#as Russell left ‘bitterly disappointed’ with Q2 exit

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Hamilton says P3 in Singapore incredibly rewarding as Russell left bitterly disappointed with Q2 exit

Although Lewis Hamilton admitted he was hoping for a 2018-esque blitz to pole position, the seven-time champion was still relieved to qualify P3 on the grid for the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix – but George Russell was far from happy with his P11 showing… Hamilton missed out on pole position by 0.054s, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in qualifying ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. Given Mercedes’ difficult start to the season, the Briton was delighted with his showing on Saturday. “It was incredibly close and a really exciting session in general. The car felt a lot better today, we did a lot of great work overnight, back at the factory but also here,” said Hamilton. READ MORE: Leclerc claims pole position by 0.022s from Perez in stunning wet-dry Singapore qualifying as Verstappen takes P8 “I think at the end it was so difficult to get that lap perfect, and I was hoping for some sort of lap like 2018, but the car definitely doesn’t want to drive like that one. I gave it everything, and to be so close between the top three I think is still great. “It feels incredibly rewarding,” continued Hamilton, “I think, for everyone in the team. We’ve really started with a real handful, a difficult deck of cards that we created for ourselves, and reshuffling, and lots and lots of work, everyone staying really positive – as positive as possible – and everyone staying really diligent and never giving up. Lewis Hamilton 'wasn't expecting to be fighting for front row' in Singapore GP qualifying “It’s been an inspiring year for me, witnessing what my team do, and being a part of that, and yeah, I so badly want to naturally, the will and desire to get a good result for them, to pay them back for all their great work is part of it… “Let’s hope we can do something in the race tomorrow, it’s very hard to overtake here but maybe we can have a better strategy than these guys,” concluded Hamilton with a wry smile. READ MORE: ‘It’s incredibly frustrating’ – Verstappen rues aborted final lap after going ‘2.7 seconds’ quicker George Russell's brake issue 'got progressively worse' in Singapore GP qualifying Team mate George Russell qualified 11th and, similar to the likes of Esteban Ocon (P18), Russell said brake problems were his undoing under the Lion City’s lights on Saturday. “I mean, the grip was fine, but we had a problem with the brakes,” explained Russell, “and every time I just went into the corner, it was as if I was just going back on the throttle again, and the car was being pushed forward, so this issue just got progressively worse as the session continued. READ MORE: ‘I’m here to win’ – Pole-sitter Leclerc eager to banish ‘frustrating’ Singapore memories on Sunday “It was there in FP1, but obviously in the dry conditions it was less noticeable and less of a hindrance. Yeah, such a shame, because we’ve had a really strong car this weekend, and I don’t really have a lot more to say, really. Just bitterly disappointed, really.” Russell added that strategy will be key at Marina Bay, where passing for position is notoriously difficult thanks to the tight confines of the track. “If it’s going to be a one-stop race it will make things difficult, but from what we saw yesterday it will probably be multiple stops. That will give us the chance to do something different in the midfield but we’re here to fight for the win and we had the fastest car yesterday in the high-fuel running, in the race pace, so yeah, disappointing.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Russell set to start from pit lane in Singapore after taking on new power unit elements

Mercedes have made the call to take on new power unit elements for George Russell’s W13 for the Singapore Grand Prix – with the Briton set to drop from his P11 grid slot to a pit lane start. Russell was a surprise Q2 drop out in the treacherous damp conditions of Saturday’s qualifying session, the Mercedes driver dealing with a brake issue on his #63 car to boot, as he was forced to settle for 11th on the grid. READ MORE: Hamilton escapes penalty for wearing jewellery as Mercedes fined €25,000 for self-scrutineering form ‘error’ And with little to lose, Mercedes opted to kit Russell out with a new internal combustion engine, turbocharger, motor generator unit – heat (MGU-H), motor generator unit – kinetic (MGU-K), energy store and control electronics. However, with those changes having been made without the approval of the FIA technical delegate, what would usually be a back-of-the-grid start will become a pit lane start, Mercedes having breached the terms of Article 40.3 of the 2022 Formula One Sporting Regulations. READ MORE: Hamilton says P3 in Singapore ‘incredibly rewarding’, as Russell left ‘bitterly disappointed’ with Q2 exit Meanwhile, on Saturday night in Singapore, Mercedes were also handed a €25,000 fine for an error on their self-scrutineering form which claimed that Lewis Hamilton – who will start the race from P3, behind Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez – was not sporting his nose stud, with Hamilton himself escaping sanction. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Norris hoping Singapore GP most difficult race in the history of F1 to overtake at after claiming P6 on the grid

