What The Night Can Do: Rosberg Retakes Championship Lead With Singapore GP Win

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

Providing an stunning atmosphere for witnessing 22 high-powered, hybrid open wheel machines, the Singapore Grand Prix's Marina Bay Street Circuit has quickly emerged as a standout event on the Formula 1 calendar. Ever since the first running of a Formula 1 grand prix at the street race, the race is known as unforgiving to the point that mistakes can prove costly to both a driver's own run or to other drivers based on the close quarters created by the track configuration.

Last year, the Singapore Grand Prix served as a massive abnormally in the season. Sebastian Vettel won the race for Ferrari while the two Mercedes AMG team cars astonished by missing out on scoring a podium position. After a surreal 2015 outing for Mercedes AMG, the race team returns one year later as teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are engaged in an ongoing title fight unlike any seen in recent previous years. Opening domination by Rosberg was countered by Hamilton over the late spring and early summer overtook his teammate ahead of the summer break. When the series returned to action in late August, Nico Rosberg returned to early season by two claiming victories at the Belgian Grand Prix and Italian Grand Prix. With recent wins, Nico Rosberg recovered to be within 2 points of his fellow Mercedes AMG teammate and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton. In qualifying Rosberg carried on his recent momentum by taking pole starting alongside the Red Bull-TAG Heuer car of Daniel Ricciardo.  

Before the race started, the first casualty of the 2016 event would be left in the garage as the remainder of the grid assembled. The Haas F1 Team car of Romain Grosjean developed a brake-by-wire issue that put a cap on a nightmarish outing in Singapore for the French driver. Grosjean encountered problems on Friday and Saturday that also kept the Haas F1 Team crew busy maintaining the race car. "I love the race here in Singapore and I love the challenge, but this weekend was just not ours.” said Romain Grosjean in post-race.

A tradition with the previous eight Singapore Grand Prix events has been the appearance of the safety car at some point in the 61 laps. For the ninth event, the perfect record of safety car arrivals was protected after an early altercation on lap 1. A collision involving Carlos Sainz Jr's Toro Rosso-Ferrari impacting the left rear of the Force India-Mercedes of Nico Hulkenberg resulted with the latter mentioned contender impacting the track wall. While Hulkenberg's car suffered race-ending damage, Sainz Jr continued and would finish outside of the points in 14th place.

FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

The factor that played the most pivotal role in deciding the 2016 Singapore Grand Prix was the use of Pirelli tires. The field almost evenly split the execution of two-stop and three-stop strategies with Nico Rosberg being the most notable to only pit twice. Last pitting on lap 33, the lead Mercedes AMG appeared to be in a position to regret this tire plan late. Daniel Ricciardo's three-stop strategy involved pitting at the final time for supersoft tires on lap 47. Despite the extra pit stop, Ricciardo's Red Bull-TAG Heuer car's on-track pace provided some suspense in the closing laps. At one time up to 27 seconds behind Rosberg, the Red Bull Racing machine piloted by the Australian driver made up considerable ground per lap. On the final lap, Nico Rosberg faced the lurking threat of Daniel Ricciardo but was just able to cross the line first maintaining just effort of a gap after 63 laps.

With a narrow advantage of 0.488 seconds over the charging Red Bull Racing challenge, Nico Rosberg rolled to the Singapore Grand Prix victory serving as the German driver's 8th victory for the 2016 season. The win for Rosberg also secures another major first place returning to the top of the season's drivers' standings. With Lewis Hamilton taking a quiet third place in Singapore, the 10-point lead by Nico Rosberg translates to a lead of 8 points heading to Malaysia.

Once-again, Daniel Ricciardo settles for second place this year at a low-speed street course. Following disappointment in Monaco after starting on pole position, the Singapore race was more of a hard, earnest effort. "I don't really leave here with any regrets." said Ricciardo in a post-race discussion. Totaling four runner-up finishes in 2016, the Red Bull Racing driver has taken sole ownership of the record for second-place results so-far this season.

