Singapore is unique for a number of reasons, a few being the time of day that the race takes place and the track itself.
The Grand Prix is currently the only night race on the calendar, making it completely different. And what a backdrop to stage the race with. Singapore always puts on a good show, with firework and light displays. The Marina Bay track itself weaves around the streets of the city state.
Racing can fall into the processional category, but all the same its great to watch.
Racing under the light lit streets, past skyscrapers and along the water front. The Singapore Grand Prix is one to be remembered, and not just for the racing.
Here is my full weekend review of the event.
FP1
Sebastian Vettel topped the opening session of the Singapore Grand Prix. After dominating the 2011 event, he started where he left off.
Lewis Hamilton showed McLaren's fine form by ending the morning in second place, just half a tenth off the Red Bull RB8. Jenson Button cemented the MP4-27's speed by ending the damp session in third. Fernando Alonso showed that he is not to be discounted in 4th, with Maldonado revealing the Williams FW34's ability in 5th.
However the mistake ridden Venezuelan created one of the many yellow flags for using one of the many escape roads. Many drivers, including Grosjean, used these in the tricky conditions. Webber finished 6th, ahead of the two Force India drivers.
HRT reserve driver Ma Qing Hua was the slowest of the 24 runners, 7 seconds off the pace.
FP2
The second 90 minute practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix was held under pitch black skies, with conditions for the session being dry.
Vettel finished a highly competitive day in the top spot. The 2010 and 2011 world champion finished the first session with the fastest time, and repeated that again. He set the benchmark time of 1m48.340 on the super soft tyre compound.
Jenson Button illustrated McLaren's fine form in second, with his team mate ending up 5th. Lewis ended the session 1 tenth behind Mark Webber, who ended up 4th fastest. Championship leader Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 3, trailing Vettel by 5 tenths.
Force India showed fine form in 6th and 7th, ahead of Rosberg, Massa and Grosjean. Bruno Senna finished 17th after first launching over the kerbing at turn 10, and bringing out the red flag after crashing at turn 19.
Drivers continued to use the escape roads heavily, including Petrov who performed an impressive donut. The stunning backdrop and shining lights illuminated the cars and produced some amazing colours, making those F1 liveries even more beautiful.
FP3
Free Practice 3 was the final chance for drivers to get their set up ready for Qualifying and the race. The 60 minute session was jam packed and was eventually red flagged after Petrov hit the wall in the final sector.
Sebastian Vettel made it a clean sweap, topping the final practice session. The German topped both FP1 and FP2, showing Red Bull's strong form. His best time of 1m47.947 was 3 tenths faster than second place man Lewis Hamilton, with Alonso, Hulkenberg and Raikkonen rounding out the top 5.
The field was noticeably more spread out on the 3.15mile circuit, with the top 10 being spread by 2 seconds. Both Mark Webber and Sergio Perez clouted the wall at turn 18, while Petrov's late accident brought out the red flag.
Because of the incidents, Webber wound up 11th by the chequered flag. Jenson Button failed to get a fast lap time in on the super soft and eventually set the 12th fastest time.
Qualifying
Starting at the front has always been an important factor in Singapore, with overtaking possibilities being quite low.
Q1
The first 20 minute qualifying session started off relatively quietly, but the volume increased significantly on the Singapore streets as the cars emerged from their respective garages.
Drivers started pushing as air and track temperatures decreased, with tyre temperatures being harder to bring up. Kimi Raikkonen made use of the escape roads, as did Sergio Perez. Alonso set the early pace as drivers struggled to make the tricky turn 10.
Hamilton soon changed that and broke the 1m48 barrier. However the midfield strapped on the super soft tyres and went faster, troubling the leaders. Romain Grosjean topped the times with a 1m47.688, ahead of Di Resta and Raikkonen.
Hamilton, Alonso and Button stayed in the garage as the midfield went onto the super soft tyres and the gamble payed off.
Out in the first session were Kobayashi, who stayed in the garage and took the risk, Petrov and Kovalainen. Marussia closed the gap on Caterham, with Glock qualifying 21st. Pic was next up, with Karthikeyan out qualifying De La Rosa again.
Q2
The second qualifying session of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend was 15 minutes of non stop action, with cars running busy strategies in the hope of progressing through to the top 10.
