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Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg had to watch helplessly from the pits as teammate Lewis Hamilton dethroned him atop the Formula One championship with victory at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hamilton, who already pipped Rosberg by seventh thousands of a second for the pole position on Saturday, moved three points ahead with his seventh season victory after Rosberg had to retire early with a technical problem.
Rosberg had problems with the steering wheel, was unable to start the formation lap, entered the race from the pits and retired when the problem persisted in the first pit stop after 14 laps.
“The steering wheel suddenly didn’t work anymore,” he said in television interviews.
“The radio didn’t work, all the buttons. Only the gearshift worked. Suddenly it worked again, then not. And not at all during the race.
“It wasn’t the steering wheel, it had to do with the connection between the steering wheel and the car.
“It is a very sobering result. I am disappointed. It is another reliability problem. That is a weakness we have in the team. We must make this better.”
Team principal Toto Wolff said later that a broken loom in the steering column had caused the problem, which also affected gear selection.
Mercedes have dominated the season but both drivers have had the odd issue, and their fierce rivalry has added to the tension – culminating in contact between the two at the Belgian race for which Rosberg was sanctioned by the team.
Hamilton retired late in that race but has come back strong with victories in Italy and Singapore in what could be a crucial momentum shift into the last five races after Rosberg had led for most of the season.
“Things have changed for me absolutely. I looked for a clean weekend and this was it,” said Hamilton, who is on top for the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix in May.
Hamilton said he had expected another one-two finish but admitted that “those extra points are a huge help.” However, he was also slightly concerned about the latest technical problem which he said the team must overcome in the deciding stages of the season.
“That’s an area that we can still definitely improve on,” Hamilton said.
Rosberg, meanwhile, added that it was wise not to make any further comments after his famous “damn it” Saturday via team radio when told that Hamilton had pipped him for pole.
“Better nothing today, it wouldn’t be good,” he said.
DPA jb
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