Not over yet, say cautious Mercedes

SINGAPORE: Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said it was special to conquer “bogey track” Singapore but cautioned the F1 title race wasn’t over yet after Lewis Hamilton’s “stardust” propelled him to a potentially decisive 40-point lead over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton raced to a stunning pole position which he converted into a dominant victory - his fourth in five races - to leave Ferrari, who seem to have the faster car, again scratching their heads with just six grands prix to go.

Team principal Wolff said there was no mystery to Mercedes’ form, it was all down to sheer hard work back at the factory and the track.

“Singapore has been our bogey track for several years, so it is a special feeling to come here and win this race on pace,” Wolf told reporters after Hamilton’s pole-to-flag win and team-mate Valtteri Bottas’s fourth place gave them a 25-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship.

“It was a weekend of many parts: a stardust lap from Lewis in qualifying, a chess game of tyre management this evening, and some nervous moments with traffic and backmarkers during the race,” Wolff added.

“We have six weekends to go and we know how quickly the situation can swing back against us. We will take it weekend by weekend, feet on the ground and determined to maximise our potential every time.”

RED BULL EXPECT VERSTAPPEN TO START FROM THE BACK

LONDON: Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull in Singapore but he can expect Formula One’s next race in Russia to be a hard slog from the rear of the field due to engine penalties.

Team principal Christian Horner said the Dutchman would likely switch to an older engine specification after a series of problems last weekend.

“Sochi will be one to forget for us,” Horner told Sky Sports television. “I think we are probably going to be starting at the back. But then we’ve got some good ones coming up.”

Verstappen complained of engine problems throughout the Singapore weekend but managed to keep Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel behind him after coming out almost alongside the German after his pitstop.

Verstappen was fifth in Sochi last year but that race was held in April rather than late September.