Yes, but I dont think he is the type to settle for second. As he said one if you are contented with settling for second then you are not a racer. So I doubt very much if its a competitive race for first place he will settle for anything less.
If the whole season been like this it wouldn't have been that bad. I still expect Merc to pole and win, but at least there's a battle for third and it looks as if Red Bull and Ferrari are close enough to pounce if Mercedes slip up. Saying that Rosberg will probably be 6/10ths off the pace and qualify second now.
Looks promising... But... have the Merc's done a Rope-a-dope? Wouldn't be surprised if they were running heavier than most of the teams and had their engine turned down! Hope I'm wrong though... this race is boring enough has it is, would like to see the Merc's at least earn the win!
I'm not taking anything from those times at all, except that Daniil is showing his quality again, proving RBR's talent spotting is 2nd to none.
Danny's long run pace was very good and he got bulked on his hot lap. Can only assume that the Mercs were running different simulations. Should be a close one, especially with high chance of a safety car.
Jenson Button feels McLaren is not as competitive as it had hoped at the Singapore Grand Prix following Formula 1 free practice. Fernando Alonso put his Honda-powered McLaren eighth in FP2, less than a second off the pace set by Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat, while Button - using an older specification of engine for practice - was 14th. While Button expects both cars to be in the hunt for a top 10 qualifying result, he conceded McLaren was hoping to be slightly stronger compared to some of the other midfield teams. "I don't think we're quite as quick as we'd hoped, but we'll see over the weekend where we are," said Button. "It's definitely possible to get into the top 10, which has got to be our aim. "There are bigger gaps than we expected - Force India are much quicker than us, and Williams are quicker on longer runs which is surprising. "We'll do our best and see where we stand. I'm looking forward to it - it's much more exciting than the last two races and at least we're in a fight." Button was shocked at the advantage Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes have over the rest of the field, but Alonso believes McLaren can be in the thick of the battle behind those cars. "After the first three teams there is a group of cars and I think we are in that," said Alonso. "From seventh to 14th, there will be three or four tenths I guess, tomorrow. "We could be one of the first or one of the last, it depends on how we prepare. "It's going to be tight and we will have the chance to be in Q3, I want to think that's possible. "But the important thing is to get some points on Sunday and I think we are in a position to do so."
Very odd for so many cars to be in front of the Mercs- we know that RBR are quicker at places like this and that the gap closes but Ferrari have gone really well too. Did they turn down the engine yesterday? I hope not! Would be great if someone could beat them to pole and make the race interesting.
I think it would just be good for Merc to be beaten - the races are much better when they are out of position and they tend to make mistakes.
Jenson is having a shocking weekend. Not the best time to do on of the only 3 weekends that the car is a points contender.
This circuit seems to be showing that the Merc chassis isn't very good at all. It is showing how much of a power advantage the Mercs have at other circuits. It's almost looking like Mercs normal advantage is just massively more power!
This might be a great race. I can't believe how much Vettel has over the Mercs!!!!! Amazing.... In fact can't really believe Mercs are 0.5 sec behind the top 4!!!!! WOW. Might be a great race between Vettel and Riccardo. Hope Kimmi gets a good start. I am actually looking forward to a F1 race!!!!
Yep actually looking forward to some racing. ...oh wait it's a street circuit. Still enjoyable to see the British media squirming as there darling isn't pole or anywhere near. He can't win them all. He's not senna
Vettel Great to see Ferrari and Red Bull back at the front. Could be a good fight between Vettel and Ricciardo for the win. They were rapid in Hungary and Monaco though. Looks like the new tyre restrictions might be hurting them. Puts their infringement in Monza in a new light if this continues.
Very good point. I had forgot about tyre pressures. If Merc have been under pressuring their tyres by so much previously I wonder why the telemetry the FIA and thus Pirelli get hasn't made Pirelli sort out the Mercs low pressure use before?
If it is because of tyre pressure, what does it mean for the rest of the season? we have 7 races left, and the one is a double pointer.
Didn't they scrap the double pointer for this year? Vettel needs 12 points per race to catch Hamilton, not going to happen. If Mercedes stop dominating there's no scope for Rosberg to reel Hamilton in. Pretty much cements Hamilton's title, not that it was ever in doubt. I still think Hamilton will outscore everyone in the last eight races.
I can't recall anything like this ever happening before. The dominant team at every track, in all conditions, suddenly loses over two seconds in performance and is at a complete loss as to explain why.
doh! of course they did. Still, if they finish where they line up this race, and Vettel wins with a Lewis DNF next race, that's half the deficit cut. I don't believe it will happen, but Mercedes biggest problem has always been tyres. We saw in 2013 how a change to tyre rulings can affect the races, and I'm allowed to dream.
