Singapore Grand Prix: Nico Rosberg takes championship lead after clinching victory ahead of Daniel Ricciardo

Rosberg took victory ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton to take the lead in the drivers' championship

Nico Rosberg won the Singapore Grand Prix to take the lead in the drivers' championship (Getty)

If Nico Rosberg goes on to win a first Formula 1 world championship in November, he will look back on the Singapore Grand Prix as a pivotal moment in his battle with Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg triumphed after dominating the race from start to finish, ensuring that the 22nd victory of his career brought with it the lead in the drivers’ championship standing.

But had the race gone on a lap longer, it’s fair to say there would have been a different man on the top step of the podium. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo eradicated a 20-second lead in the space of 11 laps after pitting for fresh tyres, and his superior pace pushed Rosberg to the limit as he clinched victory by just five tenths of a second.

With Hamilton finishing third after a difficult weekend, Rosberg seizes the lead in the drivers’ championship standing with eight points separating the Mercedes rivals. Both suffered from bake issues, but Hamilton struggled more in the early stages and was passed by the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen before a superior strategy saw him re-pass the Fin during the final pit-stop cycle.

The pit stop decision from Mercedes not only consolidated third for Hamilton, but triggered the stop from Ricciardo that allowed the 27-year-old Australian to take on a fresh set of super soft tyres and try to chase down Rosberg. Mercedes planned to stop the German in response, but a slow lap in traffic meant he would have come out behind Ricciardo and the decision was taken to run until the end of the race by holding off Ricciardo late on.

“Daniel tried to pull one on me with the late pit stop and we knew it would be close but I had enough,” Rosberg said afterwards. “We couldn’t come in because I had traffic so I was slow. The car was on the edge, it always is in Singapore.

“I’m just happy with the win today.”

The race started in chaotic scenes when Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India cannoned into the pit wall after he hit Carlos Sainz. The Toro Rosso moved right to avoid a slow starting Max Verstappen, but with Hulkenberg getting off the line much faster, he was already alongside the Spaniard by the time he made his move and the front-right wheel caught Hulkenberg’s left-read tyre to spear him sideways and across the nose of Verstappen before hitting the wall.

Nico Rosberg takes a swig of champagne in celebration of winning in Singapore (Getty)

With marshals clearing the track rapidly, the race resumed on the third lap. However, what felt like a premature restart proved true when Rosberg arrived at turn one with a marshal still clearing the track. The sight of Rosberg coming within metres of the marshal as he ran for safety will prompt serious questions for race director Charlie Whiting, who made the decision to resume racing before the track was clear.

For Rosberg, a cruise towards the chequered flag appeared to be on the cards with no one able to match his pace – least of all Hamilton. The three-time world champion was struggling with his brakes and told to look after them from the get-go, but once the threat of Raikkonen proved genuine, Mercedes allow Hamilton to turn up his engine in order to secure third place in a weekend of damage limitation.

“Big congratulations to Nico, he drove superbly across the whole weekend and deserves the win,” Hamilton said afterwards. “It was a difficult weekend in Singapore as it always is but I’m happy to get points for the team. It’s a little different to how it was here last year but with the way the season’s gone, I’m still in it.”

Rosberg celebrates with his team after the race (Getty)

Rosberg heads into the season run-in knowing that he enjoyed a successful run of form last year, albeit when Hamilton had sewn-up the title. Wins in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi came as part of a seven-race winning streak that stretch into this season, and with two second places in Japan and the United States sandwiching a retirement in Russia, Rosberg very much found his form over the fly-away races.

With the Malaysian Grand Prix up in two weeks’ time, Hamilton needs to rediscover the edge he has held over Rosberg since they collided in Spain back in May. The Briton has won six of the last 10 races, but with Rosberg reeling off consecutive victories in Belgium, Italy and now Sinagpore, the momentum is very much with the German, who for the first time looked like he is ready to beat Hamilton in the race for the 20 title.