“Our car has not got slower. I think some other people might have brought an upgrade package here. But that doesn’t explain it. I told my engineers I would like some information about what they think it was. But there’s not a lot of time before the next race.”
Hamilton is in regular email contact with his engineers. Back at the factory in Brackley, Northamptonshire, the team have been working to understand how they could lose nearly 1.5 seconds a lap relative to the opposition at one track. Ferrari have recently brought a new engine, which is thought to give an extra 20 horsepower, but this does not explain the gap.
Nico Rosberg has also voiced his concerns Photo: MERCEDES
Vettel spoke of “making the impossible possible” after his memorable win, the 42nd of his career, moved him beyond Ayrton Senna in the all-time list. If anything, the four-time champion is now Hamilton’s principal challenger, given the Englishman can beat Rosberg in the same machinery on demand at the moment.
Rosberg, who finished fourth on Sunday in Singapore, admitted he was dumbfounded by the deficit. The 30-year-old said: “To be so far off the pace all of a sudden and to not understand it, it’s really bad, because then how are we going to improve it? We just hope at the next track it will come towards us again, and the chances are extremely good because at all other tracks we’ve been so fast. But this race is very worrying, because we don’t know why it’s like that and so who knows if it will continue at the next race.”
Sebastian Vettel was victorious in Singapore
Meanwhile, a British man has been charged with committing a “rash act” after wandering on to the track during the Singapore Grand Prix. Yogvitam Pravin Dhokia, 27, stumbled across the circuit at Esplanade Drive, where the cars accelerate towards 180mph, before trying to take a picture of Vettel as he sped past. He then jumped across another barrier.
The incident has prompted a major investigation for Formula One’s authorities after the second incident of its kind this year.
Dhokia could not afford bail of around £7,000 because he is not working and spent all his money travelling to the race, according to reports in Singapore. His passport has been confiscated and he will appear in court again on Oct 6.
He could face six months in prison or a hefty fine for his actions, which forced stewards to deploy the safety car midway through the race.