Nico Rosberg saw something ‘horrible’ from Lewis Hamilton at the Singapore Grand Prix

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Nico Rosberg saw something ‘horrible’ from Lewis Hamilton during the final practice session for the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix after following the Mercedes star closely.

The Formula 1 field hit the streets of Singapore for one last 60-minute session to refine their set-ups before qualifying on Saturday. Friday had left Mercedes scratching their head after two disappointing sessions for Hamilton, plus teammate George Russell, around Marina Bay.

Mercedes were slower around Marina Bay than five of the six rival cars running their power units in FP1. Hamilton would only set the 12th-fastest lap time in FP1 and Russell ended the hour in P16. But while Russell improved to P6 in FP2, Hamilton remained in a miserable P11.

Nico Rosberg bemoans Lewis Hamilton’s ‘horrible’ lap at the Singapore GP

Hamilton’s mood failed to improve in FP3, either, as while the 39-year-old finished the hour in P7, he was 1.218 seconds off the blistering pace that Lando Norris set with his Mercedes-powered McLaren. Russell ended the final practice session in P2 but was 0.479 off the pace.

Russell posted a 1:30.125 with his first flying lap on the soft compound tyres. But Hamilton would only get within 0.739 tenths of a second of his teammate’s time with the seven-time champion’s first attempt. Williams’ Franco Colapinto was just 0.125s slower than Hamilton.

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After following Hamilton’s lap closely, Rosberg could only shake his head at his former title rival and Mercedes teammate’s attempt. While the Briton had not driven poorly to post his 1:30.864, he bled time compared to Russell’s delta all across the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

“Horrible, horrible lap for Lewis,” Rosberg said on Sky Sports F1 (21/9, 11:10). “I don’t mean in terms of his driving but in terms of lap time. He’s so far off George.”

Rosberg added: “With Lewis, it’s really around the whole lap. He’s lost consistently around the whole lap.”

Mercedes trialled different set-ups with their two cars in FP3

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed to Sky Sports F1 after FP3 that Hamilton and Russell used slightly different set-ups in the last practice session to prepare for qualifying for the Singapore GP. But it did not fully justify the scale of the margin between the two Britons.

Still, Hamilton will likely move more towards the set-up Russell used in FP3, especially given he finished the session over a second off the table-topping pace that Norris set for McLaren. The Stevenage native will loath being 1.2s off the pace but particularly 0.7s to his teammate.