Singapore GP – Race: Vettel Master of the Night, Hamilton in Darkness

Unprecedented configuration today on the starting grid of the 8th edition of the Singapore Grand Prix. For the first time since the advent of the V6 turbo engines in March 2014 and the Australian Grand Prix, no car equipped with a Mercedes engine will start in Pole Position. Indeed, in the last 31 starting grids, the Mercedes team clinched 30 poles, compared to just 1 for Williams, also powered by Mercedes (Felipe Massa at the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix).

This time, it’s a Ferrari that will start in Pole Position. Sebastian Vettel set a dazzling time yesterday in the streets of the city-state of Singapore: almost six tenths of a second ahead of his closest competitor, Daniel Ricciardo, in his Red Bull.

The contrast is striking for the Australian driver, who started 19th at the last Grand Prix in Italy. The Austrian team has very well prepared for this night event, which seems to suit them perfectly. The cars designed by Adrian Newey have always favored high downforce tracks, so the 5.065 kilometers of this circuit are ideally suited to the RB11.

Behind them, the teammates of the two mentioned drivers occupy the second row, Kimi Räikkönen will start 3rd ahead of Daniil Kvyat in 4th. The two Mercedes start only from the third row, with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Nico Rosberg.

The big question for this 2015 edition will therefore be the following: will the Mercedes cars be able to join the fight for victory? Will the adjustments made since the end of the Qualifications have solved the tire exploitation issue encountered so far?

Behind, another race will take place, the one for the places of honor: Valtteri Bottas leads the rest of the pack from his 7th place. Romain Grosjean will start 10th. Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button came away disappointed from the qualifying session: they are only 12th and 15th.

But they will be able to count on the 61 laps of a very demanding race: like in Monaco, the walls are never far away around this street circuit. Moreover, the humidity is extreme and quickly tires the drivers, who even when trained can make mistakes during these two hours of racing. Daniel Ricciardo summarizes the sensations encountered, notably the feeling of “having a cup of tea” from his onboard water bottle.

Keepin’ cool in the heat. @DanielRicciardo gives his #SingaporeGP view: https://t.co/ffiJl7ZIwp #F1 pic.twitter.com/pBzb7RzGMa

— Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) 14 Septembre 2015

The weather elsewhere will be as follows: 36 degrees on the track against 29 degrees in the air. The humidity level is 76%: there will be no rain during the race.

First issue encountered by one of the drivers during the lap to the grid: Nico Rosberg stalls several times in the pit lane! It’s a frenzy at Mercedes: Toto Wolff and the engineers are gathered to find a solution to the problem encountered. Let’s remember that Nico Rosberg had already experienced a clutch problem last year, which forced him to retire.

Lauda confirms @nico_rosberg car had glitch but fixed and ready for #SingaporeGP start #F1NightRace pic.twitter.com/sJdRxvyQms

— Formula 1 (@F1) 20 Septembre 2015

At 8 p.m. (local time, 2 p.m. in France), the 1,500 spotlights illuminate the 20 drivers starting for the formation lap. No major issues to report. Will Sebastian Vettel be able to take Ferrari to the top today in Singapore?

The start of the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix has been given!

Sebastian Vettel keeps the lead, the Red Bulls do not take the advantage! Nico Rosberg is jostled by Bottas’s Williams but manages to maintain a slight advantage. A Toro Rosso stalled, Max Verstappen’s. In the middle of the pack, the Force Indias almost collide: standing on the brakes and sliding, Sergio Pérez nevertheless manages to avoid a crash with Nico Hülkenberg.

CLOSE CALL: Massa managed to hold off 2 chasing Force Indias to keep P8

#SingaporeGP #F1NightRace pic.twitter.com/jdCzOUCkSH

— Formula 1 (@F1) 20 September 2015

The ranking at the end of the first round is as follows: Vettel, Ricciardo, Räikkönen, Kyvat, Hamilton, Rosberg, Bottas, Massa, Hülkenberg, Pérez, Alonso is 11th, Grosjean has, in turn, fallen to the 13th position. For his first start, Alexander Rossi gained an advantage over Will Stevens at the bottom of the standings.

He hadn’t experienced starting at the front of a Grand Prix for a long time, but Sebastian Vettel kept up his good habits from his Red Bull days: he’s already widening the gap with his opponents. Daniel Ricciardo is already three full seconds behind, Kimi Räikkönen is four seconds back.

