Vettel edges closer to the title with victory in Singapore

Sebastian Vettel scored his ninth victory of the season with a perfect drive in the heat of the night at Singapore.

The Red Bull Racing driver led from the lights to take the chequered flag in style, but he will have to wait until Suzuka to take the drivers’ title. Vettel only needs a single point to become the youngest-ever double world champion.

Jenson Button put in a late charge in the remaining laps, but had to settle for second position.

The McLaren driver had claimed second with a quick start, while Vettel’s front row partner team-mate Mark Webber got away slowly (yet again!).

Lewis Hamilton challenged Webber down the inside but ran out of space heading into Turn 1. He fell down to eighth, while Fernando Alonso made a great start from fifth on the grid to take third on the opening lap.

Webber twice passed Alonso on the street circuit, having to get back ahead after the Ferrari reclaimed third in the first pit-stops following an on-track exchange. But a bold move into the Turn 10 chicane on the restart lap secured the Australian third place and he pulled away thereafter.

Hamilton had an eventful run to fifth position. He quickly recovered from being wrong-footed on the opening lap but then clipped Felipe Massa into Turn 7 while racing with the Ferrari immediately after the first round of pit-stops. The McLaren picked up both wing damage and a drive-through penalty, while Massa was left with a right-rear puncture.

A fight back charge from Hamilton took him from P15 to fifth, an impressive performance although the safety car helped him. A clash between Michael Schumacher and Sergio Perez resulted in the Mercedes launching into the air and a hard hit against the barrier. Thankfully, Schumacher was unhurt in the incident.

The most impressive drive in the 61-lap race was Force India’s Paul di Resta. In his first appearance at this tough street circuit, di Resta finished the Singapore Grand Prix in sixth. His opening stint on the prime tyre was consistent and to finish ahead of Nico Rosberg and team-mate Adrian Sutil was a rich reward for the talented Scot.

Felipe Massa fell to P20 following the clash with Hamilton, but was able to recover to salvage some points in ninth.

Perez’s Sauber was undamaged in the incident with Schumacher, which happened when the Mercedes was coming back through after a pit-stop, and he finished tenth.

So only a single point is required from Sebastian Vettel to become the 2011 world champion. The next race is at his favourite circuit and it will be a surreal scenario if the championship leader doesn’t win the title this season.

Only Jenson Button can stop Vettel but the odds are stacked against him. Button needs to win the remaining five races to prevent the inevitable from happening to the Red Bull driver.

Race results from Marina Bay, 61 laps:

1.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           1h59:06.537s
2.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +1.737s
3.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +29.279s
4.  Alonso        Ferrari                    +55.449s
5.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +1:07.766s
6.  Di Resta      Force India-Mercedes       +1:51.067s
7.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +1 lap
8.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes       +1 lap
9.  Massa         Ferrari                    +1 lap
10.  Perez         Sauber-Ferrari             +1 lap
11.  Maldonado     Williams-Cosworth          +1 lap
12.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +1 lap
13.  Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth          +1 lap
14.  Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari             +2 laps
15.  Senna         Renault                    +2 laps
16.  Kovalainen    Lotus-Renault              +2 laps
17.  Petrov        Renault                    +2 laps
18.  D’Ambrosio    Virgin-Cosworth            +2 laps
19.  Ricciardo     HRT-Cosworth               +4 laps
20.  Liuzzi        HRT-Cosworth               +4 laps
21.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +5 laps

Fastest lap: Button, 1:48.454

Not classified/retirements:
Trulli        Lotus-Renault                48 laps
Schumacher    Mercedes                     29 laps
Glock         Virgin-Cosworth              10 laps

World Championship standings, round 14:

Drivers:
1.  Vettel       309
2.  Button       185
3.  Alonso       184
4.  Webber       182
5.  Hamilton     168
6.  Massa         84
7.  Rosberg       62
8.  Schumacher    52
9.  Heidfeld      34
10.  Petrov        34
11.  Sutil         28
12.  Kobayashi     27
13.  Di Resta      20
14.  Alguersuari   16
15.  Buemi         13
16.  Perez          9
17.  Barrichello    4
18.  Senna          2
19.  Maldonado      1

Constructors:
1.  Red Bull-Renault          491
2.  McLaren-Mercedes          353
3.  Ferrari                   268
4.  Mercedes                  114
5.  Renault                    70
6.  Force India-Mercedes       48
7.  Sauber-Ferrari             36
8.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari         29
9.  Williams-Cosworth           5

Next race: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka. October 7-9.