Bruno Senna hit the wall for the third time in the space of two days, meaning he will start the race from 17th. Romain Grosjean also touched the wall, damaging his rear wing and meaning the Lotus pit garage was very busy.
With half the session remaining, Lewis Hamilton and Vettel were in a league of their own. They were the only drivers who lapped in the 1m46's, with Button 1 second further back in third.
Drivers started their second runs, with just Hamilton, Vettel and Button staying in the pit lane. As the chequered flag came out, Hamilton topped the time sheets from Vettel, Webber, Grosjean and Alonso. Maldonado also made it through to Q3, as did Button, Di Resta, Rosberg and Schumacher after a last gasp attempt.
Out in the second session were Hulkenberg, Raikkonen and Massa. Perez, Ricciardo and Vergne also joined them, while Senna crashed out and failed to set a time.
Q3
The final 10 minute session of Qualifying resulted in the top 10 order on the grid. All eyes were on Hamilton and Vettel, who appeared to be on a different level.
Drivers split their Q3 strategies, with some going for the soft tyre, some going for super softs. Some teams put their drivers on two runs, while others only did 1 timed lap.
Jenson set the first lap time, with a 1m47.238. Team mate Lewis Hamilton soon topped that by going 9 tenths faster, with Vettel going third behind Button. Rosberg, Schumacher and Webber pitted at the end of their first laps, just setting sector times.
Fernando Alonso went out on track with 3 minutes left to go, with Webber following him out. Button, Vettel and Hamilton all had the typical quick turn around to rejoin for their second runs. Grosjean set his first lap time, going provisionally 4th. Maldonado went second as the chequered flag went out.
Meanwhile Alonso went 3rd, with Webber setting the 5th best time. Vettel went 3rd, while Button went 4th. Paul Di Resta set the 5th fastest time.
So Hamilton took pole position, with Maldonado qualifying in a surprise 2nd. Vettel, Button and Alonso followed, while Di Resta lined up 6th. Webber and Grosjean were 7th and 8th, with Rosberg and Schumacher only setting sector times.
The Race
It has always been one of the most anticipated races on the calendar, with Singapore always putting on a good show.
Qualifying threw up a few surprises under the shining lights, with the first corner being the talk of the paddock. Maldonado and Hamilton have had their fair share of incidents over the past 2 years, so all eyes were on them.
A tough, hot and humid race for the drivers make the race tough enough, but 61 laps of the non stop circuit make it the most challenging of the season. 1,600 light projectors brighten up the Singapore streets, illuminating a clear path.
The Marina Bay Circuit is one with many challenges. Falter and you will know about it, one lapse of concentration could mean the end of your race. There is no time to rest, as Formula 1's only night race got underway.
The revs rise, echoing around the Singapore city state, the lights turn on and we are racing at night. Off the line Hamilton had a good start and covered Maldonado, meanwhile cars were cutting turn 2. It was a clean start and Maldonado dropped to forth place. Both Mercedes cars were side by side into turn 7, as Grosjean and Webber got close.
Vettel had moved up to second position, with Button also progressing. Petrov was trailing around at the back with a broken front wing. Hamilton had a 1.2 second advantage by the end of lap 1, with Vettel being trailed by Button. Maldonado was forth, with Alonso and Di Resta chasing. Massa and Petrov pitted, with the former having a left rear puncture.
Hamilton extended his lead to 1.4 seconds by lap 3, but Vettel was still lurking. Both began to drop Jenson Button, who said after qualifying he was not confident with the MP4-27's rear grip.
By lap 6 Hamilton had extended the gap to his team mate Button in third to 7 seconds. The first drivers on the soft tyres were Hulkenberg and Perez, who were both 21 and 22 seconds off the lead respectively by lap 7. Webber pulled into the pit lane on lap 9 and switched to the soft tyre, showing a possible 3 stop strategy. He fed back behind Charles Pic in 20th place.
Glock hit the wall as he went under the grand stand, while Vettel short cut the tricky turn 10 chicane. Meanwhile Button started to reel in the leaders, taking 2 seconds off Vettel on lap 9. Hamilton was dropping the German, while Button clawed him in. Not surprisingly Vettel peeled into the pit lane on lap 11, switching on to the yellow Pirelli tyre. Red Bull's early stop meant he emerged within the midfield pack.
