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Hello and welcome to ESPN's live coverage of the Singapore Grand Prix from Marina Bay. --- 20:02: Hamilton returns to pole position. Rosberg starts from the pit lane - if he can start at all. Hamilton will now have to Red Bulls for company into Turn 1. --- 20:01: Drama for Kobayashi, who has parked his car up and retired at Turn 8! Bad luck haunting the front and back end of the grid at the moment. The race isn't even under way yet. --- 20:00 Many Hamilton fans saying the bad luck had all been on his side of the garage this season. That's possibly a fair assessment, aside from his issue in Britain, but what woefully timed bad luck. --- 19:59: The formation lap starts but Rosberg does not!!! Disaster for the championship leader. --- 19:58: Mercedes tells Rosberg if he can't pull away manually for the formation lap he will need to start from the pit lane. What a moment this could be in the championship battle. --- 19:57: Everyone starting on the red super-soft tyre, which has been monumentally quicker this weekend. But of course, it drops off a lot quicker than the softs. --- 19:55: The drivers are getting ready for the formation lap. T-minus five minutes until lights out. --- 19:51: In the midst of all that, our championship leader looks pretty calm, all things considered. He'll know Hamilton recovered from similar issues to win in Monza. But then this is a whole different proposition than Monza if you start badly. --- <19:49: Mercedes still working on Rosberg's steering wheel, there are mechanics crowded around the front of his car. Toto Wolff says there is an electrical problem, just limited to the steering wheel. He admits they don't understand it just yet. They have ten minutes to understand it, the clock is ticking. --- 19:48: Mercedes not giving much away about Rosberg's early return to the pits I mentioned earlier:
--- 19:48: The Singapore national anthem is being sung from the podium. We're just over ten minutes away from the start of this race. --- 19:46: Spying in Formula One? Never. ---
--- 19:45: Grosjean was not a happy chappy yesterday. The quote was: "I cannot believe it! Blood engine! Bloody engine!" followed by "I don't care" when his engineer tried to calm him down. Perhaps Grosjean is finally losing his patience with Lotus and Renault. With 2015 driver and engine announcements to come, that's one worth keeping an eye on. ---
19:43: Seems the only change has been to Rosberg's steering wheel. The team says it is still assessing the data. --- 19:41: Rosberg heads down the pits, four minutes before the pit lane closes. Possibly a concern for Mercedes, possible a precaution. The start will probably tell. 19:40: Rosberg has returned to the Mercedes garage. Mercedes have his car up on jacks, and he's replaced the steering wheel. Hamilton had pre-start issues in Singapore - has the bad luck swung to Rosberg this evening? --- 19:37: Focusing on strategy, briefly. Pirelli's Paul Hembery said yesterday: "We're expecting a three-stopper to be the quickest strategy, but with the time gap between the compounds slightly reduced now, all it takes is the right pace management or a safety car at the right time to make a two-stopper work." Fortune favours the brave in this sport. Strategy calls today will be fascinating - especially if Mercedes drivers are on opposite or differing ones. --- <19:35: The pit lane is open, and the cars are making their way down to the pit exit, doing practice starts, and making their way round to the grid. Nice start for Hamilton, while Rosberg lays down quite a lot of rubber. Not that you can read anything into that too much. --- 19:33: For a few moments yesterday, it seemed Raikkonen might have a shot at pole. He had to pull his car over before attempting a second Q3 run, though - meaning he lines up seventh. But Raikkonen seemed to find a good rhythm yesterday. Let's not forget, the Finn was superb in the opening stages in Monaco until the unfortunate intervention of Chilton's Marussia. --- 19:31: But thankfully, the race isn't just about the two men out in front. Qualifying yesterday was superb entertainment, with Ferrari in the mix until fading slightly in Q3. Ricciardo was the best of the rest, with Vettel - winner of the last three races here - lines up alongside him. Huge roars when Ricciardo took provisional pole yesterday, he'll be well-supported today with Australia not too far away. But with Vettel and Alonso, who has