The 13th round of the 2015 Formula 1 season took place around the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore.
The race weekend kicked off the final fly-away leg of the year and was the eighth
Singapore Grand Prix to appear on the F1 calendar.
After his triumphs in Belgium and Italy, Lewis Hamilton led Nico Rosberg in the drivers' standings by 53 point as the sport reconvened in Singapore.
FP1
Despite unrepresentative conditions in first practice, it was a busy 90-minute session around the streets of Singapore, as day turned to night. Sebastian Vettel, Will Stevens and Romain Grosjean were the first drivers out on track.
Rosberg set the opening timed lap with a 1:50.393, with Hamilton going second fastest early on. There were several off-track excursions and even some light contact with the barriers as drivers got up to speed at the tricky circuit.
Times tumbled as the session progressed, with Rosberg eventually improving to a 1:47.995 to end FP1 quickest. Hamilton was three tenths further back, with Daniel Ricciardo just behind in third place. Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas - who improved late on - were next up.
Max Verstappen, Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz Jr and Pastor Maldonado completed the top 10. Daniil Kvyat lost considerable amount of running due to power unit problems and was 18th quickest. Alexander Rossi caused a late red flag after hitting the Turn 18 wall and finished 20th.
FP2
Kvyat and Stevens were the first on track under dark skies in Singapore. The Red Bull driver put in the opening time with a 1:49.307, while the Manor racer brought out the red flags just a few minutes later after crashing at Turn 12.
Several drivers briefly set the pace before Hamilton moved to the front with a 1:47.633. Raikkonen was the first to change to the super-soft tyre and he went quickest, improving by 1.5 seconds. However, on his third lap on the option compound, Kvyat went fastest with a 1:46.142.
With focus then switching to longer runs, the Russian driver ended the session fastest, just 0.039 seconds ahead of Raikkonen. Ricciardo and Hamilton - who went off at Turn 1 and ruined his first super-soft lap - were third and fourth, ahead of Vettel, Perez and Rosberg.
Alonso, Hulkenberg and Verstappen completed the top 10. Felipe Massa, Felipe Nasr, Marcus Ericsson, Jenson Button and Sainz Jr were next up. Manor worked hard to fix Rossi's car and he emerged with 20 minutes remaining, going 19th quickest.
FP3
The third and final practice session gave teams one last chance to try out set-up changes and prepare for qualifying and Sunday's race. Maldonado was the first person to take to the track for Lotus.
It was a busy start to the 60 minutes of running, with Kvyat setting the early pace. Several drivers took to the many escape roads at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, including championship leader Hamilton.
Vettel moved to the front at the mid-way point and bettered his lap when the field switched to the super-soft tyre in the final minutes of FP3. His time of a 1:45.682 proved to be the quickest in the session, with Raikkonen four tenths further back in second place.
Kvyat was third, with Ricciardo and Hamilton completing the top five. Rosberg was sixth, ahead of Alonso - proving McLaren's improved low-fuel speed - and Sainz Jr. Verstappen, Ericsson, Bottas, Hulkenberg, Button and Massa were next up. F1 rookie Rossi was 19th.
Qualifying
Mercedes' 23-race run of consecutive pole positions was shattered in qualifying, with Vettel setting the pace for Ferrari. It was the first time in over three years that the German had ended Q3 fastest.
Both of his times would have been good enough, but the fastest was a 1:43.885. He finished almost six tenths clear of Ricciardo, with Raikkonen and Kvyat third and fourth.
Hamilton and Rosberg will lock out the third row of the grid, a rare sight in the V6 Turbo F1 era. Bottas, Verstappen, Massa and Grosjean completed the order in Q3.
Hulkenberg missed the cut for the top 10 shoot-out and was eliminated, with Alonso in 12th for McLaren and Perez 13th. Sainz Jr was 14th but damaged his car after hitting the wall at Turn 19, bringing out the yellow flags.
Button just made it through to Q2, narrowly avoiding the drop-zone in the first segment, but could only manage 15th on the grid. Nasr and Ericsson were both eliminated in the fairly straight-forward opening session.
They were joined by the Lotus of Maldonado and Manor's Stevens and Rossi, who qualified four tenths behind his team-mate in his maiden qualifying session as a Formula 1 driver.
The Race
Under the bright floodlights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, the eighth Singapore Grand Prix and 13th round of the season got underway. Off the line, Vettel had a strong start from pole position to lead into Turn 1. Ricciardo held onto second, with Rosberg going wheel-to-wheel with Rosberg over sixth.
