Sebastian Vettel achieved one of his most dominant performances of the season with victory in the Singapore Grand Prix.
The championship leader left the rest of the field to entertain themselves, as differing pit tactics following a mid-race safety car shuffled the distant chasing pack.
In the end it was Fernando Alonso who came through yet again to give Ferrari second place, while Kimi Raikkonen shrugged off his back problem to turn P13 on the grid into an impressive third position.
Mercedes gained fourth and fifth for Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton respectively. As for Mark Webber, his Red Bull grounded to a halt on the final lap in flames.
Rosberg did his best to make a race of it at the start as he edged ahead of pole sitter Vettel and outbraked him into Turn 1.
But the Mercedes ran slightly wide and Vettel was able to get back his lost lead, with Rosberg’s retaliation attempt on the outside of Turn 3 failing to come off.
Vettel was not going to take any more chances and began pulling away from Rosberg and the rest, leading by six seconds after as many laps.
Alonso made another amazing start, but it was his late-braking move down the outside into the Turn 1, which gained him the most ground, as he surged into third position.
Up front, Vettel was not only able to outpace the pack with ease, but could also make his tyres last longer.
Rosberg’s second place became a little more secure when Alonso emerged from his first pitstop behind Paul di Resta’s yet-to-stop Force India, which would stay in front for six laps.
That delay would have halted Alonso’s chances of making further progress had Daniel Ricciardo not crashed his Toro Rosso and prompted a long safety car period just before half-distance.
Most of the frontrunners, led by Alonso, came in for tyres, while Vettel, Rosberg, Webber and Hamilton stayed out.
As it turned out, most of those who had stopped could make their tyres last the rest of the race.
While this was no problem for Vettel, who pulled away at such a ferocious rate he could easily pit again and stay ahead, the other three tumbled into the midfield traffic when they had to come in again in the final part of the race.
That promoted Alonso to second, ahead of Jenson Button and Raikkonen.
The Ferrari pulled well clear of the McLaren and Lotus, which engaged in an increasingly spectacular battle as Button’s tyres faded.
With seven laps to go, Raikkonen pulled off a brilliant move around the outside of Button to deny McLaren a podium and get himself into third from P13 on the grid.
Webber had jumped Rosberg in the final stops. The Australian then led the two Mercedes as they hacked back through the field, overtaking the Saubers and McLarens and setting their sights on the podium.
Alonso and Raikkonen were always likely to be out of reach though, and then Red Bull ordered Webber to back off following a growing technical problem in the final laps.
He was powerless to prevent the Silver Arrows powering pass and his car then came to a stand with an apparent engine failure with half a lap of the race to go.
Felipe Massa had to make three pitstops and finished sixth, ahead of a train of tyre-troubled cars in Button, Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg, chased by three-stopper Adrian Sutil.
Di Resta crashed out late on, while qualifying star Esteban Gutierrez fell back to P12 behind Pastor Maldonado as his tyres faded.
So, a superb performance by the world champion. His third consecutive win at Marina Bay and now 60 points clear of his rival. Just six races left and Vettel is looking the favourite to scored his fourth title.