looked absolutely on it all weekend, behind, he'll have to be wary of repeating one of his slow starts off the line which have been the only blot on his remarkable season so far. --- 19:30: Rosberg has always been good around here, too. He finished second in that race in 2008, which was his best F1 result at the time. He seemed happy enough to settle for second in Italy but I doubt that will be the same this evening. --- 19:28: Hamilton is still 22 points down on Rosberg at this stage of the season. Even with double points in the finale, with Rosberg so consistent this year, you feel another retirement could just spell the end of Hamilton's chances this year. He will no doubt have Singapore 2010 and 2012 in the back of his mind - retirements in both were hugely costly in terms of his championship ambitions in either campaign. He's won here in 2009, however, so it isn't all bad for the Brit. --- 19:27: That's some view down to Turn 1, the view awaiting Hamilton and Rosberg in just over half an hour - minus the safety car - when those lights go out. --- 19:25: 19:20: As it was in Spa and Monza, the two Mercedes drivers line up alongside each other. In both occasions the man who was on pole was not leading the race coming into the first corner. On the twisty confines of the Singapore circuit, where overtaking opportunities come at a premium, the race to the first corner will be crucial. |
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Lap 1 |
Great start from Hamilton as Alonso goes wide across Turn 1 but into second place! Vettel beats Ricciardo into Turn 1. Rosberg has got away from the pit lane. Alonso loses second into Turn 7 to Vettel, possibly yielding the position after gaining an advantage into Turn 1. Button nearly goes into the back of Magnussen and Bottas is there to pick up the pieces for seventh. Hulkenberg already complaining about contact and asks Force India to check for damage to his front wing. |
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Lap 2 |
Hamilton's lead already 1.6s. Vettel is second after a superb start - he really squeezed Ricciardo, whose starts I mentioned before the race as his only real weakness this season. Alonso currently splitting the Red Bulls. Rosberg stuck behind Chilton in 21st. Mercedes tells him the only thing on his steering wheel which is working is the gear upshifts, rather than the clutch pedal - if that doesn't work, he can't pit later on! It gets worse and worse for the championship leader. Perez also complaining about front wing damage. Stewards are investigating Alonso for his start. The Spaniard looked to have gone into T2 but made no real attempt to take the corner. |
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Lap 3 |
Hamilton sets a fastest lap, but that's immediately beaten by Vettel, who posts a 1:53.882. No further action for Alonso, by the way. In all that drama off the start line, Raikkonen jumped into fifth. Ferrari sitting pretty here... There's an investigation now under way into Magnussen for exceeding track limits. |
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Lap 4 |
Hamilton sets a new fastest lap, a 1:53.540, but the gap to Vettel is still just 1.6s.# Watching a replay of the start again, Alonso was definitely ahead of the Red Bulls but missed the corner completely. Giving up second to Vettel probably meant the stewards took no further action, it certainly didn't look like he put up much of a fight.
Ricciardo is warned his rear brakes are hot, and that he should take care to avoid getting stuck in the hot air behind Alonso. |
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Lap 5 |
Vettel again sets the fastest lap, fractionally quicker than Hamilton - now a 1:53.532. That was 0.002s quicker than Hamilton's last lap, so that gap out in front is still the same. Rosberg has now got past Chilton but he's already a pit stop behind Hamilton - he's not making his way through the field like he needs to be, suggesting he has an ongoing issue. |
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Lap 6 |
Hamilton sets another fastest lap, this time a massive 1:53:035, a whole half second quicker than Vettel's last time. The gap out in front now over two seconds. Kvyat is told he has two laps to attack Magnussen for ninth, which Vergne is also told - presumably so he can position himself to pick up any pieces. |
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Lap 7 |
Phil says: "Surely FA gained two places not just one!"
