Catch Lewis Hamilton if you can. The reigning world champion is well on his way toward successfully defending his Formula 1 crown after another win in Italy. The F1 season is now down to the final seven races, beginning with the street circuit of the Singapore Grand Prix on September 20. Will Lewis notch win No. 8 on the season in the Singaporean night?
Read on as we preview the favorites, sleepers and long shot to win the Singapore Grand Prix. And for more of Sunday’s top sports action, check out our complete NFL Week 2 picks.
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2015 Singapore Grand Prix Preview
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Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
[sc:Other240banner ]Hamilton continued his imperious march toward a third world championship by taking the checkered flag at the Italian Grand Prix. The win at Monza was his seventh of the season through 12 races, and the third in the last four. The Brit has three podium finishes in seven races at the Marina Bay circuit, including wins in 2009 and 2014.
Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
Rosberg’s chances of overthrowing his teammate from top spot in the driver’s standings became even slimmer after he was force to retire due to an engine failure with three laps to go at Monza. Rosberg was the runner-up in the inaugural Singapore GP at Marina Bay back in 2008, but he has failed to return to the podium in Singapore since. He had to retire from last season’s race due to a technical problem.
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
No driver has been more dominant at Marina Bay than Sebastian Vettel. The quadruple world champion owned the circuit from 2011 to 2013, when he won for three consecutive seasons. He also finished second in 2010 and last season. The German has been in fine form recently, recording three podium finishes in the last four races, including his runner-up finish at Ferrari’s home grand prix in Italy.
Sleepers
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
Raikkonen has not had the greatest success in Singapore, with just one podium finish (2013) in five career starts. However, he has been right at the cusp of the podium for most of this season, and will be a potentially strong challenger to the Mercedes duo.
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
Three of Ricciardo’s last few races have been marred by technical problems. He had to retire at Spa after coming to a sudden stop, and finished a disappointing eighth in Italy. Red Bull had better get its act together in time for Singapore, where the emphasis for downforce, traction and braking should suit Red Bull very well.
Long Shot
Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull)
Kvyat luckily hasn’t experienced the same technical issues as his teammate, and should be competitive in Singapore for the same reasons stated above. Kvyat came in a disappointing fifth in Italy, but finished second (in Hungary) and fourth (in Belgium) in the previous two races.
2015 Formula One Drivers’ Standings
Rank
Driver
Constructor
Points
1
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
252
2
Nico Rosberg
Mercedes
199
3
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
178
4
Felipe Massa
Williams
97
5
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
92
6
Valtteri Bottas
Williams
91
7
Daniil Kvyat
Red Bull
58
8
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
55
9
Romain Grosjean
Lotus
38
10
Sergio Perez
Force India
33
11
Nico Hulkenberg
Force India
30
12
Max Verstappen
Toro Rosso
26
13
Felipe Nasr
Sauber
16
14
Pastor Maldonado
Lotus
12
15
Fernando Alonso
McLaren
11
16
Carlos Sainz, Jr.
Toro Rosso
9
17
Marcus Ericsson
Sauber
9
18
Jenson Button
McLaren
6
19
Roberto Merhi
Marussia
0
20
Will Stevens
Marussia
0
2015 Constructor Standings
Rank
Constructor
Points
1
Mercedes
451
2
Ferrari
270
3
Williams
188
4
Red Bull
113
5
Lotus
63
6
Force India
50
7
Toro Rosso
35
8
Sauber
25
9
McLaren
17
10
Marussia
0
Upcoming Races
Race Number
Date
Race
14
September 27
Japanese Grand Prix
15
October 11
Russian Grand Prix
16
October 25
United States Grand Prix
17
November 1
Mexican Grand Prix
18
November 15
Brazilian Grand Prix
19
November 29
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Writer’s Prediction
Hamilton strolls to another win at Singapore, Rosberg recovers to claim second, while Vettel rounds out the podium places by taking third. Create a betting account now and start wagering on the biggest and best sporting events from around the world.
