Last night’s qualifiers and the practice session the evening before saw Rosberg smoothly take the fastest laps and lead for this evening’s race and the driver is steadily confident about doing well in Singapore’s F1 GP night race. In second place and just two points behind team mate Lewis Hamilton for the Driver’s Championship, Singapore could be the boost that he needs to take the lead in the competition. Hamilton will take third starting position in the race tonight after Ricciardo.
“The Singapore circuit is one of the most difficult, because of the heat and humidity,” he explained. That, according to Rosberg adds to the challenge of it being a street race. “Like Monaco, but the streets in Monaco are narrower and that’s even more difficult when it comes to overtaking,” he points out. “Here, it’s difficult but possible. In street races, the starting positions become quite crucial.”
This may just be the year Rosberg wins the Singapore circuit. “I came in second in the first year,” he reminds us. “But let’s see how this year goes. We have a great car, a great team.” In between the race prep, he’s had to meet guests, participate in sponsor events and also found some time to work in a shoot with Hugo Boss. One of the many things a F1 star has to take on.
The Mercedes team has basically overwhelmed virtually all its competitors, with Rosberg and Hamilton having won or come in the podium pretty much every race. (Hamilton had a DNF in one race.) Rosberg attributes it to the incredible amount of work and engineering put into their vehicles. “Our company [Mercedes] is incredible. They build just the most incredible cars. It’s like Apple in the world of mobile phones. We are the best in the world of racing.”
He admits that Singapore is a challenging race in his opinion. “It was the worst race for us last year. It’s physically very taxing and challenging because it’s very hot and because the race is a very long one, at over two hours. It’s really demanding.”
The Hugo Boss and IWC ambassador also spoke about his life outside of the track. “I do enjoy dressing up in a suit on an evening out. I think looking sharp and dressing right is important.” He also tells us that he’s a slow driver outside of the circuit. “It’s because of my daughter, she gets carsick if I go even slightly fast. I mean I have to drive at a really snail’s pace. It’s maybe faster to walk.”