Alonso should consider himself a lucky boy, certainly. Vettel told he's doing a good job on fuel, he's certainly keeping Hamilton honest at the moment but I don't think Mercedes are giving it full beans just yet. This is the sort of performance Vettel has needed all season. |
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Lap 8 |
Though Vettel has already used nearly a litre more of fuel than Hamilton. The advantage now up to 2.8s. Alonso is five seconds down, with Ricciardo three seconds behind. Vergne passes Kvyat for tenth place after complaining: "What are we waiting for?" about his team-mate's inability to get past Magnussen. Rosberg, meanwhile, seems to be stuck behind Ericsson in 20th. He just can't seem to get close enough currently to make a pass in the tight confines of this circuit. Looking at his steering wheel dash, it looks like he's going up two gears at a time - so he is still having massive issues with that gearbox. As things stand, Hamilton will take the championship lead from his team-mate. |
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Lap 9 |
The gap out in front now just over three seconds. Hamilton lapping around three tenths quicker than Vettel. Sutil becomes the first man to pit, the window opens one lap earlier than I predicted earlier. Imagine the rest of the field will follow suit. |
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Lap 10 |
At this rate, Rosberg will be lapped in about ten laps or so. What a turnaround in fortunes for the championship leader. Out in front Hamilton is stretching that lead out, it's now 3.8s. Hulkenberg the second man to pit, responding to Sutil's earlier stop, and takes on fresh super-softs. Rosberg is still stuck behind Ericsson. The other teams will now be looking at Sutil and Hulkenberg to see how their lap times respond to those new tyres. Rosberg told his pit limiter will not work so is given advice about how to enter the pit lane - that's allowed as it's relevant for safety. |
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Lap 11 |
Massa becomes the first man from the top ten to get rid of those super-soft tyres. it's a neat and tidy from Williams, and he takes on super-soft tyres. Ferrari will have one eye on that, with Williams breathing down its neck in this race. Rosberg has to yield to Kvyat after the Toro Rosso re-joins the fray behind. Rosberg's car in all sorts of trouble out there. |
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Lap 12 |
Raikkonen and Bottas both stop. Raikkonen is just released in time as Bottas trundles down the pit lane for his own stop. Will Alonso follow suit from third? Rosberg told Mercedes will have to lift him on jacks for his pit stop, as his car isn't functioning properly, and that he will get a new steering wheel. His rain light is flashing to warn the cars behind his car has issues. |
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Lap 13 |
Vettel pits from second, and is followed by Alonso and Ricciardo. Vettel gets away slowly but just in time for Ricciardo to enter the box. There's no change to the order, Ferrari's pit stop a superb 2.4s on Alonso so he retains track position. Hamilton is called into the pits and will come in at the end of this lap. Button is a massive 27 seconds behind, and is yet to pit, showing you how far ahead Hamilton is here. |
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Lap 14 |
Hamilton comes in for a very neat and tidy pit stop, as Vettel is told to cool it a bit because he is not going to undercut the Brit. Hamilton rejoins in very clear air. Vergne sets a fastest lap, a 1:52.994. Massa on fresher tyres makes a move stick down the inside on Perez for seventh. Rosberg pits, he basically has to stall the car himself. Lots of work going on, this is painful to watch. It looks like Rosberg is stuck in neutral - surely they won't send him out now. |
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Lap 15 |
Hamilton starts his 15th lap and laps Rosberg, who is in the pits, and waving to his team to call it a day. "OK, let's park it" comes the radio message from Mercedes. Rosberg, our championship leader, is out of the race. Mechanical issues always balance themselves out over a season this long, I think. |
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Lap 16 |
Wolff puts an arm around Rosberg in the pits, but the German must be pretty dejected about everything that's happened here. Bonnington tells Hamilton: "Everything is under control Lewis, this is being well managed." His lead over Vettel is currently a massive eight seconds. Vergne has been handed a five-second penalty for his next pit stop for exceeding track limits. |
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Lap 17 |
Rosberg is being consoled by his wife in the garage, and understandably is keeping his helmet on. Ricciardo sets a fastest lap in fourth - a 1:51.964, as Alonso in front sets his own personal best lap of the evening. Could be a real battle brewing for third. Vettel actually took seven tenths off Hamilton's lead in that last lap. |
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Lap 18 |
And Hamilton responds to Vettel's last lap with a new fastest lap, 1:52.882. Replay of Sauber struggling to get Gutierrez's right rear connected at a pit lane. Worth noting Perez, Magnussen, Gutierrez, Kvyat and Button all took on the soft tyre on their last race. Hamilton is clearly keeping something in reserve, he's used nearly two KGs of fuel less than Vettel or Alonso. Vergne seems to be catching Button for eighth, otherwise there are no real battles out there. |