There was a staller in the midfield, with Verstappen failing to get away for Toro Rosso. Massa moved up to eighth place, while Perez advanced three positions on the opening tour. Vettel's lead was three seconds over Ricciardo, with Raikkonen and Kvyat chasing.
Verstappen was able to re-join the race after being pushed into the pit lane. Hamilton tried to close in on Kvyat but was unable to keep up with the Red Bull driver in the opening laps. Hulkenberg, Perez, Alonso and Grosjean all battled over position, with the midfield pack closely matched early on.
Several drivers complained about problems with the brakes, while others reported that tyre wear was good in the first part of the race. At the front of the field, Vettel had a 5.2 second lead by lap six, with Raikkonen sticking with Ricciardo.
Further back, Perez was complaining that Hulkenberg was holding him up and asked Force India to let him through. Meanwhile Rossi moved ahead of team-mate Stevens on his F1 debut and was running in 18th for Manor.
Grosjean was the first driver to stop for Lotus, pitting on lap 10 to change to the soft tyre. As he did that, Verstappen came close to hitting the wall at the exit of the penultimate corner as he attempted to recover from his disastrous start. Alonso reacted to Grosjean's stop on the following lap, with Sainz Jr, Ericsson and Maldonado also pitting.
Alonso was held due to traffic but he emerged just ahead of Grosjean. However, the Frenchman had DRS on the back straight and moved ahead of his rival. A small train then started to form behind the McLaren. Red Bull went for the undercut and pitted Kvyat on lap 13.
Massa also stopped but as he exited the pit lane, he tried to stay ahead of Hulkenberg and the two made contact. The Force India was pitched into the air at Turn 3 and into the wall, becoming the Singapore Grand Prix's first retirement. The majority of the top 10 pitted under the Virtual Safety Car (VSC).
Some went for the super-soft tyre, while Hamilton and Rosberg were the only two to go onto the prime compound. Button had a problem with his right-front wheel nut and lost a considerable amount of time, while on lap 15 Massa pitted again for new tyres and a check for any damage.
To clear the damage from Hulkenberg's VJM08, the full Safety Car was deployed on lap 15, bunching up the pack and ruining Vettel's lead. The race resumed at the end of the 18th tour, with Vettel quickly eking out a small advantage over Ricciardo.
Sainz Jr's car went into neutral on the restart and he lost several positions before getting back up to speed. The top three drivers were separated by just 1.6 seconds by lap 20, with Hamilton and Rosberg waiting in the wings as the DRS was re-enabled.
During the race, the stewards handed Hulkenberg a three-place grid drop for Suzuka, deeming he was at fault for his clash with Massa. Despite several battles on track, drivers struggled to get close enough to attempt an overtake.
Hamilton reported on lap 26 that he was losing power and he quickly fell behind Rosberg and Kvyat. He continued to lose time with the problem, which Mercedes said could have been with the throttle pedal before adding that there were "multiple issues".
Grosjean, Maldonado, Ericsson and Sainz Jr all pitted within the space of a few laps around the half-way mark. Massa passed through the pit lane without stopping after suffering a gearbox issue and Williams eventually retires the car on lap 30. Meanwhile Vettel's lead was 4.2 seconds.
Kvyat stopped on lap 33 for the soft tyre, while Hamilton retired from the race. Alonso also exited the race after his car went into neutral, while several drivers - including Perez and Nasr - pitted for the second time.
The Safety Car was deployed a few laps later after an intruder got onto the circuit in the second sector and walked along the side of the track. The top five pitted, as did Button and Sainz Jr.
The race returned to full speed on lap 40, with Vettel leading Ricciardo and Raikkonen. The gap between the top three increased, with the second Ferrari having to negotiate the Manor of Rossi. Button and Maldonado battled closely but the two collided and the McLaren lost part of his front wing.
Maldonado then fought closely with the Toro Rosso drivers, losing out to both. Verstappen and Sainz Jr moved into the points, despite both running at the back of the field early on. They then both moved ahead of Grosjean.
The gap between Vettel and Ricciardo decreased slightly as the end of the race edged closer. Button retired with just a few laps remaining due to a gearbox issue.
The race did go the full 61-lap distance, with Vettel storming to his third victory of the 2015 season. The German had it all under control, beating Ricciardo by 1.4 seconds. Raikkonen was a distant third and completed the podium.
Rosberg was a quiet fourth for Mercedes, ahead of Bottas and Kvyat. Verstappen was instructed to let Sainz Jr through but he ignored the orders and followed Perez home in P8. Behind Sainz Jr in ninth, Nasr took the final point.
Ericsson finished 11th, ahead of Maldonado and Grosjean, who retired late on but was still classified ahead of Rossi and Stevens - the American finishing ahead of his team-mate on his F1 debut for Manor.
