Rosberg downbeat despite gaining on Hamilton in Singapore - MotorSportsTalk

Nico Rosberg may have cut 12 points out of Lewis Hamilton’s lead at the top of the Formula 1 drivers’ championship in Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, but the German driver was more concerned by Mercedes’ lack of pace at Marina Bay.

Throughout practice and qualifying in Singapore, Mercedes failed to challenge Ferrari and Red Bull for pace at the front of the field, leaving Hamilton and Rosberg fifth and sixth for the start of the race on Sunday.

Hamilton was forced to retire after 32 laps thanks to an issue on his power unit, giving Rosberg the chance to capitalize and carve into his 53-point lead in the championship.

Mercedes had hoped to make up for its lack of pace by putting Rosberg on an alternative strategy to the front-runners, but the German was forced to follow their lead by making an early second pit stop under a safety car caused by an intruder on the track.

Speaking after the race, Rosberg said that he hoped Mercedes’ struggles were a one-off and not a sign of things to come for the remainder of the season.

“Singapore was a disappointing weekend for my team,” Rosberg said. “We were far off the pace the whole weekend and Lewis’ car had to retire.

“I really hope that these were unique circumstances and our car didn’t suit the track and conditions. The problem is that we don’t really understand why Red Bull and Ferrari were so much quicker here.

“The start of the race was a bit chaotic. In the installation laps my engine went off a few times, so I couldn’t do the same start procedure, which I practised 100 times. I had to adapt but it worked out okay, so I was able to keep the positions.

“P4 was the maximum today, so we have a lot of work to do for Suzuka to understand what went wrong.”

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Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”