MARINA BAY, Singapore -- Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix has been a personal highlight after his team overcame the issues it faced at the same circuit 12 months ago.Nico Rosberg took pole position by over 0.5s from Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo on Saturday -- a significant turnaround after Mercedes qualified 1.4s off pole last year. Wolff said the team had identified last years Singapore issue at the following race in Japan but did not know for certain if they had solved it until qualifying on Saturday.First of all, you hear often sentences from the drivers or management, saying they are really thankful of the job the team did, Wolff said. I must say, and we have just had the debrief, I am so proud of the job the engineers have done around really finding out about the root causes of last years performance - and the severity of our lack of performance last year opened up new ways of thinking.I remember last year after the race, when we had the situation of crisis, we discussed it and we wanted to find out [the cause] and there was a worry it would maybe drag on into Suzuka and the following races. We kept our heads down and a small designated group looked at the data and then parked the topic and concentrated on Suzuka and this is now the proof today that we have understood where we had the weakness of the car and I think we had quite some learning for the other tracks throughout the 2016 season that we benefitted from Singapore last year. So sometimes those difficult moments give you the possibility of really driving from there on.This is actually my personal highlight today that we have a car that is performing well. Obviously it is only Saturday and we havent started the race, we havent won it yet and tomorrow is going to be a totally different challenge. But having got the car where it is today I must really say the team has done a great job.Wolff was still not willing to go into specifics about the issue, but said it was related to the bumpy nature of the Singapore circuit.The interaction of the aero with the mechanical set-up on a particular circuit like Singapore, a street circuit and riding the kerbs, and a bumpy circuit, gave us a challenge in the way our car has been designed. Our car overall is pretty balanced throughout the season, on all race tracks and we struggled on a twisty road circuit like Singapore.You could have said this is a particular circuit that is not suited to our car and that is how it is, but we tried to find out how we can optimise our car for this particular circuit. Nacho Monreal Jersey . 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The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. SEARS POINT, Calif. -- Ryan Hunter-Reay left the last Verizon IndyCar Series race at Watkins Glen International on Sept. 4 having just learned that his title sponsor DHL was on the brink of signing a contract extension through the 2020 season with Andretti Autosport. It was great news.Since then:? He and his wife Beccy welcomed a third child to their Florida home, a healthy baby boy named Rhodes, on Wednesday.? Later the same day, Beccys father, Bob Gordon, and his wife perished in what Orange County (Calif.) police are calling a murder-suicide.? Friday was Beccys birthday. Thats the same day Ryan went back to work, stepping into his No. 28 DHL Honda Indy car across the country at Sonoma Raceway to practice for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma.? Sunday afternoon, Hunter-Reay and the Andretti Autosport team signed the contract extension and made the news public.Few people have experienced the wide spectrum of emotions that have affected Hunter-Reay over the past few days, yet once strapped into his bright yellow race car at Sonoma, he was at his level-headed best.In a season when most Honda cars have struggled for qualifying speed on road courses, Hunter-Reay advanced to the Firestone Fast Six for only the third time this year.While he understandably misses his wife and family, being in the company of his extended work family has brought the driver comfort at a difficult time.Absolutely, Hunter-Reay said Sunday, speaking to a small group of reporters after the media conference to announce his contract extension.Especially to be surrounded by a group of people I work so well with. They feel like family; theyre my friends. I know this is not about me, but being here is what everyone wanted and it has been a great bit of relief.Nothing can really prepare you for any of it, but on the professional side, things are going in the right direction and todays announcement is great news, he added. Im very happy about this and obviously its been a lot of highs and some lows. Its just been a wild ride for the past week and a half.Hunter-Reay has been though his share of professional stress and strife. After winning an Indy car race as a rookie in 2003 in the Champ Car World Series, he struggled to maintain a foothold in the sport over the next few years.He caught a break when Rahal Letterman Racing signed him in mid-2007, but even though he won a race, that ride fell through when the sponsor pulled out of racing and he faced several winters of uncertainty.Michael Andretti scraped together enough backing to sign Hunter-Reay to a three-race deal at the start of 2011, and once again, RHR came through by posting a win at Long Beach in his third start. The Andretti/Hunter-Reay combination has been together ever since, with DHL signing on as title sponsor in 2012.Now the most experienced American driver in the IndyCar Series is contracted for three years as opposed to three races.I was on the brink there in 2006-07, Hunter-Reay admitted. I was maybe a month or two away from going and doing something else with my life when Bobby Rahal gave me the chance at Rahal Letterman. Every time I got in the car I knew I had to prove myself immediately because it wasnt going to be a two-year deal where I could just take my time to develop.dddddddddddd.That fighting mentality was instilled at that time, when I was given opportunities and not a lot of time to prove myself.Beccy was a big part of Ryans support network in those tough times, and now the couple are established in the fabric of the IndyCar Series. Having grown up in a racing family (Bob Gordon was a well-known off-road racer, and brother Robby is a former Indy car and NASCAR star), she understands why it was so important for Ryan to get back into his work environment this weekend.That didnt make it any easier for Ryan.Beccy is doing amazing, Ryan said. Shes strong, and focusing on a newborn baby has been a blessing at this time. Its amazing how strong she is, how strong Robby has been, and her sisters Robyn and Hailey. Its blown me away because this is nothing you can prepare for. This isnt as simple as a life passing.Team owner Michael Andretti had no doubt that Hunter-Reay would be in the car this weekend. As a former driver, Michael knows that being in the car is the best sanctuary during emotional times for a racer.Michael famously continued competing in the 1992 Indianapolis 500 after his father Mario and brother Jeff were both hospitalized with significant leg injuries from crashes.Hes a professional, Andretti said. He even made the comment that hes so happy to be here at the racetrack and getting back in the car because hes able to just focus on that. Thats the best medicine. I know how he feels; Ive been there where I had to focus when there were outside things. It was always good to get in and just do your job and I know thats the way it is with him.I truly believe hes one of the best and its very important to have a talent like him on your team, Andretti added. Now hes got stability as well and thats huge. Its big for him, its big for us, its big for the team itself.Now in the most secure position of his career, its likely that the best is yet to come for Hunter-Reay. Hes won 16 races and the 2012 championship, making him the most successful American driver currently competing in the IndyCar Series, and at age 35, hes just hitting his prime.Hes the lead driver for Hondas flagship Indy car team, putting him in prime position to capitalize if the manufacturer can gain the upper hand over its competition from Chevrolet.And even though he has been put through a world of worry in the last week, the next four years look pretty much care-free.To not stress about a contract, I cant tell you how beneficial it is to the racing side, Hunter-Reay said. You dont have to think about the pressure involved in that. You can just go out there and put everything on the line and you know that if you over step the edge or if you try to make that pass and it doesnt work out, its not going to blow back on you.I know when we get this program sorted, were going to contend for championships. ' ' '