Top 5 Drivers who have never won at the Singapore Grand Prix

The Singapore Grand Prix, now running into its 8th successive year since its inception into the Formula One season way back in 2008 has been one of the most exciting races in the calendar year. One of the three night races apart from Abu Dhabi and Bahrain grand Prix, the 61 lap competition spilled over 308 kilometers excites as much as it surprises each year.While the likes of Lewis Hamilton, the double world champion and clearly the one rollicking F1 to its great heights have won convincingly here at Singapore, as have the likes of 4 time World Champion, Sebastian Vettel (with Red Bull) and Fernando Alonso (under Renault), some the other top drivers haven't managed to secure glories here despite pulling up some aces from their sleeve. We take a look at 5 extremely talented and legendary names who despite their speed and experience haven't managed to yet secure a race win in one of F1s most eagerly awaited races.It's lights out and away we go at the Singapore Grand Prix

#1 Nico Rosberg

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In the inaugural season of the Singapore Grand Prix, Rosberg who for the first time ever led the race, finished second behind Alonso.

In 2009, he put the fastest lap at qualifying at the Singapore circuit, a brilliant 1:46:197 but in the race, undid all his good work by incurring a drive through penalty. Although at first, he couldn't match Vettel's race pace, he did overtake him eventually as just as it seemed he might win his first race at Singapore, he crossed the white line of his first pit stop.

While 2013 was an ordinary year for him, 2014 was equally painful as Rosberg retired following an electrical failure with the car. While coming into to race at Singapore, Rosberg would surely be reminded of the painful retirement at Monza, the last race, where his car's engine caught fire, it wouldn't provide any motivation to remember his 2014 retirement from the race.

But, one could say these twin heartbreaks coupled with the announcement of the race speculated to be affected by haze this Sunday, might just trigger something special out of Rosberg's capable mind and his never say die spirit. He would do well to win a race here, which could be his first since Austrian Grand Prix this year where he last won, since Hamilton's juggernaut literally put an end to Nico's hopes of dominating the season. After all, he has got to do something about closing in the 53 point gap to Lewis.

#2 Jenson Button

He has never won at Singapore. In the inaugural race here at 2008, Jenson secured a race finish of 9th from which he was to improve significantly in the coming two years. While he finished 5th here at Singapore in 2009, he stood 4th by the end of the race at the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix.

His best finishes were to come here at Singapore in 2011 and 2012, when he finished 2nd on the podium , losing to Vettel on both counts, by a margin of over 8 seconds, indicating Red Bull's supremacy in leading the entire pack and not just Button. But Button's dominant 2nd place finishes here at Singapore indicated that he commanded not just great speed but immense potential as being the top draw at his former team MLaren Mercedes. While he is still with the McLaren team in the present year, having arrived here in 2014, his Honda powered car clearly lacks the pace and the aerodynamics package to put up a special show at Singapore.

If he finishes inside the top ten, Button would do well to not feel disconsolate. After all, he has still got what it takes to be a top driver but clearly not the car that can further his ambition to win or to make heads turn in Formula One.

#3 Felipe Massa

Massa has never won here at Singapore, since the induction of one of the most beautiful and competitive race tracks into the F1 calendar year in 2008. None of his 11 race victories have tossed up the glittering name of the Singapore Grand Prix. Massa, who has endured a career of fine highs and great lows has borne everything, tumultuous race wins, listless drives and even life threatening injuries such as the nearly fatal one at Hungary, on July 25, 2009 where a spring from compatriot Rubens' car almost managed to penetrate Massa's helmet and hit his eye, nearly missing the forehead. As a result, Massa crashed head-on into a tyre barrier.

The brave Brazilian who was air-lifted following his threatening accident, came back to international racing and rejoined Ferrari for 2010 season alongside Fernando Alonso, finishing second at Bahrain, despite having to save fuel for the last 22 laps.

But despite of his brilliance, Massa has failed to impress at the Singapore Grand Prix. His best race finish in the 61 lap competition has been the 5th place he earned through rigor and sheer race pace thanks to his vastly promising Williams-Martini Racing that earned him a good overall drive in the last season here at Singapore in 2014. He would do well to threaten Kimi's Ferrari since the relatively quicker Vettel may just be busy catching up championship leader Hamilton.

While Massa might also be needed to hold on fellow team-mate Bottas who is an equally competitive driver as his experienced self, the Brazilian shouldn't be lackadaisical in giving up on his podium finish hopes here at Singapore. After all, if he does manage to step onto the podium, it would be his first ever feel to see Singapore from the podium's stable having never stood aloft on it before.

#4 Nico Hulkenberg

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The youngest name in our list of drivers who have never won at Singapore, Nico Hulkenberg, the 28 year old has come a long way since first impressing Williams' racing in 2007, where at the 3 day test conducted at Jerez, a rookie speedster from Germany came out of nowhere and outpaced Kazuki Nakajima, clearly the more experienced competitor. But while he impressed Flavio Briatore with his raw pace 8 years back, he failed to conclude a race seat with Renault and began his F1 career with the legendary Williams racing in 2010.

The Hulk from Emmerich am Rhein, Germany may only be 28, but the Force India driver has got the potential to be a top draw in Formula One. He has previously competed in the Singapore Grand Prix on 5 occasions and is yet to bag a podium finish. But, the highly capable and talented German who has scored over 260 total career points thus so far in a relatively young career has the capability and the competence to surprise fans and critics alike. His best race finish at Singapore Grand Prix has been a rather indifferent 9th finish, which he secured on two previous occasions with Sauber F1 team and his current Sahara Force India F1 team, in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Armed with oodles of self confidence and displaying a natural flair to zoom past experienced elders in a sport known to pump up adrenaline, Hulkenberg who is yet to finish a race would do well to bag an impressive finish here at Singapore.

#5 Kimi Raikkonen

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F1's most experienced driver alongside the double world champion Fernando Alonso, Kimi still seems to have what it takes to ace a race; raw pace and unswerving concentration powers to focus right till the end. Ferrari's last World Champion, the laconic Finn has never won here at Singapore despite showing signs of flourish in the grand racing fest.

Sometimes seeming clearly lazy and at other times, impressively quick, Kimi who will soon turn 36 drove an outstanding drive with former team Lotus Renault here at Singapore in 2013. This was to be a season known for commanding drives earned by the former World Champion and a series of intense Raikkonen-Grosjean competitive race finishes that garnered Lotus a string of important race finishes, most noticeably, Kimi's triumph at Melbourne, in the season-opener at Australia. But, in the same year at Singapore, Raikkonen whose participation in the competition was being doubted owing to recurring back problems, an issue the Finn drove on with for the entire season, earned his personal best finish at the Singtel circuit.

Raikkonen started from a limping 13 in the race and finished 3rd on the podium. The race, plagued by the safety car saw perhaps the best overtake of the entire race where Jenson suffered a cramping yet outstanding overtaking maneuver at the hands of Kimi, who held on to the inside line at the middle of the circuit and went on to retain his third position toward the closing stages of the race.

2014 saw Kimi finish 8th at Singapore and it remains to be seen what the "Iceman" can do here at one of the most intriguingly competitive circuits in the 2015 calendar year. He may not have the exact race pace as that of teammate Vettel, but his previous two races including his qualifying performances, such as that at Hungaroring(starting 2nd on the grid but finishing 13) and Monza(starting 2nd on the grid, but finishing 6th) have indicated that Kimi may just have recovered his lost mojo for qualifying and for main race.