Alonso holds off Vettel for vital win
Fernando Alonso has continued Ferrari's late charge for the 2010 world championship with a lights-to-flag victory in the Singapore Grand Prix
The Spaniard saw off a late challenge from Sebastian Vettel to take the win, with Mark Webber completing the podium in the other Red Bull.
As well as keeping Alonso squarely in the title hunt, the race dealt another blow to the hopes of Lewis Hamilton, who failed to finish for the second race in a row. Team-mate Jenson Button salvaged something for McLaren by finishing fourth.
Alonso's win proved to the relatively straightforward, as although Vettel was never far behind him, nor was he ever really close enough to mount a serious challenge. The pair held their positions after pitting on the same lap, and the it was only on the final lap that Vettel managed to get close enough to think about having a look.
But Alonso managed to keep him at bay; the Spaniard's cause being helped by yellows at the final corners courtesy of Heikki Kovalainen, whose Lotus had burst into flames on the main straight a lap earlier.
Webber's third place owed much to a tyre gamble when the safety car came out on lap three to remove Tonio Liuzzi's stricken Force India from the circuit. The Red Bull pitwall decided to roll the dice and bring Webber in from fifth to change to the harder tyre - the Australian being the only one of the frontrunners to do so.
He returned to the track in 11th and over the laps that followed regained enough ground that he was able to leapfrog the two McLarens in the pits. Hamilton later had a chance to get the place back on a restart when Webber became bogged down behind a lapped Virgin, but the pair made contact that resulted in the Briton's car being sufficiently damaged to put him out of the race. Webber, miraculously, was able to continue unharmed.
Despite being urged to push in the closing laps, Button was unable to get within range of Webber and settled for fourth ahead of Mercedes' Nico Rosberg,
Williams got both of its cars into the points with Rubens Barrichello sixth and Nico Hulkenberg ninth, the pair being split by Renault's Robert Kubica (who spent the final laps making an entertaining recovery from a puncture) and Force India's Adrian Sutil.
Felipe Massa claimed the final point for Ferrari in tenth, the Brazilian having pitted on lap two after starting from the rear of the grid following his problems in qualifying.
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS
The Singapore Grand Prix
Singapore, Singapore;
61 laps; 309.087km;
Weather: Dry.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Alonso Ferrari 1h57:53.579
2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 0.293
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 29.141
4. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 30.384
5. Rosberg Mercedes + 49.394
6. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 56.101
7. Kubica Renault + 1:26.559
8. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1:52.416
9. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth + 1:52.791
10. Massa Ferrari + 1:53.297
11. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
12. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
13. Schumacher Mercedes + 1 lap
14. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
15. Di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
16. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth + 3 laps
Fastest lap: Alonso, 1:47.976
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Glock Virgin-Cosworth 51
Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 35
Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 34
Klien HRT-Cosworth 30
Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 29
Senna HRT-Cosworth 28
Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 26
Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1
World Championship standings, round 15:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. Webber 202 1. Red Bull-Renault 383
2. Alonso 191 2. McLaren-Mercedes 359
3. Hamilton 182 3. Ferrari 316
4. Vettel 181 4. Mercedes 168
5. Button 177 5. Renault 133
6. Massa 125 6. Force India-Mercedes 62
7. Rosberg 122 7. Williams-Cosworth 57
8. Kubica 114 8. Sauber-Ferrari 27
9. Sutil 49 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 10
10. Schumacher 46
11. Barrichello 39
12. Kobayashi 21
13. Petrov 19
14. Hulkenberg 18
15. Liuzzi 13
16. Buemi 7
17. De la Rosa 6
18. Alguersuari 3
All timing unofficial
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