Maldonado crash thwarts Rosberg

Pastor Maldonado ended Mercedes’ run of seven consecutive one-two finishes at the conclusion of practice yesterday of a race weekend – although not with a time to trouble the all-conquering team.

Whilst Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheet at the end of the second practice session ahead of tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix, championship leading team-mate Nico Rosberg was forced to settle for a lowly 13th.

That was thanks to Maldonado because at a time when Rosberg was conducting his low-fuel qualifying run on the supersoft tyres, the Venezuelan crashed into a wall, bringing out the red flags. Since the first race in 2008, the infamous ‘crashgate’ event won by Fernando Alonso, there has never been a Singapore Grand Prix without a safety car.