Lando Norris was delighted after qualifying in a “rewarding” sixth position for tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix – the Briton hoping to keep cars behind him, as team mate Daniel Ricciardo rued being knocked out in Q1. Norris qualified in the top six for the first since the Hungary – where he started in fourth – setting a time that was 1.172s behind pole-sitter Charles Leclerc. However, the Briton was at one stage on the brink of an early exit after making it into Q2 by under a tenth over Valtteri Bottas in 16th. When asked how he was able to improve his performance from Q1 to Q3, Norris compared his Singapore showing to his maiden pole position in Sochi in 2021, saying: “It’s just the conditions. I don’t think we were necessarily that quick today, it’s just these conditions I enjoy; I always perform well in these conditions, a little bit like Russia last year. READ MORE: Leclerc claims pole position by 0.022s from Perez in stunning wet-dry Singapore qualifying as Verstappen takes P8 “When it’s wet and you’re on slicks, qualifying in Q3, you have to take risks, but you also don’t want to take too much. It’s such a fine line between being in the wall and completing a good lap so it’s so tough but very rewarding at the same time and today was rewarding, so P6 was very good.” P6 Lando Norris has 'always performed well in these conditions' Looking ahead to tomorrow’s Grand Prix, Norris joked that he was hoping for a static race, as while he does not expect to challenge the drivers ahead, he retained hope that the tight nature of the Marina Bay Street Circuit would make it difficult for him to be overtaken. READ MORE: ‘I’m here to win’ – Pole-sitter Leclerc eager to banish ‘frustrating’ Singapore memories on Sunday “I hope it’s the most difficult race ever in the history of Formula 1 to overtake at, that would be a very good race for me tomorrow!” Norris joked. “I have no idea. I’ve not done so much following at all, so I don’t know if it’s going to be a lot better. “It’s always tough to overtake, it still is going to be tough to overtake; there is only one overtaking opportunity here, so I doubt I am going to be looking at cars ahead, hopefully I am just looking at some empty track and I’ll be happy with that.” Daniel Ricciardo 'couldn't extract much more lap time' on drying track Team mate Daniel Ricciardo was knocked out in Q1 for the second time in the last three races – after qualifying in 17th at Zandvoort. Ricciardo later revealed that the damp nature of the circuit made it difficult for him to unleash the changes the team had made on Friday night “Yesterday was certainly a struggle, no denying that. So, we made a lot of changes overnight and obviously very different conditions today but getting out into FP3 I felt actually we were in a more reasonable spot,” said Ricciardo. READ MORE: Hamilton says P3 in Singapore ‘incredibly rewarding’, as Russell left ‘bitterly disappointed’ with Q2 exit “I felt like we were good enough to fight for whatever, the top 10 or thereabouts. So, like back in a respectable spot let’s say. So then we basically just sent it for qualifying, obviously the track dried a bit, but otherwise not really much else, and just in those conditions especially as the track dried more and more I could just feel that we could not extract much more lap time.” McLaren head into the Singapore Grand Prix looking to close down the 18-point gap to rivals Alpine in the constructors’ standings. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Hamilton escapes penalty for wearing jewellery as Mercedes fined 25000 for self-scrutineering form error

Lewis Hamilton has avoided a penalty for wearing his nose stud during Singapore Grand Prix qualifying after producing a medical exemption letter – although his Mercedes team were fined as they submitted a scrutineering form saying he wasn’t wearing any jewellery. Hamilton, who finished a season’s best third in qualifying at Marina Bay, had previously removed jewellery when driving after a long-standing rule that it could not be worn during track sessions was clarified in Miami. However, he was wearing his nose stud in Singapore, which triggered a visit to the stewards. READ MORE: Hamilton says P3 in Singapore ‘incredibly rewarding’, as Russell left ‘bitterly disappointed’ with Q2 exit The seven-time world champion told them doctors had advised him to leave the stud in, rather than continue to take it in and out, on medical grounds. FIA Deputy Medical Delegate Dr Ian Roberts looked at the medical report and concurred with the opinion. As a result, the stewards decided to take no further action. However, it soon emerged that Mercedes had submitted a self-scrutineering form declaring “that the driver complied with the requirement not to wear jewellery in the form of body piercing”. The stewards noted this was incorrect. “The Team Manager explained that the team was unaware that Hamilton had a piercing,” read the stewards’ reasoning. “In recent events Hamilton had removed the piercing prior to the competition. READ MORE: Leclerc claims pole position by 0.022s from Perez in stunning wet-dry Singapore qualifying as Verstappen takes P8 “The team assumed, without enquiring of Hamilton, that he had followed or would follow the same procedure for this event. “The Stewards accept that the error in the declaration in this case was not intentional or deliberate but it would not have occurred had the team made an enquiry of Hamilton before completing and submitting the declaration. “Given these circumstances, we fine the team €25,000.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com