Formula 1®
DHL FASTEST PIT STOP AWARD: 2016 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
Hamilton's second and third stops in the night race took only 2.14 and 2.22 seconds respectively. Third place in the classification went to Williams driver Felipe Massa who was serviced in just 2.24 seconds. In Singapore, 31 of the 52 stops came in below the three-second mark.
Williams' lead in the 2016 DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award is in any case unassailable: the Grove-based outfit performed the fastest wheel changes eleven times in the 15 races to date and have therefore already wrapped up the title for this season. They are followed by Mercedes on three fastest stops and Red Bull on one.
Intriguing tire strategies in Singapore
Nico Rosberg won the Singapore Grand Prix this year for the first time in his career. The outcome of the spectacular race on this street circuit was heavily influenced by pit stop strategies this time. Of the Top Ten drivers on the grid, only two started the race on supersofts, as dictated by their choice in the second segment of qualifying, namely Red Bull's Ricciardo and Verstappen. The rest of the top-placed cars were on the soft compound.
The Dutchman and the Australian fitted another set of supersofts after 13 and 15 laps respectively. Shortly afterwards, Räikkönen also switched to the same compound, while the Silver Arrows decided to play safe and stick with the softs. As a result, Räikkönen and Ricciardo were then able to make up ground on the two Mercedes.
Rosberg and Hamilton use strategy to good effect
Once again, it was Verstappen who opened the round of pit stops in the leading group, fitting supersofts. By contrast, Ricciardo and Räikkönen opted for softs - just like Rosberg and Hamilton. The Brit made one further visit to the pits to tackle the final stint on supersofts. That was also when his crew performed the fastest stop of the weekend. Räikkönen, who was battling the reigning champion for third place, switched to the ultrasoft tires shortly thereafter, but was unable to get past Hamilton.
Meanwhile at the front of the field, Red Bull were trying to beat Mercedes by matching their strategy: Ricciardo, Rosberg's closest pursuer in the race, pitted for another set of supersofts. But the German stayed out on the track. This meant that his opponent, now posting significantly better lap times, was rapidly closing the gap. However, he ran out of time to make the decisive overtaking move before the finish line. Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff said after the race: "We wanted to make a third stop with Nico, but Ricciardo put in a stunning out-lap after his final stop - and Nico had traffic on the lap, which cost him time. When those factors are combined, they meant he would have lost the position, so he had to tough it out in the lead - and he just made it."
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