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

A two-time winner at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Lewis Hamilton finished a little over eight seconds behind his teammate. Though losing the points lead in the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship, the race did extend a streak of podium results to seven races for Hamilton.

Ferrari arrived at the 2016 Singapore Grand Prix with optimism after winning the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in 2015. Splitting a two-stop and three-stop tire plan, the additional pit stop allowed Kimi Raikkonen to finished one position ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel.

For one of the McLaren Honda drivers, the first leg of this recent Asian tour shows a great improvement for the second year of the team and engine partnership. After both cars failed to finish the 2015 event due to transmission issues, McLaren Honda collected a 7th place result thanks to inaugural 2008 and 2010 Singapore Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso. Jenson Button was unable to complete his final race on the Marina Bay Street Circuit after minor early race contact on lap 1 eventually led to a brake issue.

Climbing 9 positions from his starting spot, Sergio Perez with the sole remaining Force India race car rose to 8th place. Perez is just 4 points short of 7th place in the overall drivers' championship behind Williams Martini Racing's Valtteri Bottas (both Williams-Mercedes race cars failed to score any points in Singapore).

Finishing for positions behind teammate Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen put the second Red Bull-TAG Heuer race car (two positions higher than his rookie run last year at the track with Toro Rosso. Verstappen was the end driver to finish in the top-10 to operate on a three pit stop strategy. For the Russian driver, the 9th place finish was the first time he recorded a top-10 spot since the British Grand and only the third time since being transferred to the Scuderia Toro Rosso squad. Grabbing the final spot in the top-10, Kevin Magnussen driving for Renault finished for only the second time in the points for a grand prix this season.

With six rounds remaining, the 2016 Formula 1 tour next prepares to run at the Sepand International Circuit for the Malaysian Grand Prix set for October 2nd.

2016 Formula 1
Singapore Grand Prix
Race Results

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
3 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
4 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
5 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
6 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
7 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
8 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
9 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
10 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
11 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
12 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
13 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
14 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
15 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
16 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
17 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
18 31 Esteban Ocon Manor Mercedes-Benz
19 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
20 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
21 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
22 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari

Singapore Grand Prix Pole for Vettel and Ferrari Ends Mercedes AMG Qualifying Streak

Photo Credit: Ferrari S.p.A.

Since 2007, the Singapore Grand Prix has been a memorable component to the second-half of the Formula 1 schedule. The Singpour Street Circuit is a rare occasion to see Formula 1 race cars run under the lights. A spectacle unlike what we normally see from the open-wheel series, it seems to only make sense the race should provide a suspenseful qualifying session.

After a season-long reign in qualifying, Mercedes-AMG was finally bettered by another outfit. Lapping the 23-turn, 5.073-kilometer track at a 1-minute, 43.885-second time in the Q3 session, Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari earned to top grid position. The 2015 Singapore Grand Prix will be the first time Sebastian Vettel will start on pole with the historic Scuderia Ferrari team (the organization's first pole since 2012). His first top effort in qualifying with the famous red-coloured race machine, the result is actually Vettel's second time occasion taking a pole with a Ferrari-powered car. The German's maiden Formula 1 win at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix was accomplished from the top spot with a Toro Rosso with Ferrari engine power. In addition to Vettel's pole, Ferrari celebrated the steady recovery of the second car driven by Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen will start directly behind Vettel in third place.

Beside both factory Ferrari race cars, the Red Bull-Renaults figured well in qualifying. Taking a front row position, Red Bull's lead driver Daniel Ricciardo was 0.543 seconds slower than his former teammate. After setting top time in the Q1 session, Daniil Kvyat is positioned in fourth on the race grid. Over the course of the month, speculation has indicated the Red Bull Racing team's days with Renault engines is likely over. While earlier rumours circulated Mercedes-Benz would propel the four-time world constructor champion, Ferrari and even Audi brands have since been mentioned.