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Lap 19 |
Worth remembering, however, Vergne is on the super-soft tyre and catching Button on the soft tyre - so that situation will switch around after the next pit stops. That call might just put Button in with a shout of a result later on as he seems to be pretty pacy out there. Gutierrez has pulled into the Sauber garage and slams his gloves to the floor. His race is over. |
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Lap 20 |
There's bound to be a few of these, unfortunately. Chilton is told he will need to pit again with a front right puncture. Hello, hello. Alonso sets a new fastest lap, a 1:52.849. He's chopped the gap to Vettel down to 2.7s. Ricciardo four seconds behind the Ferrari. |
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Lap 21 |
Button asks McLaren how long Vergne has been on his super-soft tyres, and is told eight laps. Alonso lapping much, much faster than Vettel. His last lap was nearly half a second quicker. That gap now down to 2.1s. |
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Lap 22 |
If Alonso maintains this pace, he'll be in DRS range soon. He's now 1.9s down but Vettel is now told to open the lead and 'ignore the beeps', in other words, hold on to the revs and think about his gearing. |
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Lap 23 |
Hamilton, meanwhile, leading by 8.6s. It's a lonely race for him out there, but a good kind of lonely. Mercedes tells Hamilton his degradation in this stint seems better than the first, but he may have picked up some debris in his front wing. Hamilton responds that the car feels fine. Massa comes in for his second stop, he takes on some soft tyres. That stop just 2.4s from Williams.
Chilton is still running but is 19th, a huge 65 seconds down on Ericsson in 18th after those earlier stops. Alonso has cut the gap to Vettel down to 1.1s, he's within touching distance of DRS. Bottas pits as Raikkonen is told to push, so a pit stop for Ferrari coming up. Raikkonen responds with a personal best lap - he's in a race with Bottas, who emerges from a 2.5s stop behind the lapped Chilton. |
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Lap 24 |
Alonso pits from third. Very neat and tidy stop from Ferrari, so now they are trying to undercut Red Bull. Seeing a replay of what is almost certainly an unsafe release for Maldonado. Massa, on the soft tyres, takes Hulkenberg for eighth into Turn 1. Hulkenberg has been on those super-softs for a while now. |
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Lap 25 |
Vettel heads into the pits so this will now be a race with Alonso, who is on his out lap. He takes on the soft tyres, Alonso is still on the super-softs. Interesting strategy swap. Alonso emerges well clear of Vettel for second! Bottas' pace, however, showing there is definitely life in the soft tyre as he sets a fastest lap, a 1:52.515. The track is getting quicker and quicker as it gets more rubbered in. |
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Lap 26 |
Hamilton pits from the lead of the race. A dejected Rosberg is talking to media as it happens, he said he knew his race was over from the moment he failed to get off the line on the formation lap. Hamilton re-joins behind Ricciardo, but the Australian has not pitted yet. |
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Lap 27 |
Vergne now sets another fastest lap, a 1:52.217. Alonso is told Ricciardo has stayed out but he's lapping two seconds slower, so he'll be pitting soon I imagine. Seeing a replay of Hamilton's stop, it took a bit longer than usual as they cleaned the front wing slots. Mercedes has a bit of time to play with. As expected, Ricciardo pits from the lead of the race. He takes on soft tyres like team-mate Vettel. |
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Lap 28 |
Alonso, on super-softs, sets a fastest lap of 1:52.115. Hamilton's lead is just under four seconds. Alonso is absolutely flying out there.... Is there another chapter in the story of this race? Magnussen tells McLaren his seat is "burning". |
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Lap 29 |
Hamilton responds to the pace of Alonso behind him with a new fastest lap, extending the lead to 4.4s. Has he decided it's "Hammertime"? The gap between Alonso and Vettel is six seconds, with Ricciardo eight seconds behind. The only real scrap of note seems to be for sixth, with Raikkonen just nine tenths behind Massa. Anthony says: "To be honest, this is fair. Mechanical failures within any one team should balance each other out over the course of a season. Rosberg and Hamilton now neck and neck. Not an F1 fan (sorry, everybody), but this is gripping stuff at the personal level!" Perez and Grosjean fighting wheel-to-wheel for 12th. Very, very close to making contact out there. |
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Lap 30 |
Another fastest lap from Hamilton, a 1:51.405. "Not very fair from Perez," complains Grosjean. Replays shows Perez left him space before they brushed wheels, so I don't think Grosjean has much to complain about. |
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Lap 31 |
Perez has lost his front wing, which is tucked underneath his car! Severe damage to the Force India, which will now have to crawl back to the pits. He tells Force India he had contact with Sutil.
