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Live: F1 Singapore GP commentary and updates

One of Formula 1's modern classics, the Singapore Grand Prix has returned to the calendar after three years away.

Charles Leclerc took pole for the 2022 edition of the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, capitalising when concerns over fuel ended Max Verstappen's chances of snatching it late on.

Verstappen can win the title if he takes victory in Singapore and Leclerc finishes lower than eighth, but thousands of other permutations will apply once the 61-lap race begins.

Sergio Perez starts on the front row in a closely contested battle for pole, as Lewis Hamilton was half a tenth away from the pole time. He starts in third, alongside Carlos Sainz.

By: Jake Boxall-Legge, Haydn Cobb, Stephen Lickorish

Summary

  • Perez wins F1 Singapore GP having always had the edge over the Ferraris
  • Verstappen makes mistake when trying to pass Norris and goes off on the wet, falling to seventh
  • Hamilton trying to catch Sainz in third hits the barriers and drops to ninth
  • Alonso suffers engine failure on his 350th start, before Ocon later suffers the same fate

Leaderboard

  1. Perez, Red Bull
  2. Leclerc, Ferrari
  3. Sainz, Ferrari
  4. Norris, McLaren
  5. Ricciardo, McLaren
  6. Stroll, Aston Martin
  7. Verstappen, Red Bull
  8. Vettel, Aston Martin
  9. Hamilton, Mercedes
  10. Gasly, AlphaTauri
Status: Stopped
And that's all from us, thanks for sticking with us through all of the delays! We'll be back next week for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka at...WHAT TIME? There's a 4 o'clock in the morning now? Please bring me coffee.
A test of endurance today. And a test, also, of endurance for our F1 reporter Luke Smith - who's been running the London Marathon. You can donate to his sterling efforts right here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lukesmithlondon2022
The drivers get their deli tickets after getting weight. Who's having the pastrami on rye?
It's Stroll in sixth from Verstappen, with Vettel, Hamilton and Gasly to complete the top 10.
Leclerc and Sainz will flank him on the podium, with second and third. And it's a good day for McLaren, as Norris and Ricciardo complete the top five.
And Sergio Perez (probably) wins the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix!
And Verstappen does get Vettel on the final lap to take seventh place!
Verstappen hasn't given up on seventh place - and he has one lap left to find a way ahead of Vettel.
It's the final lap now, and Perez is 7.3s up the road from Leclerc.
Make that over five seconds as Leclerc's had a bit of a poor lap. Perez looks to have one more lap to do this.
Hamilton looks at a move up the inside on Vettel but moves on to the damp stuff and gets it all wrong, allowing Verstappen the easiest overtake of his evening.
Leclerc's dropped to 4.2s behind Perez, which is good news for the Red Bull driver - just in case a safety car-related penalty comes his way.
Vettel vs Hamilton vs Verstappen. This Singapore GP is giving the fans what they want. OK, it is for seventh, but it is still very exciting.
Hamilton is gaining DRS from Vettel ahead of him so he's able to keep Verstappen at bay, but for how long?
Verstappen has caught Hamilton so the fight for eighth place is on. Which wasn't something we expected to state going into this race.
Russell pits, but not to retire, as he takes on fresh softs for the run to the finish. Not really sure why, apart from having some fun and trying to get the fastest lap while down in 14th place.
F1's data loggers predict Verstappen will catch Hamilton in two laps, which will give him six minutes of the race left to overtake him. Race laps to race time conversion is the new currency to deal in. It's probably stronger than the pound.
"Let's disappear," Hugh Bird tells Perez, just in case a penalty is coming. He does a 1m48.841s to duly oblige.
The battle at the front has rather petered out a bit as Leclerc's struggled to recover his momentum. Norris, too, sits about 3s behind Sainz - but he's well ahead of team-mate Ricciardo in fifth.
And just like that, Verstappen is in ninth place. He's got 12 minutes of the race to go to catch Hamilton who is 4.7s ahead.
Verstappen is back into the points, as he gets by Bottas for 10th, and is already on the gearbox of Gasly.
Safety car incident involving Perez will be investigated after the race. An odd decision, but we move.
"Schumacher's defending like it is the race of his life, crikey!" Russell says over team radio. The German is fighting for his F1 future, after all, as the Mercedes gets the move done to take 13th.
Leclerc went too deep into Turn 14 on the previous lap and sheds a second to Perez - so he's got to crack back on with it to address the arrears. It's lap 49 now, with about 16 minutes on the clock.
Hamilton, another trying to recover positions, is in eighth stuck behind old foe Vettel.
Verstappen makes light work of getting by Magnussen to move up to 11th. Next up is Bottas who is 7.7s up the road.
Leclerc's pressuring Perez though, who locks up into Turn 13. Great scrap so far.
Verstappen's pace is red hot, he's half a second faster than the leaders, and has cut the gap to Magnussen from 10s to 1s in two and a bit laps.
Leclerc starts lap 46 with a run at Perez, but the straight isn't long enough to make a DRS pass. He has another look into Turn 7, but he's just not quite close enough...
No further investigation on the Russell vs Schumacher clash from earlier. The stewards have been busy enough this evening.
Meanwhile, Norris is up on Sainz in a battle for third, the golfing buddies trading swings on track. I don't know how golf works.
Verstappen, for the second time in this race, is starting a climb up the order as he puts in a new fastest lap of 1m51.370s. He's got a 10s gap to bridge until he catches Magnussen ahead.
Leclerc had a look with DRS, now that it's active, but Perez is able to find a little bit of pace to keep the Ferrari at bay.
"I am having an issue with the driveability of the engine," Perez reports. "Under braking or traction?" asks Hugh Bird, and Perez replies with "both".
It appears to be just punctures for Schumacher and Russell as both rejoin the action on soft tyres. So it is Verstappen 12th, Schumacher 13th and Russell 14th.
Schumacher has also come to a crawl and is limping back to the pits along with Russell. That could be both their races over.
Leclerc's right on Perez's tail now, having done a 1m53.302s on the previous lap.
TV replays catch Russell bash wheels with Schumacher going into Turn 1 and that gave the Mercedes driver an instant puncture.
Safety car infringement noted for Perez - will that get investigated?

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