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Singapore still an unknown for Mercedes

Mercedes' Toto Wolff is hopeful the massive under-performance which dogged the German outfit last year in Singapore shall not be repeated.

In 2015, both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg qualified outside of the top 4 at the Asian venue while only the latter finished the race following a blend of improper car set-up and tyre management which drastically affected the Silver Arrows' performance.

While Mercedes believe its thorough investigation of its mishap last year led to a proper understanding of the issues which affected its performance, it remains guarded until progress is validated at the race track.

"We made some conclusions which helped us in the following races and throughout the season," Wolff said.

"So in Singapore we are going to check whether our assumptions were right. There is not one thing that went wrong. Many things went together, which is why I am excited and curious to see how Singapore is going to work."

Wolff, whose team discussed the upcoming Singapore race over the Monza weekend, admitted that an entire season of racing necessarily implied some compromise while the odd race out could not be discarded.

"You can see that where we got it right is that our car is the best compromise. We have 21 races throughout the season and we have to have a chassis-engine combination that works well on average [everywhere].

"But you have teams that have outliers. You have a team that is doing extremely well on circuits like Singapore, with high downforce, but they are not competitive on a circuit like Monza.

"Then you can play the blame game and say the engine is not good enough. But if your car is draggy and has a rake like you are doing a handstand, then you cannot expect to go fast on the straights. It is about finding the best compromise and let’s see what happens in Singapore."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.