Shropshire Star

5 things we learned from the Singapore Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead to 28 points with victory at the Singapore Grand Prix.

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Lewis Hamilton defied the odds to win the Singapore Grand Prix and extend his lead over Sebastian Vettel at the summit of the Formula One championship.

Hamilton now heads Vettel, who retired from Sunday’s race following an extraordinary three-way pile-up with Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, by 28 points.

Singapore Grand Prix result graphic
(PA Graphics)

Here, we look back at the best bits from round 14 of the championship.

1. Hamilton marching on to fourth title

2. Was Seb at fault?

Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel crashed out of the Singapore Grand Prix (Yong Teck Lim/AP)

Vettel celebrated his pole here as though it was a victory, and who could blame him? Seven of the nine races, prior to yesterday’s grand prix, had been won from the front slot on the grid. Vettel would have expected to regain the lead of the title race from Hamilton, but the arrival of rain – ensuring the sport’s first wet night race – just moments before the start threw a wave of uncertainty into the air. Vettel moved to cover Raikkonen and Verstappen off the start-line, but were his actions too aggressive? The stewards decreed a racing incident and took no further action, but some in the paddock felt Vettel was to blame. “That was a very bad move by Seb,” Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion and Sky F1 pundit, said. Meanwhile, Jos Verstappen, the Red Bull driver’s father, made his view clear on social media. He published a screengrab of the incident, accompanied with an arrow indicating that Vettel had deliberately veered into the path of Raikkonen and Verstappen. “I have nothing more to say,” he wrote.

3. Alonso rues another missed opportunity

Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso rues the crash that he believes cost him a shot at victory (Wong Maye-E/AP)

Fernando Alonso believes he was denied a shot at the most unlikely of victories after he was caught up in the Vettel-Raikkonen-Verstappen pile-up. Alonso started eighth, but was third by turn one only to be collected by both Raikkonen and Verstappen. Alonso limped on for several laps but he was forced to retire following damage sustained to his McLaren in the crash. Had Alonso avoided the accident he would have been second following Vettel’s retirement, and with track position imperative in Singapore, he might have had a chance to fight for McLaren’s first podium finish in more than three years.

4. Palmer finally comes good

5. Bubbles leave Bottas speechless

Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas was distracted by Daniel Ricciardo (Yong Teck Lim/AP)

Daniel Ricciardo provoked much hilarity in the top-three post-race press conference when he was accused of emitting wind. A red-faced Bottas was barely able to get his words out in his native Finnish, saying: “I am trying to keep it together now that this mate next to me has just farted.” Hamilton later added: “For those of you watching – we’re all a bit gassy up here. That’s why we are in tears.”

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