10 thoughts to “Vettel edges closer to the title with victory in Singapore”

  1. Championship leader and Singapore Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel said he was in full control despite a late charge from Jenson Button. Autosport.com has the story.

    Sebastian Vettel said he was in control of the situation in the final part of the Singapore Grand Prix, despite Jenson Button reducing the gap dramatically.

    The world champion dominated the race from start to finish, but saw McLaren rival Button finish just 1.7 seconds behind after closing in quickly during the final stages of the race.

    Vettel, who scored his ninth win of the season, said it was not easy with the backmarkers, but claimed he had the situation under control.

    “First of all, I am very, very pleased with the result,” said Vettel. “The car was fantastic all the way through. When we could push we could pull away easily.

    “Towards the end I faced five cars with lots of groups, so it was not that big a margin but I was in control. A fantastic result. I really love the track, I love the challenge, I think it is the longest race.

    “The car was fantastic. Engine wise everything was fantastic, we were in a comfortable position for most of the race, which is handy around here.

    “For the championship it looks like we have another chance at the next race.”

    His victory in Singapore means Vettel needs to score a single point in the remaining five races to secure his second title.

    Button is the only other driver with a mathematical possibility to clinch the title, but the Briton would need to win all races with Vettel not scoring at all.

    The German insisted he still needs to score that point.

    “I feel capable but I still have to do it,” he said. “With the races we had so far, it should not be a problem. But it is over when it is over, and this one has to wait to be closed first.”

    He added: “The team is doing a great job. I am feeling very comfortable with the team, with the car, and we are on top of our game.

    “There is no secret, but it is just everyone is able to rely on the other one and together we are pulling in the same direction, one direction. I think it is very enjoyable at the moment. The car is fantastic and most of the time I have good Sunday afternoons or Sunday evenings.”

  2. McLaren’s Jenson Button was disappointed by the backmarkers as he gaining on race leader Sebastian Vettel in the remaining laps. Autosport.com has the details.

    Jenson Button said he was frustrated by backmarkers as he tried to chase down Sebastian Vettel at the end of the Singapore Grand Prix.

    The McLaren driver was caught behind traffic when the race restarted after the safety car, then encountered a battling group in the closing stages as well while gaining on Vettel.

    “I can understand that it is difficult to move over here, and most people were fighting out there, but they have to respect that the cars that are lapping them are lapping them for a reason – because they are faster and battling for position,” said Button.

    “I got stuck behind [Kamui] Kobayashi and lost a lap [of chasing], and the Williams were fighting among themselves.”

    Button cut Vettel’s lead – which had got up to 13 seconds – down to 1.7s by the flag, and said he had been able to unleash the McLaren’s full pace in the final stint after saving fuel earlier in the race.

    “In the last stint I was able to drive as fast as I could and put 12 qualifying laps together, took a lot of risks, enjoyed it,” said Button.

    “I said coming here the aim was to win the race so we had to have a go, but had to settle for second in the end.

    “Overall our pace was good today – but we cannot challenge Seb and Red Bull.

    “Second best we could be, this is something to build on. We know we are not as quick at the moment, we know we need to improve if we want to fight for wins in the next five races.”

  3. A furious Felipe Massa strongly criticised Lewis Hamilton’s driving after they clashed in the Singapore Grand Prix.

    Yesterday Massa had slammed Hamilton following a near-miss in Q3, and today they made contact immediately after the first pitstops, with the Ferrari given a puncture when the McLaren clipped it during an abortive passing move.

    Hamilton had to pit for a replacement wing and was given a drive-through penalty for the incident. While he recovered to fifth, Massa could only get back to ninth.

    “My thoughts are that, again, I told you yesterday that he cannot use his mind,” said Massa.

