Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel Ends Year-Long Wait With Superb Win At Singapore GP
22nd September 2019
The German was chased home by teammate Charles Leclerc, who started on pole but lost the lead to the four-time world champion after making his pit stop, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who finished third
- Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel ended his yearlong drought without a win at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, mastering a hazy circuit to claim a record fifth triumph in the city-state
- Championship leader Lewis Hamilton finished fourth but extended his advantage over fellow Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas to 65 points, with six races remaining, after the Finn finished in fifth.
- The race got off to a clean start with the top six retaining their grid positions despite Vettel putting immense pressure on second-placed Hamilton in the opening lap
SINGAPORE, Singapore-
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel ended his yearlong drought without a win at the
Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, mastering a hazy circuit to claim a record
fifth triumph in the city-state.
The German was chased home by teammate Charles Leclerc, who
started on pole but lost the lead to the four-time world champion after making
his pit stop, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who finished third.
"It was a very late call on the pit stop and I just
gave it everything on the out lap. I was surprised to come out ahead and it was
difficult to manage the tyres but we controlled it to the end," Vettel
told reporters.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton finished fourth but
extended his advantage over fellow Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas to 65
points, with six races remaining, after the Finn finished in fifth.
The race got off to a clean start with the top six retaining
their grid positions despite Vettel putting immense pressure on second-placed
Hamilton in the opening lap.
While a few drivers were shifting position further down the
field, the frontrunners were maintaining a one-second gap between each other as
Leclerc set a slow pace to make his soft tyres last as long as possible.
Ferrari and Red Bull were the first of the big teams to
bring their cars in for pit stops as Vettel and Verstappen were fitted with the
more durable hard tyres on lap 20, with Leclerc following suit on the next lap.
Leclerc, however, was dismayed to leave the pits behind
Vettel.
Hamilton stayed out on track in the lead to set about
forging a big enough gap to retain the lead when it was his turn to come in.
But Vettel, Leclerc and Verstappen were lapping much quicker
than Hamilton and when the Briton finally stopped seven laps after his rivals,
he emerged in a distant fourth place.
Hamilton's only hope of victory was to capitalise on his
rivals' degraded tyres late in the race.
But three safety car periods -- when both George Russell and
Sergio Perez stopped on the track, and when Daniil Kvyat collided with Kimi
Raikkonen -- allowed the front three plenty of time to cool their rubber.
- Leclerc unhappy -
Ferrari will be delighted to have recorded a one-two finish
at a circuit they were not expected to muster a podium finish.
But Leclerc was unhappy with the pit strategy that dashed
his hopes of a hat-trick after wins in Belgium and Italy.
"I won't do anything stupid, I want us to finish
one-two," Leclerc told Ferrari over the radio when he was behind the
second safety car. "I just don't think it's fair."
Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Alex Albon, Lando Norris of
McLaren, Pierre Gasly of Toro Rosso, Renault's Nico Hulkenberg and Alfa Romeo's
Antonio Giovinazzi rounded out the top ten.
Smog from forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia has
shrouded Singapore over the past week, and on Sunday air quality dipped to
unhealthy levels ahead of the race.