The Ferrari team reacted to these early stops by Red Bull, pitting Alonso on lap 12. Mercedes followed suit with Schumacher. Hamilton came in on the following lap after saying the "left rear felt funny". Button had moved to within 3 seconds of his team mate. Di Resta followed the McLaren driver in to the pits, while Hamilton comes out ahead of the battling Raikkonen and Vettel.
Sebastian moved ahead of the Finn with some DRS help, making an easy move into turn 7. Maldonado pitted on lap 14, the first stops being in full flow. The Venezuelan was followed in by Raikkonen. Jenson Button, who was leading, pitted on lap 15 for the yellow soft compound tyre. He emerged in clean air behind Vettel, with no traffic fortunately. Pastor Maldonado almost lost his Williams FW34 at the left kink of turn 6, with the DRS open. His car suffered a violent twitch but it was well held.
The race had calmed down by lap 18, as Vettel and Hamilton traded better lap times which meant the gap was pretty consistent. Those who started on the soft tyres, firstly being Hulkenberg and Perez, stopped on lap 19. The both took on some new soft tyres.
However the race was turned on its head for Lewis Hamilton on lap 23 as he slowed, stuck in neutral. It was a huge disappointment for Hamilton, who had looked comfortable at the front. This race was very important for his title challenge, which looks to have taken a hit.
This put Vettel out in the lead, giving Button the chance to challenge for the win. The second stops started to occur on lap 28, with drivers beginning to struggle with degredation. Webber was the first of the front runners to pit on lap 29, as he was in a battle with Di Resta. Fernando Alonso stopped on the following lap, coming in behind Maldonado.
Pastor closed in on Grosjean in front, who was behind held up in a cue with Rosberg. The Mercedes driver was behind held up badly by De La Rosa. The championship leader was putting pressure on the Williams. However the race took an interesting turn as the safety car was deployed. This was thanks to the clumsy Karthikeyan crashing at turn 18.
The pit lane became very busy as Button, Vettel and Di Resta pitted. Cars flooded in, including Grosjean, Maldonado and Rosberg. Mercedes even double pitted their drivers, as Webber and Alonso took the decision to stay put on track.
Maldonado was radioed by his team telling him to pit and retire the car with a hydraulics problem. He carried on for another lap but pulled into the pits on lap 37. The safety car pulled into the pit lane at the end of lap 39, but it looked like the race would not complete the 61 laps with the 2 hour time limit.
On the restart Button jumped too early, almost running into the back of Vettel as the German slowed again. This dropped him back but the Brit was clear of Alonso. Webber disposed of Hulkenberg, as both Rosberg and Raikkonen cleared Perez. There was drama again as Schumacher took out Jean-Eric Vergne. They were battling with a slow Perez and Schumacher locked his tyres, slamming into the back of the Toro Rosso driver. The Safety Car was deployed again, to clear the debris.
This prompted Webber, Hulkenberg and Perez to pit for fresh boots. During those stops Petrov stopped in his pit box, was released and then stopped at the end of the pits. The safety car pulled into the pits on lap 42, with Vettel making a much cleaner restart. Massa challenged Bruno Senna and they touched, with Massa saving a crazy slide.
As the cars started lap 44, Button dropped back from Vettel. The gap to Alonso was even bigger, as Di Resta sniffed a possible podium. Massa was putting Ricciardo under pressure, an impressive drive after the Brazilian ended lap 2 in last position. The Ferrari driver passed him into the turn 10 chicane.
The midfield battles started to heat up by lap 49, with Ricciardo and Senna battling hard. Behind them, Webber was stuck in a trail behind Kobayashi. An ambitious move by Perez led to contact between him and Hulkenberg. It was the German who collected Kamui Kobayashi on the next lap, after Webber cleared the Japanese driver. The Force India crawled back to the pits with a puncture.
Fernando Alonso was dropping back from Button, as Vettel continued to pull away at the front. While one Force India faltered, Di Resta had his sights on Alonso's third place. The lap counter was replaced by a timer, and as the time ticked down to 9 minutes remaining the hottest battle on track was between Webber and Senna.
Up at the front, Button had dropped back from Vettel. The gap was 4.6 seconds with 8 minutes remaining. Webber disposed of Senna with the help of DRS to take the final point. The gaps were staying pretty constant, with the field spreading out.
