after that result.
Hamilton makes the undercut work
If that safety car had arrived, as Vettel wanted, it would have caused utter chaos in front of him. As it is, with the Ferrari closing in, Lewis Hamilton (fourth then) had turned his engine settings higher in the latter half of the race, and began eating into Kimi Raikkonen’s (3rd then) lead. Thus far, the British driver had experienced a poor weekend, troubled by hydraulics problem and set-up issues. Brake issues early in the race only compounded it, and he had to manage all of this to control the damage to his championship hopes.
Hamilton, though, is a pure racer and he is always looking for ways to overtake the car in front. His instinct is never to play safe and bring the car home; instead he will drive it to breaking point, as much as his team will allow anyhow. And so, it was his call to the Mercedes pit-wall to do something different that triggered a chain reaction. He pitted late in the race to get fresh, and quicker, tyres and immediately started attacking Raikkonen.
Ferrari responded to his pit stop, but Hamilton made the undercut work and regained his lost third spot. Only now, his good pace meant that Daniel Ricciardo (second) ahead was now under threat on older tyres. As such, Red Bull responded to this threat and pitted the Australian as well, who too went out on fresh tyres and started eating into Nico Rosberg’s lead.
With 24 seconds needed to avoid the undercut, Mercedes had a narrow window in which to pit the German, and missed it because he was caught in traffic. From then onwards, the last 11 laps became a riveting battle to see if Rosberg could indeed hold on to his win, especially with older tyres and brake issues. Ricciardo caught up with him on the penultimate lap, but Rosberg drove superbly in the closing stages to hold on.
Rosberg's single-minded focus
It could have all gone wrong for Mercedes, but Rosberg scored a third successive victory after the summer break. It is a complete contrast to his form in the last two years, wherein he got off the block slow and by the time he was up to speed, Hamilton runs away with the title. Perhaps the German kept looking at the bigger picture, that only the two of them could become the drivers’ champion, and confident in his car’s ability, he never closed the gap to his teammate.
This year is different though. Rosberg is not thinking about the ultimate goal. He is not thinking about being crowned champion in Abu Dhabi. He is not even thinking about what his teammate is doing, the biggest differentiator in his approach. This season, Rosberg is just aiming to take every single race as it comes, and drive like a man possessed in his bid to come out better than his teammate. The Singapore GP weekend was testament to this fact, and now he has reversed a 19-point deficit to an eight-point lead with six races to go.
The word now, in F1’s media circles, is that he deserves to win the championship. It takes more than that to predict the future in motorsport though, even if F1’s outlook for the next decade has just turned bullish. However, it was more to do with the presence of new commercial rights’ holders in the paddock, than Rosberg’s win.
Liberty Media’s Chase Carey, who is the new chairman of F1, was present in Singapore and talked to all the team heads separately. Chief executive Bernie Ecclestone introduced him to everyone, but the 86-year-old was absent when Carey met with the teams’ representatives. A clear representation has come out of this weekend, both from team principals and drivers alike.
The paddock air is expectant with hope for change, that the new commercial rights’ owners will invest new life into F1 in terms of strategy and direction they want for the future in connecting with fans both at the races and on digital platforms. They hope this sport will once again breath afresh and regain the top pedestal of motorsport it seems to be quickly losing to MotoGP.