Mercedes has confirmed that Nico Rosberg’s retirement from last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix was caused by a contamination of the steering column’s electrical circuits.
The German driver had qualified in second place for the race at Marina Bay, but was forced to start from the pit lane after he was unable to pull away from the grid for the formation lap.
Rosberg spent the first stint of the race languishing at the back of the field, and was told to retire the car when he came in for his first pit stop after being unable to pull away from his box.
As teammate Lewis Hamilton won the race, the Briton took the lead of the drivers’ championship for just the second time in 2014, moving three points clear of Rosberg at the top of the standings.
In a series of tweets sent out on Friday afternoon, Mercedes confirmed that its investigations had revealed the cause of the failure ahead of next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
UPDATE on the #SingaporeGP gremlin that forced @nico_rosberg to retire in the race to follow… pic.twitter.com/MFFkxUyDEa
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) September 26, 2014
Forensic analysis has revealed that the steering column electronic circuits were contaminated with a foreign substance #F1 #SingaporeGP
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) September 26, 2014
The contamination was not visible and did not manifest itself until Sunday as Nico went to the grid #F1 #SingaporeGP — MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) September 26, 2014
The result was an intermittent short circuit in the electronic circuits meaning @nico_rosberg could not command clutch or engine settings — MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) September 26, 2014
Fresh parts will be used at the forthcoming races. Our hard work on reliability processes will continue at the same intensive level #F1
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) September 26, 2014
Following the race, Rosberg said how he felt “helpless” behind the wheel of his stricken car as Hamilton took a sensational win to reclaim the lead of the drivers’ championship.
With five rounds remaining and just three points separating the two title protagonists, the stage is set for a sensational fight to the finish in one of the most exciting F1 seasons in recent memory.