The time ticked down on the only night race in Formula 1, with Vettel dominating the latter half of the race.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Racing can fall into the processional category, but all the same its great to watch.
Racing under the light lit streets, past skyscrapers and along the water front. The Singapore Grand Prix is one to be remembered, and not just for the racing.
Here is my full weekend review of the event.
FP1
Sebastian Vettel topped the opening session of the Singapore Grand Prix. After dominating the 2011 event, he started where he left off.
The 2011 world champion set a best time of 1m50.466, completing 24 laps. The session was different to any other around the street circuit, with the 90 minute session being disrupted by rain. The first hour or so was pretty tentative, with plenty of mistakes occurring.
However the mistake ridden Venezuelan created one of the many yellow flags for using one of the many escape roads. Many drivers, including Grosjean, used these in the tricky conditions. Webber finished 6th, ahead of the two Force India drivers.
HRT reserve driver Ma Qing Hua was the slowest of the 24 runners, 7 seconds off the pace.
FP2
The second 90 minute practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix was held under pitch black skies, with conditions for the session being dry.
Vettel finished a highly competitive day in the top spot. The 2010 and 2011 world champion finished the first session with the fastest time, and repeated that again. He set the benchmark time of 1m48.340 on the super soft tyre compound.
Jenson Button illustrated McLaren's fine form in second, with his team mate ending up 5th. Lewis ended the session 1 tenth behind Mark Webber, who ended up 4th fastest. Championship leader Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 3, trailing Vettel by 5 tenths.
Force India showed fine form in 6th and 7th, ahead of Rosberg, Massa and Grosjean. Bruno Senna finished 17th after first launching over the kerbing at turn 10, and bringing out the red flag after crashing at turn 19.
Drivers continued to use the escape roads heavily, including Petrov who performed an impressive donut. The stunning backdrop and shining lights illuminated the cars and produced some amazing colours, making those F1 liveries even more beautiful.
FP3
Free Practice 3 was the final chance for drivers to get their set up ready for Qualifying and the race. The 60 minute session was jam packed and was eventually red flagged after Petrov hit the wall in the final sector.
Sebastian Vettel made it a clean sweap, topping the final practice session. The German topped both FP1 and FP2, showing Red Bull's strong form. His best time of 1m47.947 was 3 tenths faster than second place man Lewis Hamilton, with Alonso, Hulkenberg and Raikkonen rounding out the top 5.
The field was noticeably more spread out on the 3.15mile circuit, with the top 10 being spread by 2 seconds. Both Mark Webber and Sergio Perez clouted the wall at turn 18, while Petrov's late accident brought out the red flag.
Because of the incidents, Webber wound up 11th by the chequered flag. Jenson Button failed to get a fast lap time in on the super soft and eventually set the 12th fastest time.
Qualifying
Starting at the front has always been an important factor in Singapore, with overtaking possibilities being quite low.
Q1
The first 20 minute qualifying session started off relatively quietly, but the volume increased significantly on the Singapore streets as the cars emerged from their respective garages.
Drivers started pushing as air and track temperatures decreased, with tyre temperatures being harder to bring up. Kimi Raikkonen made use of the escape roads, as did Sergio Perez. Alonso set the early pace as drivers struggled to make the tricky turn 10.
Hamilton soon changed that and broke the 1m48 barrier. However the midfield strapped on the super soft tyres and went faster, troubling the leaders. Romain Grosjean topped the times with a 1m47.688, ahead of Di Resta and Raikkonen.
Hamilton, Alonso and Button stayed in the garage as the midfield went onto the super soft tyres and the gamble payed off.
Out in the first session were Kobayashi, who stayed in the garage and took the risk, Petrov and Kovalainen. Marussia closed the gap on Caterham, with Glock qualifying 21st. Pic was next up, with Karthikeyan out qualifying De La Rosa again.
Q2
The second qualifying session of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend was 15 minutes of non stop action, with cars running busy strategies in the hope of progressing through to the top 10.
Bruno Senna hit the wall for the third time in the space of two days, meaning he will start the race from 17th. Romain Grosjean also touched the wall, damaging his rear wing and meaning the Lotus pit garage was very busy.
With half the session remaining, Lewis Hamilton and Vettel were in a league of their own. They were the only drivers who lapped in the 1m46's, with Button 1 second further back in third.
