2014 Singapore Grand Prix

Championship standings

Rosberg leads the Drivers’ Championship with 238 points, 22 ahead of Hamilton in second. Ricciardo is a further 50 points back in third. Bottas holds fourth with 122 points, one ahead of Alonso in fifth. Mercedes lead the Constructors’ with 454 points.

Previous race

Hamilton won in Italy for his sixth victory of the season and 28th of his career, recovering from a poor start that dropped him to fourth. He took the lead when Rosberg ran wide through the Rettifilo chicane’s run-off area and used the escape road on lap 29. Hamilton reduced the gap to Rosberg in the championship to 22 points. Alonso retired with an ERS failure — Ferrari’s first retirement of the season, ending an 81-consecutive-race points-scoring streak, the longest in Formula One history.

Between-race developments

The FIA has banned certain pit-to-car radio communications with effect from this race, targeting driver “coaching” — information about sector times relative to other cars — under the sporting regulation requiring a driver to compete “alone and unaided.” The ban was refined after team principals raised concerns about its extent earlier in the week. From the next race in Japan, the FIA plans to prohibit teams from sending information about tyre and brake wear.

Track changes

Parts of the circuit were resurfaced following the 2013 race, and a mandatory track sweeper was used to match grip levels between old and new asphalt. The outside turn seven barrier has been realigned and the pit lane fast section resurfaced.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the red-banded super-soft compound as the option and the yellow-banded soft as the prime.

Practice

Alonso led FP1 at 1:49.056, just ahead of Hamilton. Vergne had a battery change and later stopped with an ERS failure, ending his session early. Räikkönen’s session also ended early with brake fire. Vettel stopped at the pit lane exit with sudden oil pressure loss; he switched to an older engine to avoid a grid penalty.

Hamilton was fastest in FP2 at 1:47.490. Midway through the session, Maldonado ran off at turn 10, struck the barriers and damaged the front-right corner of his car. Lotus built a new chassis overnight for Maldonado.

Alonso set the fastest time of the weekend in FP3 at 1:47.299. Rosberg was third after a slow first sector and running over the turn eleven kerbs.