Singapore F1: Vettel wins, Ricciardo and Raikkonen round up the podium

Sebastian Vettel manages to turn out the first non-Mercedes driver to get the pole this season and eventually wins, uplifting the spirits for the Ferrari fans. Ricciardo goes up the podium next and ticks the best result of the season, while Raikkonen finishes third.

Vettel starts out perfectly and manages to go on a 3-second lead ahead of Ricciardo from the very first lap. But things were to get complicated with the 3-time deployment of the Safety Car, one of which was just virtual. The most captivating neutralization moment came when a fan entered the racetrack and the first to spot him was Vettel himself.

The deployments of the Safety Car also market the pitting for the drivers, leaving aside the totally different strategies planned by the squads. Eventually, after a some time when he seemed to be caught up with by Ricciardo, Vettel commanded the pace and achieved victory number 42, as he is in the third place in the all-time grand prix winners ranking.

Hamilton was in the fourth spot when he lost engine power and was bound to retire. The retirement of the Brit closed up the gap between him and Rosberg to 41 points, while Vettel came only 8 points behind Nico. Last year’s vice-champion only finished fourth, more than 14 seconds behind the leader and failed to get the most out of his teammate’s retirement.

Bottas finishes 5^th, after a race during which he complained about gearbox malfunctions, while Kvyat sets himself in the 6^th position. The Russian pitted right before a neutralizing period and was out of the game for a podium position. In the 7^th place there came Sergio Perez, after having hung up to Max Vertappen. The two Torro Rosso drivers made an excellent race, after they were retrograded due to technical issues. Max failed to start from the starting grid and was thrown a lap behind everyone else, while Sainz lost several spots after his gearbox stuck in the neuter position.

Nasr scores the final point at stake, after having overtaken Grosjean during the few final laps, and he was followed by his teammate, Marcus Ericsson. Grosjean and Maldonado come in the 12^th and the 13^th position and the Manor drivers close the ranking. The debutant Alexander Rossi comes across a good start in Formula One and defeates Will Stevens, certifying he truly deserves his position in this squad.

The Marina Bay round was dotted with retirements, due to both technical and collision reasons. Hulkenberg retired after colliding with Massa and the latter had to stop because of a gearbox issue. For Alonso and Button, the nightmarish season is still on, as both racing cars were taken back into the pits due to technical malfunctions.

Next round will be taking place this upcoming weekend in Suzuka, Japan.