Positioned in 6th place, Nico Rosberg is under threat from Bottas, who can activate the DRS, being less than a second behind. But after five laps, the Top 10 hasn’t changed. The replay of the start shows that Romain Grosjean is the direct victim of Max Verstappen’s stall, losing speed as he bypassed the immobilized Toro Rosso. This explains his drop to 13th place. He is leading the chase against the two Spaniards in front of him: Sainz and Alonso.

Lap 6/61: Vettel has made a blistering start opening a 5.3s lead over Ricciardo

#SingaporeGP #F1NightRace pic.twitter.com/Hw2V7XdRQD

— Formula 1 (@F1) 20 September 2015

After 10 laps, Sebastian Vettel leads ahead of Ricciardo and Räikkönen. The Top 10 remains unchanged. The first driver to pit is Romain Grosjean at the end of this 10th lap: he goes back out on soft tires (yellow banded). He initiates the first wave of stops: Fernando Alonso pits shortly after. This allows the Frenchman to get ahead of the Spaniard as he exits the pits. In fact, Grosjean gained two positions: Carlos Sainz’s stop took longer than expected as he couldn’t leave his spot due to other cars arriving in the pit lane!

Meanwhile, at the front of the race, Daniel Ricciardo attacks and gains a few tenths on Vettel: he is now 3.6 seconds behind. The first top driver to stop is actually his teammate, Daniil Kvyat.

First accident in this lap: collision between Hülkenberg and Massa. The Williams driver was exiting the pits and got boxed in by an overly optimistic Hülkenberg. The collision was unavoidable and the Force India hits the wall at the first corner, triggering the virtual safety car regime.

Lap 15/61: Virtual Safety Car still in operation as Hülkenberg’s Force India is cleared #SingaporeGP #F1NightRace pic.twitter.com/7dJXjwEOfr

— Formula 1 (@F1) 20 Septembre 2015

With the Virtual Safety Car deployed, all the drivers who hadn’t stopped take the opportunity to do so. This allows for different strategies to be observed: Hamilton and Rosberg opt for the soft tires, while both Ferraris and both Red Bulls have switched to a new set of super-softs. The big loser in this situation ends up being Daniil Kvyat, who falls to 6th place.

After two laps of Virtual Safety Car, there are still debris to be cleaned in the crash area: the actual safety car is out! Everything has to be redone for Sebastian Vettel.

#F1FastFact The safety car has been deployed in all 8 #SingaporeGP #F1NightRace pic.twitter.com/ZpYgKf8c6H

— Formula 1 (@F1) 20 Septembre 2015

In the 19th lap, the beasts are unleashed! Vettel doesn’t miss the restart and keeps the lead. Carlos Sainz is the victim here: a problem with his car causes him to lose positions and drop to 18th place. The two Toro Rossos are currently at the back of the pack, behind the two Manors.

After 20 Laps, the Top 10 is as follows: Vettel, Ricciardo, Räikkönen, Hamilton, Rosberg, Kyvat, Bottas, Pérez, Nasr, Grosjean. Lewis Hamilton is unable to keep up with the leading trio, he is already more than two seconds behind Räikkönen. But both Mercedes are equipped with soft tires and can try a strategic gamble. Iceman and Ricciardo, on the other hand, are in Vettel’s slipstream, who is currently unable to pull away.

Behind Rosberg, it’s Daniil Kvyat who will try to overtake him: the Russian is clearly losing time.

On the radio side, a worrying message for Lewis Hamilton who is complaining about a loss of power. He has been overtaken by Rosberg and Kvyat, Bottas. His Mercedes is in great difficulty! A tough blow for the World Championship leader!!

There is clearly a problem with the accelerator pedal which is not delivering the full power of the car. Lewis Hamilton is dropping down the standings and will fall out of the Top 10.

After 30 Laps, at the mid-race point, the top 10 drivers are as follows: Vettel, Ricciardo, Räikkönen, Rosberg, Kyvat, Bottas, Pérez, Nasr, Alonso, Button. Hamilton is 11th, Grosjean is 14th but he has made his second pit stop. Massa, Ericsson, and Sainz have also made an additional stop.