Replays show Sutil squeezing Perez in the run into Turn 8, doesn't look like he knew Perez was there. A couple of corners later Perez's wing disappeared underneath his car. |
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Lap 32 |
Hamilton warned to look for debris but he complains the message came late and that he might have collected some. Alonso pits for soft tyres. He loses a position to Ricciardo, but can he get to the end of the race on these tyres? That will be the motivation behind the call. Win or bust for the Spaniard. Raikkonen takes on new softs, as does Button. Seeing a replay of Raikkonen emerging from the pits, as Kvyat used the Turn 1 run-off area to stay in front. |
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Lap 33 |
All of this has cut Hamilton's lead down. The stewards are scrambling around, removing debris from Perez's car from the track. Hamilton the big loser from this situation. Hamilton told Vettel is on six-lap old prime, and then he is on five-lap old options. Vettel suggests Red Bull go as long as they can go for as long as possible on prime. Hamilton has yet to take on soft tyres - he's going to have to work to win this race. This is a bit like Bahrain all over again for the Englishman. |
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Lap 34 |
Ricciardo told to avoid running over kerbs to avid his issue with the car. The safety car stays out - don't know yet whether the lapped cars will be allowed to unlap themselves. Magnussen complains he can't drink his water because it's too hot and burning his mouth!! He's currently holding his arms out of the cockpit, presumably to cool them down. The Dane really, really struggling out there. |
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Lap 35 |
Interesting to note, Hamilton appears to have four KG more of fuel in reserve than Vettel. Race control says unlapped cars are now allowed to unlap themselves. That's Bianchi, Perez, Ericsson and Chilton. This is a really farcical part of a safety car period. Bottas tells Williams his "steering feels a little bit weird." |
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Lap 36 |
Sutil has incurred a five-second penalty for his next pit stop. The safety car stays out. This safety car has been out for 14 minutes now. Joe asks: "Please explain why others seem to use more fuel compared to Hamilton?" We asked Toto Wolff about this in Monaco and he said it was just "driving style" of Hamilton. Odd though, as its a significant amount and it was meant to be a weakness of his. I imagine it's to do with the speed Hamilton takes into corners. |
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Lap 37 |
No further action taken in incident between Sutil and Perez. Safety car in this lap In case you weren't sure before, we have a bit of a race on our hands. "Is this going to be a problem for me?" Hamilton asks, when told all seven drivers behind are on prime - therfore will switch to option at the next stop. It's time for a world championship drive from the Brit, especially with Rosberg currently sitting in the garage. |
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Lap 38 |
Hamilton manages the restart comfortably and leads into Turn 1. Hamilton needs to find Uber-Hammertime in these next few laps. Wow, Hamilton one second faster than Vettel just through the middle sector alone. |
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Lap 39 |
After one lap, Hamilton has stretched the gap to 3.2 seconds. Bottas, currently down in sixth, told the only way he can get anything out of today is if he takes this tyre to the end. That could make him a factor, but he took on that set of tyres on lap 23! Holy moly, Hamilton is flying. He goes purple in sector one. |
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Lap 40 |
Fastest lap from Hamilton, who has the benefit of super-soft tyres of course, a 1:50.417. This is impressive but you have to remember, this situation could be in reverse later once he takes on those soft tyres. Either way, he's doing everything right at the moment, that lead already nearly six seconds. Alonso 9.6s off Hamilton, and I'd say he's the man Mercedes are watching with that stop earlier meaning he could go until the end of the race. |
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Lap 41 |
Hamilton has stretched the lead to 7.6s. Vettel is told Red Bull wants to make his tyres last to the end, Vettel disagrees it is the best solution but he is told that's what others behind him are doing. Basically the question now will be how much of a gap Hamilton can build, before taking on fresh soft tyres. He will probably have a shot at victory even if he loses positions as those behind him will be on incredibly worn tyres, if they are trying to stay out. Hamilton already asking Mercedes if the guys behind are going to try and go until the end. |
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Lap 42 |
