Our F1 Insider reckons Sebastian Vettel is a good bet to qualify fastest at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.
Sebastian Vettel to qualify fastest at evens (General).
Of the 14 races to date, Ferrari have had definitively the quicker car in eight of them, with Mercedes arguably fastest in four and Red Bull one, at Monaco (the British Grand Prix was too close to call on ultimate pace). The qualifying stats are skewed towards Mercedes (seven poles to six) primarily because of rain showers in Hungary and Belgium, which suited the Mercedes/Hamilton combination more than Ferrari/Vettel. The Singapore street track, assuming it remains dry at the crucial time, should see the performance pendulum remain in Ferrari territory given the circuit's characteristics. The Monza weekend featured a catalogue of errors for the red team but over one flying lap their package is still the class of the field and it should have the legs of their rivals at the Marina Bay track.
Daniel Ricciardo to set fastest lap at 7/2 (General).
Ricciardo has set the fastest lap in four of the eight events he has finished so far this season and the Australian should be driving a car which is there or thereabouts on race pace. Singapore is one of the four races which Red Bull have earmarked for a shot at victory, alongside Monaco, Hungary and Mexico. Sadly Ricciardo and team-mate Max Verstappen are likely to have to plan their assaults from their usual third-row grid slots, such is the power shortfall of their Renault engine, but their improved relative pace on Sunday should at least see the pair fastest of all late in the race when playing catch-up with those who started the race ahead. Both look fair value but Ricciardo is a canny racer who has the form figures on his side and may push for an alternative race strategy.
Related F1 links