    “Even in qualifying, so you can imagine in the race. He could have caused a big accident. He is paying for that, that’s the problem. He doesn’t understand, even paying for a problem.

    “The problem was that I was in the middle so I had a puncture in my tyres and I pay a lot.”

    Massa felt Hamilton’s penalty was fully deserved.

    “It is important that FIA is looking and penalising him all the time he is going in the car because he cannot think about it,” said Massa.

    The Brazilian was also frustrated that the timing of the safety car had not worked out well for his comeback drive.

    “I was not even lucky on the safety car,” Massa admitted. “I stopped for the super soft in that moment to gain lap-time, but then after five laps the safety car came and I had the wrong tyres to finish the race.

    “So I was not very lucky as well with the strategy and also – again – something has happened with a guy [Hamilton] who did [that] how many times with me this year? So many times.”

    Source: Autosport.com

  4. Yet again Mark Webber made a poor getaway and lost track position. The Australian is determined to improve on this issue. Autosport.com provides the details.

    Mark Webber is adamant he will improve his starts after seeing another race compromised by a poor getaway in Singapore.

    The Red Bull driver has lost positions in the starts of the last six races, and he was forced to charge through the field again on Sunday after dropping down the order from second on the grid.

    Webber, who finished in third behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel and McLaren’s Jenson Button, has vowed to get to the bottom of the situation to try to improve.

    “Unfortunately I find myself having to come through too often this season,” said Webber. “I can’t make the starts I did last year for some reason. We will look at them and definitely improve. It is risky to come back through and try to regain positions on track especially when the DRS is not working.

    “I probably lost a position today. Seb clearly deserved the victory. If you come here and get podium, you would love a win. This is a very challenging venue.

    “The guys have done a great job all weekend. It’s not easiest track for me, it’s challenging for a few of us.”

    Webber, yet to win a race this season, admitted he is eager to end his drought.

    “I am looking forward to getting on the middle step sooner rather than later,” he said. “There are still some positives to draw on, that is what we can do.

    “I can be quickest at times, but that’s not going to improve the feeling – in the end that is what we got today. So I am pretty happy.”

  5. Heikki Kovalainen and Team Lotus were delighted to beat Vitaly Petrov’s Renault in the Singapore Grand Prix, as the Finn came home 16th.

    Although the result was not Lotus’s highest finish of the season, the team was pleased to have finished ahead of one of the more established squads on merit – with Kovalainen suggesting that updates brought in for Singapore had played a crucial role.

    “I’m really pleased with the performance today and we should all be happy as it was a great race from the whole team,” said Kovalainen.

    “The pitstop strategy worked out well for us and the boys worked brilliantly to get me out quickly each time, helping me make sure I could stay ahead of Petrov at each stop. The car felt balanced throughout the whole race and the tyres worked well so I was able to pull away from Petrov and ended up finishing strongly in 16th.

    “It’s also good that the upgrade we’ve brought here has helped us take a small step forward and I think we’ll see more from that in Suzuka where it will come more into its own.”

    Kovalainen’s team-mate Jarno Trulli had got among the Renaults and Toro Rossos at the start, but picked up a puncture in a collision with Jaime Alguersuari and later stopped with gearbox failure.

    “I had another really good start and was ahead of both Renaults and the Toro Rosso,” Trulli said.

    “They were pushing me but the car felt great and I was able to keep ahead of them pretty comfortably, coming out of the first stop still ahead and feeling good on the second set of tyres. Then Jaime hit my left rear and I had to come which was pretty disappointing – it’s just bad luck really, but that meant I had to try and fight back which I did my best to do until the gearbox problem meant I had to pull over.”

    Alguersuari was given a drive-through penalty for the incident – to his surprise.

    “I am not really sure why I got it, as I only made very light contact with Trulli,” said the Toro Rosso driver, who eventually crashed out.

    Lotus boss Tony Fernandes said the Singapore performance proved the team was now in a position to battle with those ahead for the rest of the year.

    “For me that is probably the best race we have had in our short life in Formula 1 so far,” he said.