Drivers started their second runs, with just Hamilton, Vettel and Button staying in the pit lane. As the chequered flag came out, Hamilton topped the time sheets from Vettel, Webber, Grosjean and Alonso. Maldonado also made it through to Q3, as did Button, Di Resta, Rosberg and Schumacher after a last gasp attempt.
Out in the second session were Hulkenberg, Raikkonen and Massa. Perez, Ricciardo and Vergne also joined them, while Senna crashed out and failed to set a time.
Q3
The final 10 minute session of Qualifying resulted in the top 10 order on the grid. All eyes were on Hamilton and Vettel, who appeared to be on a different level.
Drivers split their Q3 strategies, with some going for the soft tyre, some going for super softs. Some teams put their drivers on two runs, while others only did 1 timed lap.
Jenson set the first lap time, with a 1m47.238. Team mate Lewis Hamilton soon topped that by going 9 tenths faster, with Vettel going third behind Button. Rosberg, Schumacher and Webber pitted at the end of their first laps, just setting sector times.
Fernando Alonso went out on track with 3 minutes left to go, with Webber following him out. Button, Vettel and Hamilton all had the typical quick turn around to rejoin for their second runs. Grosjean set his first lap time, going provisionally 4th. Maldonado went second as the chequered flag went out.
Meanwhile Alonso went 3rd, with Webber setting the 5th best time. Vettel went 3rd, while Button went 4th. Paul Di Resta set the 5th fastest time.
So Hamilton took pole position, with Maldonado qualifying in a surprise 2nd. Vettel, Button and Alonso followed, while Di Resta lined up 6th. Webber and Grosjean were 7th and 8th, with Rosberg and Schumacher only setting sector times.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m46.362s 2. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m46.804s + 0.442 3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m46.905s + 0.543 4. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m46.939s + 0.577 5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m47.216s + 0.854 6. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m47.241s + 0.879 7. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m47.475s + 1.113 8. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m47.788s + 1.426 9. Michael Schumacher Mercedes no time 10. Nico Rosberg Mercedes no time Q2 cut-off time: 1m47.943s Gap ** 11. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m47.975s + 1.310 12. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m48.261s + 1.596 13. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m48.344s + 1.679 14. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m48.505s + 1.840 15. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m48.774s + 2.109 16. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m48.849s + 2.184 17. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault no time Q1 cut-off time: 1m49.809s Gap * 18. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m49.933s + 2.245 19. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m50.846s + 3.158 20. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m51.137s + 3.449 21. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m51.370s + 3.682 22. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m51.762s + 4.074 23. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m52.372s + 4.684 24. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m53.355s + 5.667
The Race
It has always been one of the most anticipated races on the calendar, with Singapore always putting on a good show.
Qualifying threw up a few surprises under the shining lights, with the first corner being the talk of the paddock. Maldonado and Hamilton have had their fair share of incidents over the past 2 years, so all eyes were on them.
A tough, hot and humid race for the drivers make the race tough enough, but 61 laps of the non stop circuit make it the most challenging of the season. 1,600 light projectors brighten up the Singapore streets, illuminating a clear path.
The Marina Bay Circuit is one with many challenges. Falter and you will know about it, one lapse of concentration could mean the end of your race. There is no time to rest, as Formula 1's only night race got underway.
The revs rise, echoing around the Singapore city state, the lights turn on and we are racing at night. Off the line Hamilton had a good start and covered Maldonado, meanwhile cars were cutting turn 2. It was a clean start and Maldonado dropped to forth place. Both Mercedes cars were side by side into turn 7, as Grosjean and Webber got close.
Vettel had moved up to second position, with Button also progressing. Petrov was trailing around at the back with a broken front wing. Hamilton had a 1.2 second advantage by the end of lap 1, with Vettel being trailed by Button. Maldonado was forth, with Alonso and Di Resta chasing. Massa and Petrov pitted, with the former having a left rear puncture.
Hamilton extended his lead to 1.4 seconds by lap 3, but Vettel was still lurking. Both began to drop Jenson Button, who said after qualifying he was not confident with the MP4-27's rear grip.
By lap 6 Hamilton had extended the gap to his team mate Button in third to 7 seconds. The first drivers on the soft tyres were Hulkenberg and Perez, who were both 21 and 22 seconds off the lead respectively by lap 7. Webber pulled into the pit lane on lap 9 and switched to the soft tyre, showing a possible 3 stop strategy. He fed back behind Charles Pic in 20th place.