Singapore Race results after 61 laps:
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:59:13.132
2. Alonso Ferrari +32.627
3. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault +43.920
4. Rosberg Mercedes +51.155
5. Hamilton Mercedes +53.159
6. Massa Ferrari +1:03.677
7. Button McLaren-Mercedes +1:23.354
8. Perez McLaren-Mercedes +1:23.820
9. Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari +1:24.261
10. Sutil Force India-Mercedes +1:24.668
11. Maldonado Williams-Renault +1:28.479
12. Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari +1:37.894
13. Bottas Williams-Renault +1:45.161
14. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1:53.512
15. Webber Red Bull-Renault +1 lap
16. van der Garde Caterham-Renault +1 lap
17. Chilton Marussia-Cosworth +1 lap
18. Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth +1 lap
19. Pic Caterham-Renault +1 lap
Not classified/retirments:
Di Resta Force India-Mercedes 54 laps
Grosjean Lotus-Renault 37 laps
Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 23 laps
Fastest lap: Vettel 1:48.574 on lap 46
World Championship standings, round 13:
Drivers:
1. Vettel 247
2. Alonso 187
3. Hamilton 151
4. Raikkonen 149
5. Webber 130
6. Rosberg 116
7. Massa 87
8. Grosjean 57
9. Button 54
10. Di Resta 36
11. Sutil 26
12. Perez 22
13. Hulkenberg 19
14. Ricciardo 18
15. Vergne 13
16. Maldonado 1
Constructors:
1. Red Bull-Renault 377
2. Ferrari 274
3. Mercedes 267
4. Lotus-Renault 206
5. McLaren-Mercedes 76
6. Force India-Mercedes 62
7. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 31
8. Sauber-Ferrari 19
9. Williams-Renault 1
Next race: Korean Grand Prix, Yeongam. October 4-6.
Championship leader and race winner Sebastian Vettel has commented that the booing is not fair and yet don’t blame me for making dull races. Autosport.com has the story.
Sebastian Vettel says Formula 1 fans who jeer his victories should not blame him and Red Bull for making grands prix dull.
Several of Vettel’s 2013 victories have been greeted by boos during podium interviews, including this weekend’s dominant Singapore triumph.
“It is not nice, but I think if you look around at the grandstands then most of the fans are dressed in red,” he said.
“Ferrari has a very strong fanbase and has tradition in F1. They have been around longer and are more successful than any other team, although there is more and more blue [for Red Bull].
“They are emotional when not winning and when someone else is winning they don’t like it.
“I didn’t give them the most exciting races but on days like this I really don’t mind.”
Vettel suggested that the heckling fans are travelling from race to race, but added that he also has plenty of vocal support at the circuits.
“I think they are on a tour and wealthy enough to go to a lot of races…” he said.
“As long as they keep booing, we’re doing a good job.
“There were also German flags around the track – the parade lap was quite nice and also the lap after the chequered flag, there were a lot of people cheering.”
He added that the only reason Red Bull was dominating was because of the team’s hard work.
“It doesn’t happen just like that,” Vettel said. “It was surely not easy to get everything right all weekend.
“I know how much work there is going in. When the curfew kicks in, that is when the mechanics leave the track. They are flat out, same as the engineers.
“There is a lot of team effort going in and if we have a result like today where we have luxury to control race, then it’s because of those late hours and because of the commitment that goes in from everybody.”
After making a storming start, Fernando Alonso was able to record a second-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix. The Spanish driver said that he had nothing to lose. Autosport.com has the details.
Fernando Alonso admitted his second-place finish in the Singapore Grand Prix was the result of Ferrari’s ‘nothing to lose’ approach to strategy.
The Spaniard was running behind Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes in third position prior to the deployment of the safety car on lap 25 following Daniel Ricciardo’s crash at Turn 18.
He promptly pitted for the medium compound tyre, while Rosberg remained out on the circuit, which turned out to be an inspired decision as Alonso was able to remain on them for the remaining 35 laps.
“We knew we didn’t have the pace today so had to invent something,” said Alonso. “The first possibility was the start and then a different strategy, which paid off at the end with a fantastic podium that tastes like a victory for us.
“It was a risky move, but in our position in the championship we have nothing to lose. If we finish fifth it doesn’t matter much.
“When Rosberg didn’t stop with the safety car we decided to pit and try something different and that allowed us to control the pace through the last stint, which we managed to build.”
Alonso rose back up to second after the frontrunners made their final stops.
“It was not easy to finish the race with those tyres after we pitted behind the safety car,” he admitted.
The Ferrari driver currently sits second in the drivers’ championship with 187 points – 60 behind current leader Sebastian Vettel – and concedes he needs a lot of luck on his side to take his third Formula 1 title.