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| © Octane Photographic |
After his triumphs in Belgium and Italy, Lewis Hamilton led Nico Rosberg in the drivers' standings by 53 point as the sport reconvened in Singapore.
FP1
Despite unrepresentative conditions in first practice, it was a busy 90-minute session around the streets of Singapore, as day turned to night. Sebastian Vettel, Will Stevens and Romain Grosjean were the first drivers out on track.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Rosberg set the opening timed lap with a 1:50.393, with Hamilton going second fastest early on. There were several off-track excursions and even some light contact with the barriers as drivers got up to speed at the tricky circuit.
Times tumbled as the session progressed, with Rosberg eventually improving to a 1:47.995 to end FP1 quickest. Hamilton was three tenths further back, with Daniel Ricciardo just behind in third place. Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas - who improved late on - were next up.
Max Verstappen, Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz Jr and Pastor Maldonado completed the top 10. Daniil Kvyat lost considerable amount of running due to power unit problems and was 18th quickest. Alexander Rossi caused a late red flag after hitting the Turn 18 wall and finished 20th.
FP2
Kvyat and Stevens were the first on track under dark skies in Singapore. The Red Bull driver put in the opening time with a 1:49.307, while the Manor racer brought out the red flags just a few minutes later after crashing at Turn 12.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Several drivers briefly set the pace before Hamilton moved to the front with a 1:47.633. Raikkonen was the first to change to the super-soft tyre and he went quickest, improving by 1.5 seconds. However, on his third lap on the option compound, Kvyat went fastest with a 1:46.142.
With focus then switching to longer runs, the Russian driver ended the session fastest, just 0.039 seconds ahead of Raikkonen. Ricciardo and Hamilton - who went off at Turn 1 and ruined his first super-soft lap - were third and fourth, ahead of Vettel, Perez and Rosberg.
Alonso, Hulkenberg and Verstappen completed the top 10. Felipe Massa, Felipe Nasr, Marcus Ericsson, Jenson Button and Sainz Jr were next up. Manor worked hard to fix Rossi's car and he emerged with 20 minutes remaining, going 19th quickest.
FP3
The third and final practice session gave teams one last chance to try out set-up changes and prepare for qualifying and Sunday's race. Maldonado was the first person to take to the track for Lotus.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
It was a busy start to the 60 minutes of running, with Kvyat setting the early pace. Several drivers took to the many escape roads at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, including championship leader Hamilton.
Vettel moved to the front at the mid-way point and bettered his lap when the field switched to the super-soft tyre in the final minutes of FP3. His time of a 1:45.682 proved to be the quickest in the session, with Raikkonen four tenths further back in second place.
Kvyat was third, with Ricciardo and Hamilton completing the top five. Rosberg was sixth, ahead of Alonso - proving McLaren's improved low-fuel speed - and Sainz Jr. Verstappen, Ericsson, Bottas, Hulkenberg, Button and Massa were next up. F1 rookie Rossi was 19th.
Qualifying
Mercedes' 23-race run of consecutive pole positions was shattered in qualifying, with Vettel setting the pace for Ferrari. It was the first time in over three years that the German had ended Q3 fastest.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Both of his times would have been good enough, but the fastest was a 1:43.885. He finished almost six tenths clear of Ricciardo, with Raikkonen and Kvyat third and fourth.
Hamilton and Rosberg will lock out the third row of the grid, a rare sight in the V6 Turbo F1 era. Bottas, Verstappen, Massa and Grosjean completed the order in Q3.
Hulkenberg missed the cut for the top 10 shoot-out and was eliminated, with Alonso in 12th for McLaren and Perez 13th. Sainz Jr was 14th but damaged his car after hitting the wall at Turn 19, bringing out the yellow flags.
Button just made it through to Q2, narrowly avoiding the drop-zone in the first segment, but could only manage 15th on the grid. Nasr and Ericsson were both eliminated in the fairly straight-forward opening session.
They were joined by the Lotus of Maldonado and Manor's Stevens and Rossi, who qualified four tenths behind his team-mate in his maiden qualifying session as a Formula 1 driver.
The Race
Under the bright floodlights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, the eighth Singapore Grand Prix and 13th round of the season got underway. Off the line, Vettel had a strong start from pole position to lead into Turn 1. Ricciardo held onto second, with Rosberg going wheel-to-wheel with Rosberg over sixth.
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| © Octane Photographic |
There was a staller in the midfield, with Verstappen failing to get away for Toro Rosso. Massa moved up to eighth place, while Perez advanced three positions on the opening tour. Vettel's lead was three seconds over Ricciardo, with Raikkonen and Kvyat chasing.