Glock hit the wall as he went under the grand stand, while Vettel short cut the tricky turn 10 chicane. Meanwhile Button started to reel in the leaders, taking 2 seconds off Vettel on lap 9. Hamilton was dropping the German, while Button clawed him in. Not surprisingly Vettel peeled into the pit lane on lap 11, switching on to the yellow Pirelli tyre. Red Bull's early stop meant he emerged within the midfield pack.
The Ferrari team reacted to these early stops by Red Bull, pitting Alonso on lap 12. Mercedes followed suit with Schumacher. Hamilton came in on the following lap after saying the "left rear felt funny". Button had moved to within 3 seconds of his team mate. Di Resta followed the McLaren driver in to the pits, while Hamilton comes out ahead of the battling Raikkonen and Vettel.
The race had calmed down by lap 18, as Vettel and Hamilton traded better lap times which meant the gap was pretty consistent. Those who started on the soft tyres, firstly being Hulkenberg and Perez, stopped on lap 19. The both took on some new soft tyres.
However the race was turned on its head for Lewis Hamilton on lap 23 as he slowed, stuck in neutral. It was a huge disappointment for Hamilton, who had looked comfortable at the front. This race was very important for his title challenge, which looks to have taken a hit.
This put Vettel out in the lead, giving Button the chance to challenge for the win. The second stops started to occur on lap 28, with drivers beginning to struggle with degredation. Webber was the first of the front runners to pit on lap 29, as he was in a battle with Di Resta. Fernando Alonso stopped on the following lap, coming in behind Maldonado.
Pastor closed in on Grosjean in front, who was behind held up in a cue with Rosberg. The Mercedes driver was behind held up badly by De La Rosa. The championship leader was putting pressure on the Williams. However the race took an interesting turn as the safety car was deployed. This was thanks to the clumsy Karthikeyan crashing at turn 18.
The pit lane became very busy as Button, Vettel and Di Resta pitted. Cars flooded in, including Grosjean, Maldonado and Rosberg. Mercedes even double pitted their drivers, as Webber and Alonso took the decision to stay put on track.
Maldonado was radioed by his team telling him to pit and retire the car with a hydraulics problem. He carried on for another lap but pulled into the pits on lap 37. The safety car pulled into the pit lane at the end of lap 39, but it looked like the race would not complete the 61 laps with the 2 hour time limit.
On the restart Button jumped too early, almost running into the back of Vettel as the German slowed again. This dropped him back but the Brit was clear of Alonso. Webber disposed of Hulkenberg, as both Rosberg and Raikkonen cleared Perez. There was drama again as Schumacher took out Jean-Eric Vergne. They were battling with a slow Perez and Schumacher locked his tyres, slamming into the back of the Toro Rosso driver. The Safety Car was deployed again, to clear the debris.
This prompted Webber, Hulkenberg and Perez to pit for fresh boots. During those stops Petrov stopped in his pit box, was released and then stopped at the end of the pits. The safety car pulled into the pits on lap 42, with Vettel making a much cleaner restart. Massa challenged Bruno Senna and they touched, with Massa saving a crazy slide.
As the cars started lap 44, Button dropped back from Vettel. The gap to Alonso was even bigger, as Di Resta sniffed a possible podium. Massa was putting Ricciardo under pressure, an impressive drive after the Brazilian ended lap 2 in last position. The Ferrari driver passed him into the turn 10 chicane.
The midfield battles started to heat up by lap 49, with Ricciardo and Senna battling hard. Behind them, Webber was stuck in a trail behind Kobayashi. An ambitious move by Perez led to contact between him and Hulkenberg. It was the German who collected Kamui Kobayashi on the next lap, after Webber cleared the Japanese driver. The Force India crawled back to the pits with a puncture.
Fernando Alonso was dropping back from Button, as Vettel continued to pull away at the front. While one Force India faltered, Di Resta had his sights on Alonso's third place. The lap counter was replaced by a timer, and as the time ticked down to 9 minutes remaining the hottest battle on track was between Webber and Senna.
Up at the front, Button had dropped back from Vettel. The gap was 4.6 seconds with 8 minutes remaining. Webber disposed of Senna with the help of DRS to take the final point. The gaps were staying pretty constant, with the field spreading out.
