World champion just seventh after an error on his flying lap before his Mercedes car suffers a new mechanical failure
Monday 19 September 2016 14:22, UK
Nico Rosberg set the pace in Practice Two for the Singapore GP as Lewis Hamilton hit trouble, while Mercedes leapfrogged Ferrari and Red Bull.
Hamilton ended the day just seventh after a mistake on track and then had to sit out the final 45 minutes due to a mechanical failure on his W07.
After being outpaced in Practice One, the Silver Arrows turned the tables on their rivals in the evening session as Rosberg edged out Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen at the top of the charts by a couple of tenths with Max Verstappen of Red Bull third.
But all three teams looked closely matched on their long-run simulations, with Rosberg's narrow advantage over a single lap also potentially misleading.
Having gone quickest in the first two sectors on his flying lap, Daniel Ricciardo ended up just fourth quickest in his Red Bull after losing a large chunk of lap time through the final corners.
"It's really close between ourselves, Red Bull and Ferrari - much closer than at some other tracks - so it looks a big battle ahead," admitted Rosberg.
"I'm not discouraged," added Ricciardo. "There is still a lot more we can get out of the car."
It's looking close between Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes - but how close?
But it was Hamilton's problems which were the focus of attention as the world champion lost the initiative to title rival Rosberg.
Although Hamilton had been fastest at the start of the session on supersofts, he ran off track at the first corner of his flying lap on the fast-degrading ultrasofts and was relegated to just seventh in the charts.
Turning a drama into a mini-crisis, Hamilton's car then developed a hydraulic leak which prevented him from returning to action when the field began their long-run race simulations.
Fresh mechanical setback for Hamilton
It leaves the world champion on the back foot heading into what could be a pivotal weekend for his title fight with Rosberg. Following back-to-back wins for his team-mate after the summer break, Hamilton's championship lead has been cut to just two points.
"It doesn't look like anything serious," assured Hamilton. "The guys are working on it and it should be fine for tomorrow, which is the main thing.
"Our pace looked okay today. Definitely much better than last year so I'd say we're looking relatively strong."
Meanwhile, McLaren experienced a mixed day as they targeted being the best of the rest behind Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari. On the one hand, there was encouragement in the sight of Fernando Alonso setting the ninth quickest time of the day.
On the other, the Spaniard finished the session behind the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg and Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz in the charts and, more disconcertingly, parked up at the side of the track when his car broke down in the closing moments.
The failure meant McLaren's day ended in identical fashion to how it had begun - Jenson Button's car had suddenly crawled to a halt in the opening minutes of Practice One, requiring a push back to the pits from the trackside marshals.
Singapore GP Practice Two timesheet
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:44.152
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, + 0.275
3. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, + 0.380
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, + 0.405
5. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, + 1.009
6. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, + 1.030
7. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, + 1.123
8. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, + 1.355
9. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, + 1.627
10. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, + 1.877
11. Sergio Perez, Force India, + 1.911
12. Jenson Button, McLaren, + 2.422
13. Esteban Gutierrez, Haas, + 2.575
14. Felipe Massa, Williams, + 2.704
15. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, + 2.808
16. Kevin Magnussen, Renault, + 3.009
17. Jolyon Palmer, Renault, + 3.014
18. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, + 3.379
19. Romain Grosjean, Haas, + 4.239
20. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, + 4.335
21. Pascal Wehrlein, Manor, + 4.353
22. Esteban Ocon, Manor, + 4.671