Photo Credit: FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

Sebastian Vettel's pole position-winning performance with a Ferrari destroyed the streak of the Mercedes AMG race team in qualifying. After 23 consecutive poles for the Mercedes AMG team, the organization fell just one position short of tying the Formula 1 record for repeated poles. As is typical, Hamilton is the highest-placed Mercedes-Benz powered driver. The striking difference is the fact the leading Mercedes power unit will be starting a 2015 Formula 1 grand prix in fifth place. Nico Rosberg is placed alongside Hamilton on the third row of the Singapore Grand Prix grid. Mercedes-Benz's leading customer team of Williams Martini Racing starts just below the factory cars. Valtteri Bottas starts in seventh while Felipe Massa will launch from ninth.

Starting at the tail end of 2015 Singapore Grand Prix will be American Alexander Rossi making his Formula 1 debut with the Manor Maruassia F1 Team. Days away from turning 24 years old, Rossi is a former Formula BMW America champion and his spent that past several seasons serving as a test driver for Caterham and Marussia. Alexander Rossi's planned start will be the first in Formula 1 by a driver from the United States since Scott Speed in 2007.

The Sunday night race in Singapore is scheduled for 8:00 PM local time (8:00 AM Eastern time).

2015 Formula 1
Singapore Grand Prix
Starting Grid

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
2 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Renault
3 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
4 26 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull Renault
5 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
6 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
7 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Renault
8 33 Max Verstappen Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
9 19 Felipe Massa Williams Mercedes-Benz
10 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus Mercedes-Benz
11 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
12 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
13 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
14 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
15 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
16 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
17 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
18 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus Mercedes-Benz
19 28 Will Stevens Manor Marussia Ferrari
20 53 Alexander Rossi Manor Marussia Ferrari

Vettel Reveals Winning Late Season Form with Singapore GP Victory



Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

The 2013 Formula 1 season is drawing closer to a conclusion. Despite the efforts of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and the emerging force of Mercedes AMG, the class of the paddock remains the Red Bull Racing team and their German driver Sebastian Vettel. Under an evening sky, Formula 1 cars rolled for Sunday's 2013 Singapore Grand Prix. Kicking off a tour stint that involves competing in four Asian continent locales, the Singapore event on the Marina Bay Street Circuit provides a nearly surreal atmosphere for the Formula 1 drivers and teams. However, as Sebastian Vettel gained the pole position in Saturday night qualifying, the unique race involved a rather familiar sight. 

The Red Bull-Renault of Sebastian Vettel was simply too tough to catch throughout the 61-lap event on the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Quick on the start, Vettel pulled out a nearly two second lead on the second-place vehicle on the opening lap. A near clockwork race for the Red Bull-Renault driver, the German driver left rest of the field fighting for the runner-up positions.

With exception to Sebastian Vettel, the first two rows of drivers in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix encountered a race full of difficulty. After qualifying third, Frenchman Romain Grosjean was forced to retire from the 2013 Singapore Grand Prix on lap 33 when his Renault engine developed issues. The retirement list for the race was rather light as the Lotus-Renault driver was joined by just four drivers after 61 laps. The first driver out of the race was Daniel Ricciardo on lap 24. His Toro Rosso-Ferrari crashed into the turn 18 wall on the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Ricciardo's derelict race vehicle required a safety car period that briefly erased leader Sebastian Vettel's track position advantage. As soon as the safety car returned to the pits and the race restarted, Vettel would once again sail away from the competition. The three-time and reigning Formula 1 champion crossed the line 32.6 seconds ahead of second-place Ferrari's Fernando Alonso to claim his seventh grand prix victory in 2013. Though the drive was masterful, Sebastian Vettel was greeted by a detectable amount of boos on the podium.




Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

Starting on the front row with Vettel but losing the drag race into the first turn, Nico Rosberg would lose time on track for one period of the race as tire rubber gummed up a portion of his Mercedes AMG car's front wing. Rosberg would hold on to finish fourth ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. Fourth in qualifying, Mark Webber piloting the second Red Bull-Renault race car met with late-race misfortunes. Running in the top-four late in the Singapore event, Webber lost power and soon his Renault engine ending the race in 15th place.