    “Heikki drove an outstanding race and was able to keep pace with a lot of the cars around him, and pull away from the cars behind, and he made the most of the new package we brought here to finish very well. Jarno again suffered from bad luck and maybe the strategy we gave him was not the best, but we called it as we saw it and I am sure we will learn from how his race worked out.

    “I am delighted for everyone back at the factory to see their hard work on the upgrade work out well on track, and I think we can look forward to a strong end to the season, knowing we can fight with established teams around us when the opportunities arise.”

    Source: Autosport.com

  6. Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher blames a misunderstanding which resulted in a crash with Sauber’s Sergio Perez. Autosport.com has the story.

    Michael Schumacher blamed a misunderstanding for his race-ending crash with Sergio Perez during the Singapore Grand Prix.

    The seven-time world champion made contact with Perez’s Sauber when trying to pass the Mexican on lap 28 of the race.

    Schumacher clipped the left rear tyre of Perez’s car, crashing into the wall as a result. The Sauber driver managed to continued in the race and finish in the points.

    Mercedes driver Schumacher said the incident was simply a misunderstanding.

    “It was a very unfortunate ending to my race in Singapore tonight and obviously I am a bit disappointed,” said Schumacher. “What happened was what I would call a misunderstanding between Sergio Perez and myself.

    “He was about to go inside and lifted, and I was not expecting him to do that so early, and therefore hit him. It’s probably one of those race incidents which look more impressive from outside than from inside, as I am totally OK and my impact in the end was not too heavy.

    “It was a pity because my car and the tyres worked well, and therefore the pace was very good. I will look ahead to the next races and hope to have better endings there.”

  7. Michael Schumacher has been given a reprimand for his accident with Sergio Perez during the Singapore Grand Prix.

    The Mercedes driver clipped the back of Perez’s Sauber when trying to pass the Mexican rookie on lap 28 of the race.

    Although Perez could continue in the race, he was forced to come into the pits to replace a punctured tyre.

    Schumacher said the accident, which forced him to retire, had been a misunderstanding with Perez, but the FIA stewards gave the German a reprimand for the incident.

    “I think Michael was too optimistic with what he tried,” said Perez. “It is a shame to have lost a place to Felipe (Massa) in the end, but the tyres were finished and I couldn’t defend anymore.”

    The FIA has also fined Team Lotus 10,000 euros for the unsafe release of Heikki Kovalainen into the path of race leader Sebastian Vettel during his final pitstop.

    Source: Autosport.com

  8. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has said to finish in second position in the drivers’ title would be ‘very valuable’ to the Spaniard. Autosport.com has the details.

    Fernando Alonso says he is aiming to finish as runner-up in this year’s championship, claiming it would be ‘very valuable’ for him.

    The Spaniard dropped down to third place in the standings after finishing in fourth position in the Singapore Grand Prix.

    He is just one point behind McLaren’s Jenson Button, but with Red Bull’s Mark Webber only two behind with five races to go.

    Although Button has said he is not interested in second place, Alonso says the runner-up spot would mean a lot to him, especially given Ferrari’s position in the constructors’ championship.

    “Of course there’s motivation [to finish second],” said Alonso. “It’s hard but it’s something you want, to be runner-up in the championship.

    “Also, the gap in the constructors’ to Red Bull and McLaren – Red Bull is over 100 points away and McLaren nearly 100 – is huge so if I can finish in second in the drivers’ championship it would be a very valuable thing for me.”

    The Spaniard, who has been unable to fight near the top in recent races, downplayed the significance of tyre usage, even if Ferrari is believed to treat its tyres better than its rivals.

    “I think it’s all in the aerodynamics. If you make the car a second quicker with the aerodynamics then your tyres are going to work, and you get a pole position one after the other, and you win races one after the other.”

  9. Taking part in his first Singapore Grand Prix, Force India’s Paul di Resta drove an impressive race to finish in sixth. Autosport.com has the story.

    Paul di Resta celebrated what he labelled as his best race of the season so far in Singapore on Sunday.

    The Force India driver secured his best result in Formula 1 at the Marina Bay circuit after a strong drive to sixth position in the Force India.

