Ricciardo fears dominant Hamilton has more in the bag for Singapore Grand Prix

DANIEL Ricciardo feared Lewis Hamilton was foxing after the Englishman dominated opening practice at the Singapore Grand Prix.

SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 19: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Infiniti Red Bull Racing speaks with members of the media after practice ahead of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 19, 2014 in Singapore, Singapore. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

AUSTRALIA’S Daniel Ricciardo feared Lewis Hamilton was foxing after the Englishman dominated the opening practice sessions at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Red Bull Racing’s Ricciardo was third-fastest around the Marina Bay Street Circuit in the second practice run last night. The official qualifying shootout is tonight.

Qualifying is crucial because Marina Bay is such a narrow and complicated track that overtaking is difficult, fraught with danger. Drivers starting from the highest slots on the grid will have the advantage when the Singapore GP roars to life tomorrow night.

Mercedes-Benz’s Hamilton posted 1min47.490sec in practice to lead Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso (1min47.623) and Ricciardo (1min47.790). Hamilton’s stablemate Nico Rosberg was hindered by Venezuela’s Pastor Maldonado crashing his Lotus into the wall on Turn 10. Rosberg was 13th. The third and final practice session will be held tonight before pole position is decided in qualifying from 11pm (AEST).

“I’ve got a feeling Mercedes probably have a bit more in the bag,” Ricciardo said. “I saw Hamilton is about three-tenths up the road.

“Rosberg was improving and then he caught the red flag or the yellow flag so I don’t know, I think they’ve got a bit more in the tank. I think we do too, but probably not enough to get on par with them yet.

“Hopefully a good night of homework will pay off tomorrow.

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“I wasn’t expecting such a big difference between the tyres, it just doesn’t seem the prime is working as well. The super-soft tyre seems normal but the prime is tricky to turn on, so that’s making it a bit hard.

“The tyres are going to make a big difference in the race. To be quick on the tyre is one thing, but to make it last more laps is another and that could save you doing an extra pit stop in the race.”

Ricciardo is third in the world championship race behind Rosberg and Hamilton. Victory at the Singapore GP, or a podium finish at the very least, is required to keep him in the hunt.

His Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel had engine failure at the end of the first practice session. After pushing his car back to the garage from the end of pit lane, Vettel missing most of the second session while mechanics dismantled the engine.

He only had time for five laps, compared with Ricciardo’s 28. Germany’s four-time world champion still snuck into fifth.

“Was today unlucky? I don’t believe in good luck and bad luck,” Vettel said. “I think we achieved a lot in the last few years. That was right. We weren’t just lucky then.

“This year is a bit different and we’ve had some problems, but that’s part of life. We have overcome the troubles and it’s progressively getting better.

“In terms of pace, it’s looking good this weekend. It was important to get a good feel on the super-soft tyre.

“The mechanics were pushing hard and changed the engine in less than three hours, which is a massive job. Thanks to them that I was able to get out in the second session.”