Stranded near a retired car at the end of the race, Webber received a gracious invitation from the runner-up finisher Alonso for a ride back to pit road. A classy moment rekindles memories of a 1991 British Grand Prix where race winner Nigel Mansell stopped to provide a famous ride for Brazilian Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna. There was also another incident occurred at the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix where the winning Ferrari of Jean Alesi ran out of fuel. On this occasion, it was future Ferrari driver and seven-time World Driving Champion Michael Schumacher allowing the Frenchman the honour of a full victory lap and ride back to the pits. Unfortunately, in this 2013 case, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso would run afoul with Formula 1 stewards not as much for the ride but for the fact stopping on track potentially endangered other competitors. Webber has been penalized with a 10-grid position penalty at the next race in Korea since it earned the Australian driver his third reprimand of the 2013 Formula 1 season. Alonso was handed a reprimand for his part.

Fernando Alonso improved greatly on a seventh place qualifying result to finish second at the 2013 Singapore Grand Prix. In regards to the drivers' championship where Alonso holds second place in the standings, the Singapore Grand Prix result means that Sebastian Vettel has padded his points lead with an additional seven markers. The gap between Vettel and Alonso now stands at 60 points following the Marina Bay Street Circuit race.



Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/ Lotus F1 Team

A more impressive improvement than the effort of Fernando Alonso to place in the runner-up spot, his future Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen driving a Lotus-Renault climbed from 13th to finish 3rd. Struggling with back pain throughout the weekend in Singapore, Raikkonen felt better during the 61-lap main event Sunday. While the Lotus F1 Team was a favourite in the opening race of the year thanks to Kimi Raikkonen's Australian Grand Prix victory, the organization has been fighting to keep pace with the improvements of Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and Mercedes AMG as the 2013 season progressed.  

Behind sixth place Felipe Massa, the McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez are continuing to soldier on with a race car that has simply been off-pace with the frontrunners this season. The Singapore Grand Prix was the fifth time in 2013 that both McLaren cars finished in points paying positions. Behind the McLarens was the Sauber-Ferrari of Nico Hulkenberg and Adrian Sutil claiming the final championship point.


2013 Formula 1
Singapore Grand Prix
Race Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	Renault
2	3	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	Ferrari
3	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	Renault
4	9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
5	10	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
6	4	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	Ferrari
7	5	Jenson Button	McLaren	Mercedes-Benz
8	6	Sergio Perez	McLaren	Mercedes-Benz
9	11	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	Ferrari
10	15	Adrian Sutil	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
11	16	Pastor Maldonado	Williams F1	Renault
12	12	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber	Ferrari
13	17	Valtteri Bottas	Williams F1	Renault
14	18	Jean-Eric Vergne	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Ferrari
15	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull	Renault
16	21	Giedo van der Garde	Caterham	Renault
17	23	Max Chilton	Marussia	Cosworth
18	22	Jules Bianchi	Marussia	Cosworth
19	20	Charles Pic	Caterham	Renault
20	14	Paul di Resta	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
21	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	Renault
22	19	Daniel Ricciardo	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Ferrari

Vettel Achieves Brightness in Singapore GP Qualifying

Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

One of the newer editions to the Formula 1 schedule, the Singapore Grand Prix on the Marina Bay Street Circuit provides one of the more unique atmospheres for competition. Not only is the tight street course a challenging mix of straights and corners but the variable of a nighttime event for the premier open wheel racing series. The Glitzy Marina Bay Street Circuit's history of hosting Formula 1 races may be brief, but the track has instantly gained recognition as a wild event.

Under the nights of a Saturday evening, qualifying for the 2013 Singapore Grand Prix resulted in the race's defending winner Sebastian Vettel claiming the pole. Posting a fast time of 1 minute, 42.841 seconds in Q3, Vettel's Red Bull-Renault took a second-straight time trial session victory. Less than a tenth of a second quicker than the Mercedes AMG race car of Nico Rosberg, Vettel's heading into the final stretch of the 2013 Formula 1 season within striking position of his fourth consecutive Formula 1 driver's title. At this time, Sebastian Vettel has been padding a lead in the drivers' standings thanks to an Italian Grand Prix victory earlier this month. Entering Singapore, the reigning champion with Red Bull Racing is holding a 53-point advantage over the second place challenger in the 2013 standings.