The gap out in front now 9.7s. Hamilton absolutely flying still - Vettel now has the looming presence of Ricciardo in his mirrors. Alonso still lapping several tenths slower than the Red Bulls, its taking him a while to turn on those tyres currently. Another safety car would be a disaster for Hamilton now, by the way. |
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Lap 43 |
The gap now 11.5s. Mercedes wants Hamilton to do seven more laps on these tyres. Hamilton questions if that's a risk with another safety car period possible - Merc say they will pit him immediately in this situation. This then, ladies and gentlemen, is in fact Hammer Time. |
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Lap 44 |
Hamilton up to 13.5s lead currently. If he was to pit now, he'd come out third or fourth, it's too close to call though. Worth remembering, all these guys behind are banking on their drivers making the tyres last until the end. Hamilton will have the benefit of fresher rubber. Kvyat pits for soft tyres. Seems he's also having drinks issues: "Oh my God guys, without the drink I'm dying out here!" |
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Lap 45 |
The lead now 15.6s for Hamilton. The rough time it takes to enter and leave the pits is around 29 seconds. Hamilton may have to make some passes on this tricky, tricky circuit to win the race. |
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Lap 46 |
Hamilton's lap times still around two seconds quicker than Vettel, and the gap comes down to 17.3s. That earlier message suggests there's four laps left before he's brought in. This is tense! Ricciardo has dropped 3.5s behind Vettel, with Alonso just over a second behind in fourth. |
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Lap 47 |
Now then, this is interesting. Hamilton now 1.4s quicker than Vettel. Are those super-soft tyres starting to go off? A pit stop now would probably put him in the seven second gap between Alonso and Massa.... Magnussen pits, and Maldonado is now in the points! Yet to score any this season, of course. |
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Lap 48 |
Hamilton has increased the gap to Vettel to 20.3 seconds, and is now 1.6s quicker on that last lap. He's extracting every little bit out of those tyres possible. Real battle emerging between Bottas, Button and Raikkonen for sixth. Sounds like Ricciardo still has issues with that Red Bull. He's dropped 4.3 seconds behind Vettel now. |
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Lap 49 |
Hamilton's last lap less than a second faster than Vettel now. The gap to Alonso now 27 seconds so that will be nip/tuck. Perez brilliantly passes Kvyat coming out of Turn 16 for 14th, as the Russian passed Ericsson.. Brave stuff from the Mexican. |
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Lap 50 |
Mercedes tells Hamilton they want a lead of 26 seconds over Vettel. It's currently 22.7s, his last lap 1.6s quicker than Vettel. Eleven laps left, this is going to be so close. Button stunned by how quick Bottas is in a straight line. Looks like he's struggling to get close to the Williams in that battle for sixth. Worth remembering all of those guys behind Hamilton may well be having issues - Vettel doesn't think the tyres can last, Ricciardo is having issues. |
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Lap 51 |
The gap now 24 seconds, Hamilton still 1.2s quicker than Vettel. He's on the radio telling Mercedes there's nothing left in these tyres but Bonnington assures him he can get to a 27 second lead. At this rate it will take him three more laps or so. Clear from the sector times Hamilton is struggling now. These sort of laps are where we see what a champion is made of. Through all this, Rosberg is stood watching on at the Mercedes pit wall. Penny for his thoughts right now - I'm surprised he's not sat out there draped in a German flag and sipping on a Red Bull for good luck. |
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Lap 52 |
Big, big lap from Hamilton as Vettel continues to struggle for pace. Hamilton is nearly at that mark, he's 25.2 seconds ahead now. Hamilton tells Mercedes he's worried his rear tyres could explode at any moment. Shanghai 2007, anyone? Someone needs to tell Hamilton how much Vettel is struggling at the moment. Hamilton pits from the lead. Hold on to your hats. |
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Lap 53 |
Nice, tidy stop from Mercedes. Hamilton emerges second behind Vettel but, crucially, ahead of Ricciardo. Game on now. Ricciardo on warmer tyres and sizes up Hamilton - can the Australian help out his team-mate here? With that earlier stoppage, it's likely the clock will expire here. Around 15 minutes left. Hamilton chasing down Vettel on fresher rubber, with the world champion struggling to get anything from his current set. The crowd absolutely roaring - this is what they came to see. |
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Lap 54 |
