A Night Lottery

Whatever happened during Sunday's inaugural grand prix of Singapore, the race was destined to occupy a special place in Formula One history. For the first time ever, the teams and drivers would compete under floodlights, with all the anticipation, uncertainty, and debate that preceded this watershed weekend.

For the uneventful first 15 laps, it seemed that the novelty factor was all that the event had to offer. With Ferrari's Felipe Massa putting on another master class at the head of the field, and the rest of the pack struggling to overtake on the constricted and bumpy layout, the result looked a foregone conclusion - much like the season's other debut event at Valencia.

It's a cliche to claim that a single incident changed the entire complexion of a grand prix. But there's no other way to aptly describe Nelsinho Piquet's accident on lap 15. Suddenly, the wow factor of night racing was forgotten, instantly replaced by the excitement and confusion of the established race order being turned topsy-turvy.

Felipe Massa was the most spectacular loser from the incident, although neither Piquet's accident nor the ensuing safety car period can be blamed. Ferrari and Massa had already suffered problems with the pit light system in Valencia, yet persisted with it.

The green light may only have shown for a split second to Massa before it reverted to red. But that is all the time it takes for an adrenaline-fired driver to accelerate to the pitlane speed limit of 80km/h. That moment of miscommunication might well settle the 2008 championship.

With Massa's calamity, and teammate Kimi Raikkonen left way down the field after having to queue behind the Brazilian in the pits, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton should have been able to canter away to an easy victory. But the consequences of the safety car period were so profound that even the championship leader had to graft hard for his eventual third place finish.

That left the top steps of the podium reserved for two drivers who, prior to the Piquet accident, would have dismissed the prospect of a top three finish as foolish fantasy. The successes of Renault's Fernando Alonso and Williams' Nico Rosberg were also achieved in markedly different ways.

Rosberg's race had started in unremarkable fashion. Bottled up behind Jarno Trulli's fuel-heavy Toyota for the first half-dozen laps, the young Williams star was losing almost five seconds per lap to the leaders. By the time he pulled off a skillful and daring pass on Trulli under braking for Turn 7, he was still out of the points in ninth place.

How then did Rosberg fight his way through to eventual second position, his highest ever Formula One finish? The simple answer is that he did it by breaking the rules.

That is not an allegation of unethical behaviour against either Rosberg or the Williams team. Instead, it is a reflection of the bizarre swings of fortune that can happen under current safety car rules.

The timing of Piquet's accident left the Williams team with a Hobson's choice - run out of fuel on the track or refuel while the pitlane was closed, incurring a ten-second penalty. The team's decision to take the penalty had the most unexpected bonus.

Nico Rosberg makes a stop while the pits are closed © LAT

When he pulled into the closed pitlane on lap 15, Rosberg was in ninth place and lost only one position (to teammate Kazuki Nakajima) in the process. When the bulk of the field refuelled as soon as the pitlane opened two laps later, Rosberg leapfrogged them all into the race lead.

The penalty is designed to nullify drivers gaining an advantage by rushing for the pitlane as soon as a major incident occurs. And, had it been applied immediately, Rosberg would have been duly demoted back down the field to his original position of ninth or lower.

However, it took the stewards around 21 minutes to announce the penalty. Rosberg then had the customary three laps before being required to pit and serve the penalty, which happened some 27 minutes after the initial infraction.

In most race scenarios, that delay would not make much difference. At Singapore, it was crucial. For almost half an hour of racing, Rosberg had a clear track ahead and the buffer of Jarno Trulli and Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella holding up the rest of the pack behind.

It was enough to not only nullify the ten-second stop and go penalty, but to promote Rosberg from an initial ninth place (before the Piquet accident) up to third (after his penalty).

The team cannot be blamed for taking advantage of the situation. They were essentially forced into breaking the rules and reacted as best they could. Their success was also not without merit, as it took a sustained spell of superb driving from Rosberg to pull it off. Still, the rules are not promoting equity when a penalised car is able to gain six positions.

The magnitude and timing of Rosberg's good fortune becomes even more apparent when compared to BMW's Robert Kubica, the only other driver to receive a penalty for refuelling while the pitlane was closed.

During the early stages, Kubica was running comfortably in fourth. However, he pitted one lap after Rosberg. Crucially, that delay dropped him behind Trulli and Fisichella, and the Pole could only watch helplessly as race leader Rosberg vanished into the distance.

Kubica's stop and go penalty demoted him to the back of the field - an appropriate punishment for a rules infraction and a position from which he never recovered. If he had pitted just one lap earlier, he may well have taken Rosberg's place on the podium. That, in turn, would have given his slim championship hopes a huge boost.

Robert Kubica serves his penalty © LAT

Kubica's loss in the night lottery may not have been as dramatic as Felipe Massa's, but it was just as devastating to his ambitions.

Singapore was promoted as being the first night race, but may be remembered as the catalyst for further safety car regulation changes. The current rules are turning races into a lottery and there is justified criticism from teams and drivers alike.

Although, despite the general dissatisfaction, few would begrudge eventual winner Fernando Alonso his victory. It may have taken freakish luck, particularly after his qualifying misfortunes on Saturday when a fuel line problem consigned the Spaniard to 15th position on the grid.

But nobody tries harder than the two-time champion. All season long, he has toiled in an uncompetitive car without reward. On this occasion, a slice of luck was accompanied by a healthy dose of justice.