“Obviously we have to be realistic because, with a few races to go – and the gap is still increasing every weekend – we need to be honest with ourselves,” said Alonso.
“We need a lot of luck, and not just in Korea – we need it in Korea, India, Abu Dhabi… We need luck every weekend if we are one second off the pace.”
Despite the back pain, Kimi Raikkonen was able to charge from a low grid position to come through to third. Autosport.com has the news story.
Kimi Raikkonen said he barely felt his back problem as he charged from 13th on the grid to third in the Singapore Grand Prix.
But the Finn admitted it was an issue he would have to try to resolve before the next race in Korea, and particularly before he joins Ferrari for the 2014 Formula 1 season.
The back pain that struck on Saturday in Singapore was a lingering legacy from a 2001 testing crash.
Raikkonen admitted that at one stage he was unlikely to race this weekend.
“I didn’t feel it too much in the race,” he said. “Yesterday not ideal and I almost didn’t drive.
“We have to be happy enough with finishing third and we can sort the problems for the next race.
“It is not the first time I have had some issues with my back and I know I have some work to do over the winter so we will see what we can do.
“Now afterwards it’s not 100 per cent. We have two weeks to rest and get it right. We did the best we could, and could not achieve much more today.”
Raikkonen sealed his unlikely podium finish with a bold pass around the outside of Jenson Button’s McLaren seven laps from the end.
The Finn played down the impressive manoeuvre.
“Maybe it looks more tricky,” said Raikkonen. “You have more grip when you brake on-line and it’s easier to know where you have to brake than on the inside.
“It’s not an easy one but I managed to get past and that is the main thing.”
As for the Mercedes drivers, both were feeling dissatisfied following a difficult Singapore Grand Prix. Autosport.com has the story.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg believe Mercedes needs to improve quickly after both were disappointed by the team’s strategy calls and overall performance in the Singapore Grand Prix.
Rosberg very briefly led eventual winner Sebastian Vettel having jumped him at the start but spent the first part of the race in second after being repassed into Turn 3.
Both he and team-mate Hamilton stayed out during a mid-race safety car period caused by Daniel Ricciardo’s stricken Toro Rosso, which dropped them out of the top 10 when they subsequently pitted.
Though they battled back to finish fourth and fifth, neither driver was happy with the end result.
“I don’t think we can come away from this weekend satisfied,” said Hamilton, who thought he was battling for third after a problem reading his pitboard.
“I’m disappointed with the result we got considering how much we were pushing. Perhaps the strategy wasn’t as good as we hoped.”
Rosberg was similarly downbeat and expressed concern over the number of mistakes that he felt hampered his chances of finishing on the podium.
“I’m sure we didn’t get the most out of it today, there were many bits and pieces,” he added.
“I don’t know if we should have just taken the risk and stayed out with the safety car. Could we have managed that? I’m not sure.
“I had a slow stop and lost a place to [Mark] Webber, and then I got rubber in my front wing. It was just a difficult race from the safety car onwards.
“There were a lot of different strategies out there and it’s likely we could have done better.
“I don’t know if it could have been a lot better or a little bit so I’m not sure but it didn’t go ideally that’s for sure and we need to learn from it and try and do better.”
With Vettel now 96 points clear of Hamilton in the drivers’ championship the Briton is now focused on helping his team beating Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, where Mercedes trails its Italian rival by seven points.
“I would say that’s gone out the window,” he said regarding any lingering drivers’ title ambitions. “I can just try to catch Fernando [Alonso] somehow, and help [the team] beat Ferrari.”
Mark Webber will get a 10-place grid penalty for the Korean Grand Prix after he was reprimanded following the Singapore race.
Fernando Alonso gave Webber a lift back to the pits on the side of his Ferrari at the end of the race, after Webber’s Red Bull failed on the last lap.