Hamilton is all over the back of Vettel already and the Red Bull mechanics are out, but then back into the garage. Hamilton three tenths behind Vettel. Hamilton passes Vettel for the lead! Super, super stuff from the Brit. Vettel completely powerless in the DRS zone. Button has stopped at Turn 14 and is walking from his car. Ecstasy for one Brit, agony for another. Replays suggest he hit a kerb and it just shut down. Shouldn't need a safety car for where he's parked that. |
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Lap 55 |
Bottas told he's doing a great job in holding Raikkonen off in their battle for sixth. Hamilton already 2.1s ahead of Vettel, so I would argue the champion is going to be happy just to bring the car home in second this evening. Vergne again under investigation for exceeding track limits as Alonso moves to within DRS range of Ricciardo. Is there late drama to come in the battle for the podium spaces? Ricciardo definitely struggling as much as Vettel with his car. |
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Lap 56 |
Magnussen has reclaimed tenth from Maldonado coming into Turn 9. The Lotus driver had looked good for his first points of the season. Alonso now seven tenths behind Ricciardo, who seems to be chipping away at the gap to Vettel - he's nearly in DRS range of the world champion. Big finish brewing. |
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Lap 57 |
Bottas has a train of cars behind him. Remember, his last pit stop was lap 23 - so if he can hold sixth that will be an absolutely phenomenal result. A bit of a train forming behind Vettel as Ricciardo closes up on his team-mate, with Alonso lingering. Do any of these guys have the tyres to pass the man in front though? Vergne gets a five-second penalty, which will drop him back to tenth if the gaps stay the same. Perez has got ahead of Maldonado for 11th. Ferrari has to be wondering if it made the right call after the safety car. I'll be fascinated to know what he thinks after this race. |
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Lap 58 |
Four minutes until we hit the two-hour limit and four laps left, so we will finish this on a timer rather than when completed the allocated laps. It's now or never for Ricciardo and Alonso. Vettel has a big lock up on the approach to Turn 11. I don't think any of these three have anything left in their tyres, but Ricciardo is edging closer and closer and it looks like Alonso is going to miss out. |
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Lap 59 |
Three laps remaining is still the official count down but there's just over three minutes left too. Vergne passes Hulkenberg superbly for eighth, knowing he has that post-race penalty to come. |
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Lap 60 |
Vergne dives past Raikkonen into Turn 1 and then swings past Bottas! Superb driving from the Frenchman there, where did that come from! Into the final two minutes now... Hamilton begins what will be his final lap of the race. |
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Lap 61 |
Vergne scampering away from Bottas in sixth, knowing he's got to take a penalty. Hulkenberg struggling hugely and Perez eases past at Turn 18. Vergne already 3.5s ahead of Bottas - if he can continue this pace he might just hold on to sixth. Perez has DRS advantage but Raikkonen holds firm in eighth. But out in front, Lewis Hamilton crosses the line to win the Singapore Grand Prix to claim the championship lead. He weaves across the finishing line, what a drive. Behind him, Vettel clings on for second, Ricciardo rounds off the podium. Bottas has completely lost his tyres! He runs wide and Perez, Raikkonen and Hulkenberg all go through. Bottas is actually skating around, meaning his rubber has completely gone from that tyre. Vergne finishes sixth and will keep the position despite that penalty! Exciting finish outside the top five there, wonderful job from Vergne - a man looking for a seat next year. Perez got ahead of Raikkonen before Bottas ran wide, too, so finishes seventh. Perez is really a man in form. Hulkenberg appears to have gone off the boil a little bit. Magnussen rounds off the top ten. |
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Hamilton slaps his Mercedes as he comes into parc ferme and pumps his firsts at his engineers. Vettel looks very relieved with second and tells Red Bull he had nothing left in those tyres. Ricciardo is also smiling, but when isn't he? Hamilton takes a three-point championship lead - who would have thought that was possible after the second lap in Belgium? This season is full of drama and I don't think it's quite going to stop here. As always, thanks for joining us for coverage of this race. Please be sure to come back again in two weeks time for the Japanese Grand Prix from Suzuka. |
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The safety car is out!