After winning two times in the summer, Nico Rosberg is fighting to establish more consistently strong race weekends with Mercedes AMG. Holding the majority of 2013 season pole positions, the Mercedes AMG team has been realizing the Red Bull-Renault of Sebastian Vettel has upped its game. Lewis Hamilton was fifth quickest on track in Singapore frustrated by the result but determined to move up the grid during the 61-lap race Sunday.




Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

Breaking into the top-three in qualifying, the Lotus-Renault driver Romain Grosjean acquired his highest grid position in the 2013 Formula 1 season. Though this season was not as noisy as Grosjean's 2012 campaign, this is actually an improvement for the Frenchman's stint at the Lotus F1 Team. Grosjean was also successful of out qualifying his teammate on the Singapore track. The first race since Kimi Raikkonen's announcement of 2014 plans to rejoin Ferrari, the lead Lotus F1 Team driver could only muster a 13th place run.

Sandwiched between the Lotus-Renault of Romain Grosjean and Hamilton's Mercedes AMG race car, Mark Webber will start fourth. Despite seeing several of the same players at the front in Formula 1 qualifying at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, there is an interesting dose of parity found at the end of this time trial. Overall, the Singapore Grand Prix qualifying session was highly competitive on the Q3 session time sheet. The top-five vehicles were only separated by nearly four-tenths of a second at the end of qualifying. 

The Ferraris led by Brazilian Felipe Massa had some struggles matching the pace of the Red Bull-Renaults on the Singapore course. With Massa placed sixth on the grid, Fernando Alonso, the man believed to be Sebastian Vettel's only major competition for the 2013 drivers' championship, will roll off seventh. In qualifying, the Ferraris outpaced the McLaren-Mercedes of Jenson Button and the Toro Rosso-Ferrari of Daniel Ricciardo.

 With Sauber, Esteban Gutierrez recorded one of best qualifying efforts in his 2013 rookie season. The Mexican driving the Sauber-Ferrari cracked the top-10 in qualifying. Teammate Nico Hulkenberg was 11th fastest on Saturday despite a malfunctioning DRS wing during qualifying.

A night race in Singapore, the 2013 grand prix on the Marina Bay Street Circuit will start at 8 am Eastern time.


2013 Formula 1
Singapore Grand Prix
Qualifying Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	Renault
2	9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
3	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	Renault
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull	Renault
5	10	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
6	4	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	Ferrari
7	3	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	Ferrari
8	5	Jenson Button	McLaren	Mercedes-Benz
9	19	Daniel Ricciardo	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Ferrari
10	12	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber	Ferrari
11	11	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	Ferrari
12	18	Jean-Eric Vergne	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Ferrari
13	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	Renault
14	6	Sergio Perez	McLaren	Mercedes-Benz
15	15	Adrian Sutil	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
16	17	Valtteri Bottas	Williams F1	Renault
17	14	Paul di Resta	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
18	16	Pastor Maldonado	Williams F1	Renault
19	20	Charles Pic	Caterham	Renault
20	21	Giedo van der Garde	Caterham	Renault
21	22	Jules Bianchi	Marussia	Cosworth
22	23	Max Chilton	Marussia	Cosworth

Vettel Night Rides to Singapore Grand Prix Win

Photo source: Pirelli Photo

The only time that the Formula 1 cars dazzle auto racing with the spectacle of night racing, the Singapore Grand Prix on the 5.073-kilometer Marina Bay Street Circuit has a history for creating some memories worthy of shining a light on. For 2012, the Singapore Grand Prix plays host to a driver's championship where Ferrari's Fernando Alonso has secured a healthy lead leaving competitors such as defending Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel desperate to cut into the deficit in the final six races.

