adminMARINA BAY. – Lewis Hamilton unexpectedly vaulted into the lead of the World Championship for just the second time in a compelling 2014 season with a hard-earned victory in a dramatic night-time Singapore GP after the lights went out early on Nico Rosberg’s race.
The Briton’s path to his seventh win of the year – and a small, but important, three-point title lead – had appeared to be cleared by the demise of his team-mate and title rival as the otherwise all-conquering Mercedes team’s lingering Achilles’ heel – unreliability – intervened on the formation lap when a steering loom failure meant Rosberg’s W05 didn’t even get away from the grid.
Rolled away from the front-row and to the end of the pitlane for the race start, Rosberg was able to get going at the back of the field but not to any meaningful extent as a litany of electronically-related glitches rendered the fastest car in the field toothless.
The hitherto championship leader was then put out of his misery on lap 15 when his car was unable to get going again after he had to shut it down for the team to even complete a pitstop. With the reliability pendulum swinging once again to dramatic effect between the title contenders, Hamilton appeared on course to inflict maximum damage on Rosberg as he pulled away from pole at the front of the field from first Sebastian Vettel and then Fernando Alonso.
However, not for the first time in Singapore’s F1 history, the intervention of a mid-race Safety Car threw sudden unexpected drama into proceedings and made Hamilton’s route to that crucial victory rather more complicated.
Nico Rosberg was forced into retirement after an electrical systems failure, handing team-mate Lewis Hamilton the lead in the driver’s championship. – Sky Sports.
Online Reporter