Hamilton fireworks see off chasing pack
Brilliant Briton extends title lead to 40 points Vettel finishes third after Ferrari strategy blunder ‘I definitely did not come to Singapore expecting to leave with 10 points more than Vettel’
Lewis Hamilton is ready to kick back and relax after his whirlwind trip around the globe climaxed with victory in Singapore and a major step towards another world championship.
Hamilton will head into the final six rounds with a 40-point title lead following a commanding win under the thousands of bulbs that light up the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
This was supposed to be a Ferrari track, but Sebastian Vettel will leave the Far East staring down the barrel at another championship defeat to his relentless rival. He crossed the line only in third.
Vettel should have finished one place higher, but for a Ferrari strategy blunder costing him second to Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
Ferrari pitted Vettel early in a bid to usurp Hamilton for the lead, but their move backfired as the German got caught up behind Sergio Perez and Verstappen, in clear air, stole the position.
In truth, it cost Vettel only three points. Hamilton was never likely to be beaten here after delivering the lap of his life in qualifying to take an unlikely pole position and cruising to the flag.
On his arrival in Singapore, the 33-year-old batted away suggestions that the promotion of his debut Tommy Hilfiger fashion collection in Shanghai and New York – a journey that saw him clock up a staggering 25,000 miles in just 10 days – was something of a gamble. Here, yesterday, he was vindicated.
“I know there were questions at the start of the week as to whether these things outside of Formula One are a distraction to me,” Hamilton said.
“I came here and I thought, ‘Jeez, if I put one foot wrong, people are going to point to the things I do as a result of it.’
“But you can see that it doesn’t affect my performance and, if anything, those things add to the performance. The past two weeks have been intense, so I am looking forward to a couple of days off.”
The foundations for Hamilton’s victory were laid in place after his dazzling pole lap. His start was then flawless and even the squabbling backmarkers of Sergey Sirotkin and Romain Grosjean did not put Hamilton off his stride.
Fireworks greeted the Briton as he took the flag nearly nine seconds clear of Verstappen and the best part of 40 ahead of Vettel. And all of this at a slow-speed venue which is supposed to be a bogey track for his Mercedes team.
“I definitely did not come to Singapore expecting to leave with 10 points more [than Vettel],” Hamilton added. “Of course, it feels great, but I have been in this sport for a long, long time, so I know I can’t get ahead of myself.
“We have to continue to remain humble, but sitting here right now, I feel like it is job done for today. I truly believe we can deliver for the rest of the season, so that is the goal.” In a race of rare drama, Estehis ban Ocon collided with his Force India team-mate Perez on the opening lap.
Ocon’s car was written off and the Frenchman appeared to point the finger at his team-mate for leaving him little room. For his part, Perez merely held the racing line and, following an investigation, the stewards tellingly took no action. Perez was later handed a drive-through penalty and three points on his licence, however, after he needlessly banged wheels with Sirotkin’s Williams.
Hamilton’s team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, finished a distant fourth ahead of the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, while Daniel Ricciardo was sixth for Red Bull.