Singapore Grand Prix: Nico Rosberg refusing to get carried away as Toto Wolff hails 'best weekend' of his career

Rosberg dominated the weekend to return to the top of the drivers' championship

Nico Rosberg celebrates his Singapore Grand Prix victory with his Mercedes mechanics (Getty)

Nico Rosberg is refusing to get carried away after his victory in the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday put him ahead of Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship, despite team boss Toto Wolff praising him for driving the best race he has seen in the three and a half years they have worked together.

Rosberg hardly put a foot wrong as he led from pole position, leaving the field trailing in his wake. The German was required to hold off a late charge from Daniel Ricciardo, but even if the Australian had caught Rosberg to challenge for the lead, it is not a given that the Red Bull would’ve been able to pass on the streets of Singapore.

With Wolff raving about Rosberg’s recent form – three wins in a row have once again turned the tide into his favour – he would be forgiven for keeping an eye on the championship battle, but he is doing no such thing.

"I had a great weekend again, but nothing has changed as my team-mate is still Lewis," Rosberg said.

"Lewis is always going to be very difficult to beat, and very fast. He always comes back strong even after a difficult weekend so it will be a battle all the way as always.

"I'm just happy to win the race because that is what I came here to do. And now I'm going to celebrate after this. I can't wait to get home."

Hamilton conceded that Rosberg was the better man across the weekend, and the image of the two embracing on the podium suggested a much calmer relationship between the two than in recent seasons. Yet the signs are in Rosberg’s favour, no matter how talented three-time world champion Hamilton is.


 Rosberg and Hamilton wave to the crowd on the podium in Singapore 
 (Getty)

No driver has won the first four races of the season – as Rosberg did – and not gone on to win the title, while Rosberg would also become the first Singapore Grand Prix winner to miss out on winning the championship if Hamilton pips him come the end of the season. Having beaten Hamilton fair and square, there’s a belief that the 31-year-old – who started his 200th grand prix at the weekend – if finally mentally capable of challenging and beating his teammate, with Wolff believing that he hit a new level in Singapore.

"I've known Nico since 2013 and that is the best Nico Rosberg I have ever seen throughout a weekend since then," said Wolff.

"We have the tendency of saying that Lewis has an awesome pace, and this is what we have seen with Nico this weekend - he was just blindingly fast.

"He was six-tenths quicker than P2 in qualifying in Singapore - something we are not used to seeing at all here - and in the same way he drove the race. He had a great start and controlled the pace."

Rosberg on his way to victory in the Singapore Grand Prix (Getty)

Wolff defended Hamilton’s performance, and there was an air of relief surrounding the Briton in that he didn’t lose a huge chunk of ground on his teammate, but he will still need yet another swing in momentum in order to get back on top of the championship battle.

"Lewis did not have a clean weekend," Wolff added. "He was lacking laps and was struggling with set-up and could not choose the direction.

"In Singapore, if you are lacking laps in free practice and you cannot develop the car in a certain direction, it becomes a vicious circle.

"Confidence is key and if your team-mate gets out of the blocks like Nico did this weekend it becomes difficult and Lewis was first to admit that."

Hamilton struggled to match Rosberg's pace and maintain his brakes at the same time (Getty)

Wolff added: "We have a tendency of talking one up and the other one down and we have had that for three years when they have been fighting for the championship.

"You have seen little waves, and I remember talking about Lewis a couple of weeks ago, and now we have had a mega Nico weekend, but we could see a change again in Malaysia."