Hamilton routs Singapore field
NO MATCH: FRUSTRATED VETTEL ENDS A DISTANT THIRD
Lewis Hamilton won the Singapore Grand Prix yesterday in dominant fashion to increase his Formula One championship lead over Sebastian Vettel to 40 points with just six races remaining.
The Mercedes driver led from pole to chequered flag, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen more than eight seconds behind and Ferrari’s Vettel a distant third.
“Great job everyone, what a weekend,” said Hamilton on team radio immediately after winning at the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the second year running. “Keep pushing – we’ve got this.”
Hamilton got the perfect start from pole position as Verstappen was slower away from second on the dirty side of the grid and saw his Red Bull come immediately under pressure from Vettel.
The German used his superior Ferrari power to outdrag Verstappen down Raffles Boulevard and just managed to nip past the Dutchman before the safety car brought a temporary halt on the first lap for the third year in succession in Singapore.
It was prompted by a collision between the Force Indias that put Esteban Ocon into the wall and out of the race after a sideswipe from teammate Sergio Perez.
Hamilton controlled the restart four laps later to sprint away.
On lap 14, Vettel was first to pit for ultrasoft tyres, but it soon looked an ill-judged move as he rejoined behind the slower Force India of Perez.
Hamilton responded immediately and pitted on the next lap, but he crucially opted for the soft compound that had been predicted to last until the end.
Vettel’s frustration increased as Hamilton rejoined in front and then boiled over as Verstappen jumped him when he too pitted for softs.
When the last of the front-runners Daniel Ricciardo took on ultrasofts on lap 27, it left the top six back in grid order: Hamilton leading, Verstappen second and Vettel third.
Hamilton remained in control but was getting twitchy up front. “I feel we have stopped too early,” he said.
“No we are looking good,” assured his race engineer Peter Bonnington.
Hamilton withstood a challenge from Verstappen as the pair threaded their way through some back markers.
But after that Hamilton cruised to victory, with team-mate Valtteri Bottas fourth. –