Similar to Hamilton, Massa also encounters electronic issues: his gearbox shifts to neutral several times! He must return to the pits for a third time, this time to retire.

We have barely passed the halfway point and various reliability issues are multiplying: the second half looks uncertain!

For Hamilton, the crisis seems unsolvable: he returns to the pits on the 34th lap and retires! It’s the first real setback for the Englishman who will not score points for the first time this season. Rosberg, 53 points behind Hamilton before the start and Vettel at 74 points, therefore have a unique opportunity to regain points in the World Drivers’ Championship standings.

Lap 34/61: Lewis Hamilton RETIRES from the #SingaporeGP #F1NightRace pic.twitter.com/bOk801zkfW

— Formula 1 (@F1) 20 Septembre 2015

Another retirement to report, that of Fernando Alonso. Terrible for McLaren-Honda, who were counting heavily on this nighttime event. The Woking team can now only rely on Jenson Button to score some points.

Unbelievable scene on the 37th lap of this Grand Prix: a spectator is walking along the barriers but on the track! The Safety Car is deployed. The leaders take the opportunity to pit. This causes a harmonization of strategies: all drivers are now on new soft tires. They should no longer need to pit before the end of the Grand Prix.

In any case, we’re still wondering how a fan managed to walk a few meters on the track!

This causes astonishment in the Twitter-sphere…

Après les animaux, les spectateurs… #SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/nr5epQo0cj

— F1Feeds (@F1Feeds) 20 Septembre 2015

**After 40 Laps,** the race nevertheless resumes its rights. Sebastian Vettel still holds the lead. He is followed in this order: Ricciardo, Räikkönen, Rosberg, Bottas, Kyvat, Pérez, Grojsean, Maldonado, Button.

There’s chaos during the restart in the middle of the pack: rookie Rossi lets everyone through, creating confusion. For once, it’s not a surprise, Maldonado is involved in an accident, by closing the door on Jenson Button, who loses his front wing in the process. The Englishman will have to pit. The Venezuelan, however, stays on track: he has passed both Toro Rosso cars of Verstappen and Sainz. He is therefore out of the Top 10.

Verstappen and Sainz are now catching up to Romain Grosjean in 8th position. The Frenchman has been overtaken by both drivers: he complains over the radio about a borderline maneuver by Sainz who allegedly did not “leave him enough space.”

There are now 15 laps remaining and once again here in Singapore, the race will flirt with the two-hour limit: nevertheless, the drivers will not be able to exceed this limit, except in the case of a red flag.

At Lap 51, with 10 laps to go, Sebastian Vettel is still in a position to win the race. Daniel Ricciardo is holding on at about three seconds behind. It’s a game of cat and mouse between the two drivers: the Red Bull driver is still in a position to challenge his former teammate for the victory. Kimi Räikkönen, meanwhile, is just over six seconds back, securing his podium position relative to Rosberg.

Behind, we find in this order: Bottas, Kyvat, Pérez, Verstappen, Sainz, Grosjean. Nasr passes Maldonado for the gain of 11th place. Jenson Button retires as well: McLaren-Honda is still lacking success.

McLaren to Button: “We need to retire the car, we’re taking too much risk with the gearbox” #SingaporeGP #F1NightRace pic.twitter.com/QxSn1VQ3eh

— Formula 1 (@F1) 20 Septembre 2015

At the front of the race, Vettel has gained a second over Ricciardo, victory is near! The final laps are about managing for the German driver. The positions are set, a last battle on track for the final point: Romain Grosjean drops out of the Top 10 in favor of Felipe Nasr when the Frenchman misses his braking. He even stops at the pits to retire.

It’s time for the final lap: **Sebastian Vettel wins the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix!** Third victory of the season for the Scuderia Ferrari driver. The fireworks can now light up the Singapore sky: they honor the German who shines once again in the heart of Marina Bay by securing a fourth victory here. Daniel Ricciardo finishes 2nd: he denies Vettel a hat-trick by setting the fastest lap. A discreet race for Kimi Räikkönen who nonetheless reaches the podium. The Scuderia Ferrari places both its drivers on the podium, something that hasn’t happened in over two and a half years!

Vettel’s 3rd win of the season takes him within 50 points of championship leader Hamilton #SingaporeGP #F1NightRace pic.twitter.com/WROhDLiVae

— Formula 1 (@F1) 20 Septembre 2015