Singapore Grand Prix race day
By: Geoff Creighton
Summary
Vettel wins the Singapore Grand Prix from Leclerc and Verstappen | |
Leclerc rejoined behind Vettel after pitstop, Hamilton goes long on softs to finish fourth | |
Third safety car brought out after Kvyat/Raikkonen contact at turn 1 |
Status: Stopped
And as the podium ceremonies begin, here's our race report of an enthralling Singapore Grand Prix. We'll see you next weekend for all the fun in Sochi!
In the cooldown room, Vettel asks if Leclerc lost a lot of weight during the race. He feels he definitely lost something big today.
Verstappen: "I think the whole race went well. At the beginning it was going slow, and then began to struggle with the tyres and it was a good call as I undercut Lewis. It's always difficult to overtake here so to do it by strategy is good, and a good haul of points here."
Leclerc: "Obviously it's always difficult to lose a win but at the end it's a 1-2 for the team, so I'm happy for that. It's our first this season, so I'm happy for the team. Disappointed on my side, as anyone would be, but sometimes it goes that way and I'll come back stronger. The strategy was fixed at the beginning and I stuck to the plan."
Vettel: "I'm very happy, great race. Big congratulations to the team, the start of the season was difficult for us but in the last weeks we've come alive. [The strategy] was a very late call and it was very early, but I gave it everything in the outlap and was very surprised to come out ahead."
At the start of the weekend, very few would have had their money on Ferrari turning up in Singapore and winning - let alone taking a 1-2 finish. But, here we are. What a turnaround.
Leclerc is also given a "well done" by Mattia Binotto, but the second-placed driver is a rather unhappy bunny.
"Well done Max, really good job," says Christian Horner to Verstappen, who kept Hamilton at arms' length to preserve his podium.
Outside the points: 11 Grosjean; 12 Sainz; 13 Stroll; 14 Ricciardo; 15 Kvyat; 16 Kubica; 17 Magnussen
Result: 1 Vettel; 2 Leclerc; 3 Verstappen; 4 Hamilton; 5 Bottas; 6 Albon; 7 Norris; 8 Gasly; 9 Hulkenberg; 10 Giovinazzi
It's a wild final few corners in the battle just outside the top 10 but Grosjean hangs on for 11th ahead of Sainz and Stroll.
Norris successfully holds off Gasly and Hulkenberg for 'class B' honours in seventh, with Giovinazzi completing the scorers.
On his fresh softs, Magnussen at least gets to set a crazily quick fastest lap in the 1m42s, though he won't get a bonus point for it as he'll finish outside the points.
"I need more power!" Verstappen tells Red Bull, which tells him he's in the best solution the team has.
Hamilton is all over the back of Verstappen - but it's hard to see where he can get by at this stage.
Sainz is still pressuring Grosjean for 11th, which is quite a result for Sainz given the amount of this race he spent a minute and a half behind the pack following his first-lap damage.
Leclerc goes wide coming out of the Turn 13 hairpin following the bridge, which briefly allows Verstappen to close in.
Magnussen is the latest person to pit for a new set of soft tyres in a 'down to last so may as well' stance.
Given the way Gasly and Hulkenberg had been scorching through the midfield on their fresher tyres, Norris's seventh place looked in real jeopardy after this last restart, but the McLaren is keeping them both at bay.
Magnussen's tyre struggle is now such that he's overtaken for 17th place by Kubica's Williams and pushed down to last.
The two Ferraris are clear of Verstappen in third, who in turn is under a fair bit of pressure from Hamilton.
Magnussen is actually being passed by car after car on his worn tyres, he's now down to 14th with just Kvyat, Stroll and Kubica behind him.
Giovinazzi makes it past Magnussen into the points as he takes 10th, with Grosjean passing his team-mate too.
The biggest consequence of Vettel going early appears to be Hamilton closing up to Verstappen P3-P4.
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