    It was the Scot’s fifth points finish of 2011.

    “My first Singapore Grand Prix was a lot of fun and I’m very happy with the outcome,” said di Resta, who has managed 20 points so far in his rookie season.

    “I don’t think the safety car really helped us because I still had a lot of life left in the supersoft tyres in the middle of the race, but it didn’t really hurt us either.

    “After that it was a case of managing my pace to Rosberg, looking after the tyres and bringing the car home. I was in free air for the final part of the race, which helped, and the pace was strong.

    “It’s probably my best race of the season, but it’s the result of all the hard work behind the scenes. We came here with an upgrade package that has allowed us to gain performance in the race, gain tyre life, and we saw the benefits of that today.”

    Team-mate Adrian Sutil also finished in the points – in eighth position – to help Force India consolidate its sixth place in the standings.

    With five races to go, the team is 12 points ahead of Sauber.

    “We have been aiming to get both cars in the points for a while now, so we can be very happy with where we finished,” Sutil said. “The points we scored give us some breathing space over Sauber in the championship.

    “It was quite a normal race for me, although I lost some track position under the safety car as Rosberg got ahead of me and stayed there until the end of the race.

    “The final stint was quite difficult because I had to do about 30 laps on the soft tyres. I had Perez close behind me and then Massa was closing in fast on the final lap. Fortunately I had enough to hold on to eighth.”

  10. McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has jumped to the defence of under-fire Lewis Hamilton in the wake of another controversial coming together for the British driver.

    Hamilton’s hopes of a podium finish in the Singapore Grand Prix were wrecked when he collided with Felipe Massa as they fought for position – breaking his front wing and earning himself a drive-through penalty in the process.

    The incident, coming on the back of a spate of mistakes this year, has led to fresh questions about Hamilton’s temperament – and whether he needs to change his approach to racing.

    But Whitmarsh has said that he has no concerns about Hamilton’s attitude and he expects his driver to learn lessons from what is going on now to help make him stronger over the rest of the campaign.

    “Various things have happened,” said Whitmarsh. “The team can take some blame and Lewis can take some blame.

    “I think sometimes in motor racing other things just don’t go your way and you have those runs. I think it has been a tough season, but we still are going to go out there and try and win five races, and Lewis will be trying to do that I am sure.

    “When you are told you are back in 18th/19th place on a race like this on a circuit like that, it is deeply, deeply frustrating, so to deal with that and perform as well as he did was extraordinary – so he should have some credit for that.

    “But none of us are perfect, the team has made some mistakes and we will make more mistakes. We don’t want to, but that is life. We are pretty open and honest about these things, we don’t conceal them, and that allows people to take a view on it and amplify it.

    “As a team we have got to try and get better, Lewis has got to try and get better as a race driver but I think he drove from very difficult circumstances, five times through the pit lane to score valuable points, and get a strong fifth place like that, it was a great drive.”

    Hamilton’s driving in Singapore – which comes on the back of errors in Monaco, Canada, Hungary and Belgium this year – left Massa hugely unimpressed.

    “I was on the straight and he touched me, not even when he was on my side,” said the Brazilian, who confronted Hamilton in front of the television cameras after the race. “He touched me when he was behind me.

    “Then, when I got to the end of the braking, my tyre was already punctured. For sure it was a big, big problem for my race. And he paid for that as well, so what can I say?

    “How many races this year he did this? He went in the wrong direction and he paid and he never learned. The FIA is looking for sure for that, because he is doing that so many times.”

    He added: “I think he is not learning. I tried to speak to him after we wait, but he didn’t listen to me. I called him two times, but he didn’t listen to me, he [walked] past me. He didn’t even look to me.

    “I called him to speak, but when I show him, I said, ‘very good job, well done’. Like that you will win many championships!”

    When asked about Massa’s view that Hamilton will not win another championship unless he changes his driving, Whitmarsh said: “I think it is wrong. Lewis is still a young guy, he is learning and he will learn from all of this. He will win races and I am sure he is going to win more championships.

    “He is an aggressive and assertive driver but he will win many more races than you or I and I am sure he will win many championships.”

    Source: Autosport.com

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