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton, 2012 Formula 1 tour's most recent race winner in Monza, grabbed pole on Saturday ahead of Williams-Renault driver Pastor Maldonado. While the race started well for the front row starters, both Hamilton and Maldonado would be brought to grief by mechanical problems to their respected race cars. Suffering a gearbox failure, Lewis Hamilton's chance to repeat a win from pole in the second straight Formula 1 race of the season was defeated after completing just 22 laps. Pastor Maldonado's race was ended on lap 38 by a hydraulic issue on his Williams F1-fielded race vehicle.

Photo source: Pirelli

Starting in 3rd, Sebastian Vettel was promoted into prime position leading the Singapore Grand Prix. Vettel's skill would be put to the test as two safety car periods erased his lead. On lap 33, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG safety car was summoned onto the race course when the HRT-Cosworth of Narain Karthikeyan ended up in the wall. Shortly after the first was allowed to resume under green, a second safety car period was called as a result of contact that Mercedes GP's Michael Schumacher made on Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso-Ferrari. With both Schumacher and Vergne out of the race due to the collision, Formula 1 stewards also assessed a 10-grid position penalty to Schumacher to be served after qualifying for the next grand prix in Japan.

Following through with a trouble-free race with the help of two pit stops from the Red Bull Racing mechanics, Sebastian Vettel coasted at the Marina Bay Street Circuit to race his second-straight Singapore Grand Prix. In post-race, the German Vettel dedicated the victory to the late Professor Sid Watkins. A man who served four decades in the medical and safety of Formula 1 racing, Watkins was remembered by Vettel by saying, "It’s thanks to all the work he did to bring safety advancements to the sport that we can race on circuits like this."

Winning the Singapore Grand Prix with a commanding 8.9-second lead over Jenson Button's McLaren-Mercedes, the third win of the season for Vettel allowed him to cost 10 points into the lead of Fernando Alonso in the Formula 1 driver standings. Alonso drove his Ferrari to the final podium spot at Singapore retaining a 29-point lead in the driver's points heading to the Japanese Grand Prix.

Driving to a personal-best Formula 1 drive with fourth, Paul di Resta just missed the podium in Singapore as a race pilot of the improving Force India team. Powered as a customer to Mercedes-Benz engines, the Force India car of di Resta finished ahead of the sole-surviving Mercedes GP car of Nico Rosberg in who crossed the finish line fifth.

The Lotus F1 Team enjoyed a rather safe event in Singapore race with Kimi Raikkonen leading teammate Romain Grosjean across the Marina Bay Street Circuit for sixth place. Finishing seventh, Frenchman Grosjean's return behind the wheel of the Lotus-Renault race car was an effective effort after his one-race suspension by the FIA for dangerous driving in the opening lap of the Belgium Grand Prix. In the constructor standings, the Lotus F1 Team sits fourth in 2012 with only 14 points separating itself from third place Ferrari.

Photo credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

Honourable mention for the Singapore Grand Prix also goes to Timo Glock and his Marussia F1 Team. Finished twelveth, the Marussia-Cosworth crossed the finish line more than five seconds ahead of the Sauber-Ferrari of Kamui Kobayashi. Marussia F1 Team was one of three teams added to the series in 2010 under what was supposed to be a new cost-effective race formula. As of the Singapore 2012 race, the three teams (Maruassia, Caterham and HRT) have yet to score a point on the Formula 1 tour.


2012 Formula 1
Singapore Grand Prix
Race Results

Pos #	Car #/ Driver/ Car
1	1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2	3 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
3	5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari
4	11 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes
5	8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP
6	9 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault
7	10 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault
8	6 Felipe Massa Ferrari
9	16 Daniel Ricciardo Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari
10	15 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari
11	2 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
12	24 Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth
13	14 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari
14	12 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes
15	20 Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault
16	25 Charlie Pic Marussia-Cosworth
17	22 Pedro de la Rosa HRT F1
18	19 Bruno Senna Williams-Renault
19	21 Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault
20	17 Jean-Eric Vergne Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari
21	7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP
22	18 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault
23	23 Narain Karthikeyan HRT F1
24	4 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes