The Mercedes Formula 1 team revealed last night that a foreign substance used in the servicing of the cars during a race weekend caused Nico Rosberg’s early retirement from the Singapore Grand Prix.

After the race, the faulty parts were flown back to Brackley for investigations. It was revealed that the foreign substance caused an intermittent short circuit which meant that Rosberg could not change any of the settings on the steering wheel or engage the clutch.

Mercedes are not taking any chances. They have resolved to bring new parts to the final races of the season as they endeavour to get over their reliability issues.

This problem was particularly bizarre for Mercedes as they have been using the same procedures for servicing and preparing their cars since 2008.