“Finally, in Singapore”, shouted 31-year-old Nico Rosberg into his radio set to his Mercedes teammates as he crossed the finish line in first place last night at the ninth Singapore Grand Prix.
Victory was sweet for the German Formula One driver last night, especially since it was his 200th race. He managed to narrowly beat Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who finished as runner-up, just 0.488 seconds behind Rosberg.
Fellow Mercedes teammate and two-time Singapore GP champ Lewis Hamilton — who raced the Marina Bay Circuit in increasing frustration, hampered by a brake problem — closed in third. Hamilton is now eight points behind his sole championship rival as Rosberg leapfrogged him into first place for the driver standings.
The drama on the Marina Bay Circuit continued on after Saturday’s giant reptile invasion — a safety marshal had to run for his life when the race restarted abruptly while he was on the tracks.
Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz Jr had collided into Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India seconds after the race kicked off, with Hulkenberg forced to retire early due to a wrecked car. The marshal had been clearing debris from the track when the race restarted suddenly, leaving him at the mercy of all 21 Formula One cars zooming towards him on the tarmac.
No words. Unbelievable #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/fxJgZ1MmxI
— Mattzel89 (@Mattzel89) September 18, 2016
Luckily, he managed to make it to safety at the sides of the track. But man, a dude could have been killed last night. “Just as we didn’t expect the restart, and he didn’t as well, I think,” said Rosberg about the incident. “It was pretty abrupt but he got out just in time and it’s OK. Of course we had to drive carefully through there.”
Formula One’s governing body FIA is currently investigating the incident. Meanwhile, the very lucky man has a legit party story for the ages.