The time ticked down on the only night race in Formula 1, with Vettel dominating the latter half of the race.
Sebastian Vettel wins the Singapore Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel took over the lead as the McLaren of Hamilton faltered to win the Singapore Grand Prix. Vettel moved from 4th to 2nd on the opening lap, disposing of both Button and Maldonado. He held on to Hamilton early on, before taking over the lead when the Brit retired. He had pressure from Button, but finished comfortably ahead of the McLaren driver to take his first victory since Bahrain. Button progressed early on but dropped back towards the end, however he was pleased with the result after struggling in Qualifying.
Fernando Alonso was on damage limitation but luck was on his side. He moved up the field and benefited from both Hamilton and Maldonado retiring to claim the final podium. Paul Di Resta impressed again, finishing in a best ever result of 4th place. Force India needed a big result to close in on Sauber, and the Scottish racer (who has been linked with future drivers in Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari) pushed Alonso hard. He kept with the double world champion and was helped by the two safety car periods.
Rosberg crossed the line 34 seconds off the lead, just ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. The fresh tyres early on helped him stay with the lead pack, and he moved up the order to take a decent points haul. Raikkonen ended up just a second behind the German. The "Ice man" failed to qualify in the top 10 but used a good strategy and pit stop when the safety car was deployed to move up the positions.
Grosjean scored points on his return, finishing behind his team mate in 7th. The Lotus driver showed some strong pace and made some bold passing moves. Massa dropped to 24th place on the opening lap with a puncture, so 8th place was a great result. He closed in on the backmarkers early on and used the safety cars to his advantage.
Ricciardo just held on to 9th place, holding off a feisty Mark Webber. The former Aussie held his nerve, with the latter Aussie losing out by pitting under the final safety car period.
Just outside the points was Perez in the Sauber, after an eventful race which saw him collide with Hulkenberg. Timo Glock was an impressive 12th for Marussia, helping them leap ahead of Caterham in the constructor's championship. Kobayashi and Hulkenberg pitted late in the race and dropped to 13th and 14th, with Kovalainen ending up 15th in the Caterham.
Charles Pic could not match his team mates pace, finishing the race in 16th place. From Glock onwards, the drivers were a lap down. De La Rosa was the sole HRT to finish, with Petrov finishing last in 18th. The Russian dropped back with a slow pit stop.
Retiring from the race were 6 drivers. Senna pulled off late on with a mechanical problem, with Vergne and Schumacher colliding. Maldonado retired with a hydraulics failure, with Karthikeyan colliding with the barriers. The first retirement was early leader Hamilton, who had a gearbox problem.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 2h00:26.144
2. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 8.959
3. Alonso Ferrari + 15.227
4. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 19.063
5. Rosberg Mercedes + 34.759
6. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 35.700
7. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 36.600
8. Massa Ferrari + 42.800
9. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 45.800
10. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 47.100**
11. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 50.600
12. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
13. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
14. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
15. Pic Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap (*)
16. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
17. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. Senna Williams-Renault + 2 laps
19. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 2 laps
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 38
Schumacher Mercedes 38
Maldonado Williams-Renault 36
Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 30
Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 22
Post Race-
Post race, Schumacher was given a 10 place grid drop for Japan as stewards deemed that he was at fault for the accident with Vergne.
**Webber recieved a 20 second penalty for the overtake on Kobayashi.
Vettel gets away scot free with his restart incident with Button.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 2h00:26.144
2. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 8.959
3. Alonso Ferrari + 15.227
4. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 19.063
5. Rosberg Mercedes + 34.759
6. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 35.700
7. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 36.600
8. Massa Ferrari + 42.800
9. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 45.800
10. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 47.100**
11. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 50.600
12. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
13. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
14. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
15. Pic Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap (*)
16. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
17. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. Senna Williams-Renault + 2 laps
19. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 2 laps
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 38
Schumacher Mercedes 38
Maldonado Williams-Renault 36
Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 30
Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 22
Post Race-
Post race, Schumacher was given a 10 place grid drop for Japan as stewards deemed that he was at fault for the accident with Vergne.
**Webber recieved a 20 second penalty for the overtake on Kobayashi.
Vettel gets away scot free with his restart incident with Button.
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