Verstappen was able to re-join the race after being pushed into the pit lane. Hamilton tried to close in on Kvyat but was unable to keep up with the Red Bull driver in the opening laps. Hulkenberg, Perez, Alonso and Grosjean all battled over position, with the midfield pack closely matched early on.
Several drivers complained about problems with the brakes, while others reported that tyre wear was good in the first part of the race. At the front of the field, Vettel had a 5.2 second lead by lap six, with Raikkonen sticking with Ricciardo.
Further back, Perez was complaining that Hulkenberg was holding him up and asked Force India to let him through. Meanwhile Rossi moved ahead of team-mate Stevens on his F1 debut and was running in 18th for Manor.
Grosjean was the first driver to stop for Lotus, pitting on lap 10 to change to the soft tyre. As he did that, Verstappen came close to hitting the wall at the exit of the penultimate corner as he attempted to recover from his disastrous start. Alonso reacted to Grosjean's stop on the following lap, with Sainz Jr, Ericsson and Maldonado also pitting.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Alonso was held due to traffic but he emerged just ahead of Grosjean. However, the Frenchman had DRS on the back straight and moved ahead of his rival. A small train then started to form behind the McLaren. Red Bull went for the undercut and pitted Kvyat on lap 13.
Massa also stopped but as he exited the pit lane, he tried to stay ahead of Hulkenberg and the two made contact. The Force India was pitched into the air at Turn 3 and into the wall, becoming the Singapore Grand Prix's first retirement. The majority of the top 10 pitted under the Virtual Safety Car (VSC).
Some went for the super-soft tyre, while Hamilton and Rosberg were the only two to go onto the prime compound. Button had a problem with his right-front wheel nut and lost a considerable amount of time, while on lap 15 Massa pitted again for new tyres and a check for any damage.
To clear the damage from Hulkenberg's VJM08, the full Safety Car was deployed on lap 15, bunching up the pack and ruining Vettel's lead. The race resumed at the end of the 18th tour, with Vettel quickly eking out a small advantage over Ricciardo.
Sainz Jr's car went into neutral on the restart and he lost several positions before getting back up to speed. The top three drivers were separated by just 1.6 seconds by lap 20, with Hamilton and Rosberg waiting in the wings as the DRS was re-enabled.
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| © Octane Photographic |
During the race, the stewards handed Hulkenberg a three-place grid drop for Suzuka, deeming he was at fault for his clash with Massa. Despite several battles on track, drivers struggled to get close enough to attempt an overtake.
Hamilton reported on lap 26 that he was losing power and he quickly fell behind Rosberg and Kvyat. He continued to lose time with the problem, which Mercedes said could have been with the throttle pedal before adding that there were "multiple issues".
Grosjean, Maldonado, Ericsson and Sainz Jr all pitted within the space of a few laps around the half-way mark. Massa passed through the pit lane without stopping after suffering a gearbox issue and Williams eventually retires the car on lap 30. Meanwhile Vettel's lead was 4.2 seconds.
Kvyat stopped on lap 33 for the soft tyre, while Hamilton retired from the race. Alonso also exited the race after his car went into neutral, while several drivers - including Perez and Nasr - pitted for the second time.
The Safety Car was deployed a few laps later after an intruder got onto the circuit in the second sector and walked along the side of the track. The top five pitted, as did Button and Sainz Jr.
The race returned to full speed on lap 40, with Vettel leading Ricciardo and Raikkonen. The gap between the top three increased, with the second Ferrari having to negotiate the Manor of Rossi. Button and Maldonado battled closely but the two collided and the McLaren lost part of his front wing.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Maldonado then fought closely with the Toro Rosso drivers, losing out to both. Verstappen and Sainz Jr moved into the points, despite both running at the back of the field early on. They then both moved ahead of Grosjean.
The gap between Vettel and Ricciardo decreased slightly as the end of the race edged closer. Button retired with just a few laps remaining due to a gearbox issue.
The race did go the full 61-lap distance, with Vettel storming to his third victory of the 2015 season. The German had it all under control, beating Ricciardo by 1.4 seconds. Raikkonen was a distant third and completed the podium.
Rosberg was a quiet fourth for Mercedes, ahead of Bottas and Kvyat. Verstappen was instructed to let Sainz Jr through but he ignored the orders and followed Perez home in P8. Behind Sainz Jr in ninth, Nasr took the final point.
Ericsson finished 11th, ahead of Maldonado and Grosjean, who retired late on but was still classified ahead of Rossi and Stevens - the American finishing ahead of his team-mate on his F1 debut for Manor.
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