The stewards ruled that Webber had broken article 30.9(b) of the sporting regulations because he “entered the track without the marshal’s permission between the commencement of the formation lap and the time when the last car enters parc ferme.”
Because that was Webber’s third reprimand of the year, he will receive an automatic 10-place grid penalty for the next event.
Webber’s previous reprimands came for a clash with Nico Rosberg in Bahrain and failing to sufficiently heed yellow flags in Canada.
Alonso was also given a reprimand.
The stewards said he “drove the car in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers or any other person.
“In this case, two cars had to take avoiding action as a result.”
A video replay provided by the FIA showed that Alonso stopped in the middle of Turn 7 after being hailed by Webber.
As Webber ran around to the left of the Ferrari, one of the Mercedes came close to him, while the second had to go around the outside and across the kerbs.
Source: Autosport.com
McLaren’s Jenson Button has commented that a podium result was never likely. Autosport.com has the details.
Jenson Button believes finishing third in the Singapore Grand Prix was never realistically within McLaren’s reach despite spending much of the second half of the race in a podium position.
The Briton was one of several drivers who opted to pit under the safety car just before mid-distance, rising to third when the frontrunners belatedly made their pitstops.
Despite his best efforts to fend off Kimi Raikkonen – who pitted for medium compound tyres at the same time as the McLaren driver – Button eventually succumbed to the Lotus with seven laps remaining and tumbled to seventh in the final few laps.
Button reckons that although the Finn – who went on to complete the podium alongside race-winner Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso – was able to pull off a 35-lap stint on the medium compound Pirellis, McLaren’s performance deficit means the rostrum finish was always unlikely.
“It’s amazing how close you think you are to the podium but we were so far from it today,” he conceded. “It was good fun trying, and we’ve got to take those sort of risks if we’re going to get on the podium this year.
“We took a punt – I’m not sure how we thought we were going to do 35 laps on a set of tyres. How Kimi did that I really don’t know.
“I didn’t want to let him past. Maybe the best thing to do would have been to let him go, but how do you that? That’s just not racing.
“We wouldn’t have done any better if I’d done anything differently against Kimi, or had we changed the strategy in any way.”
His McLaren team-mate Sergio Perez was equally philosophical about his own slide down the order, dropping from fifth to eighth in the latter stages of the race.
Having dealt with speculation surrounding his future with the team throughout the Singapore weekend, the Mexican believes he did the best job he could in the race.
“I think we can be very happy with the performance,” he said. “I think it was the best result we could get.
“It was a difficult strategy, the safety car came out at the wrong time for us. It meant we had to risk everything to get to the end.”
Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg thinks Sergio Perez ruling was unfair. Autosport.com has the news story.
Nico Hulkenberg believes it was wrong for race control to order him to give away a position to McLaren driver Sergio Perez during the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Sauber driver, who went on to finish ninth, one place behind the Mexican, was running 11th after his first pitstop when he exceeded the track limits at Turn 7 while battling with Perez and Pastor Maldonado.
He was subsequently advised to give the position to Perez on the grounds he had gained an unfair advantage.
But Hulkenberg believes he gained no such advantage, and only ran wide because he had to give Perez room on the inside of the corner.
“I haven’t seen the footage yet and I have to look at it, but I don’t agree,” Hulkenberg told AUTOSPORT.
“I had Pastor there in front and I chose to take the outside. I knew Sergio was going to dive inside, therefore I left him space otherwise we would have collided.
“So I was squeezed a bit onto the exit kerb. Unfortunately, the car bottomed a bit right away and once you bottom on these high kerbs, it pulls you right across and there is no chance.
“It [running beyond the edge of the track] did happen but I was in front of him coming into the corner and didn’t gain any advantage coming out of it.”
Hulkenberg now expects to be more cautious in situations like this where he is forced to exceed track limits.
“Every race is different and this was one specific incident but obviously now I have that in mind.
“I will keep it in mind for the next races if I have a similar situation again.”
The German spent the rest of the race behind Perez and believes he would have finished one place higher had he not had to cede the position.
“Eighth would have been the ideal position without giving the place to Sergio.
“We also benefited from [Mark] Webber and [Romain] Grosjean dropping out as these two would have been in front.”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner thinks that Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso should have been given a simple ‘rap over the knuckles’ for their post-race taxi ride in the Singapore Grand Prix.
Both drivers were given a reprimand for their actions after the race – with Webber punished for going onto the track, while Alonso was dealt with for causing a dangerous situation.
For Webber the reprimand proved costly as, because it was his third of the season, it means he will have a 10-place grid penalty for the Korean Grand Prix.
Horner thinks that it was harsh of the stewards to hand down such a penalty and that a fine would have been better considering the consequences of the reprimand.
“It should have been dealt with by a fine or a slap on the wrist,” said Horner, when asked by AUTOSPORT for his reaction to the matter.
“Some of the most iconic images I can remember are of Nigel Mansell giving Ayrton Senna a lift home [at the 1991 British Grand Prix – pictured below].
“What is a shame is that it has ended up with a reprimand, which ultimately because it is the third reprimand has ended up with a 10-place penalty.
“Unfortunately the reprimands are now the only thing available to the stewards. Perhaps, in this instance, a talking to the drivers would have sufficed. Ideally a fine would have been better, but I don’t believe that is something available to the stewards now.
“It is a shame and frustrating because that puts Mark now on the back foot now in Korea. It is what it is and we certainly can’t change it.”
Horner thinks that Webber has had the misfortune to fall foul of the totting-up process under circumstances that were not the original intention of the rule.
“The problem is that as soon as you start applying common sense that is where you get into trouble,” he added.
“In fairness I haven’t seen the footage but I saw the image of him giving Mark a lift back, and at the end of the day it was good for the show, good TV, and if drivers can’t show any emotion it is a shame.
“We have seen things go through before. Fernando picked up a flag in Valencia after he won [in 2012], and there was no penalty for that despite it being a breach of the rules.
“Common sense prevailed on that day. But I understand the difficulty the stewards have with the tools they have at their disposal.”
Source: Autosport.com
Following the news that Webber has been given a ten-place grid penalty for Korea after picking up Alonso at the end of the race, fellow racer Lewis Hamilton was shocked by the penalty. Autosport.com has the story.
Lewis Hamilton reckons that Mark Webber risked being run over when he walked onto the track after the Singapore Grand Prix to get a lift from Fernando Alonso.
Mercedes driver Hamilton and his team-mate Nico Rosberg had to take avoiding action on the slowing down lap when Alonso stopped his Ferrari in the middle of Turn 7 to give Webber a lift back to the pits.
Webber, whose Red Bull had overheated after a water leak, was reprimanded for having run on to the track before all the cars were back at parc ferme, while Alonso was also reprimanded for having created a dangerous situation.
As the incident was Webber’s third reprimand of the 2013 Formula 1 season, he received a 10-place grid penalty for the next race in Korea.
Hamilton said he was surprised to have found the Ferrari stationary in the middle of the circuit, and was thankful that Webber was out of harm’s way at that point.
“I was doing my in-lap, came around the corner and Fernando was there, and I was really shocked,” said Hamilton.
“I went to the right of him, but if Mark had been walking across where I went then I would have run him over. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.”
Despite his feelings about the specifics of this incident, Hamilton reckons that gestures like giving rivals lifts back to the pits should be allowed under the right circumstances.
“It’s good for the fans to see and, as long as it’s done in a safe manner – you don’t stop on the racing line – then maybe it should be allowed for the future,” he said.
“In sport, it’s cool. Remember Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna [at Silverstone in 1991]. There have been times where I’ve driven past someone else who has stopped and I’d wished I’d stopped.”