The Singapore Grand Prix is always exciting. It is an exotic track that lends itself to hard racing. Heading into the race this weekend, Scuderia Ferrari was hopeful they would be able to Win The Race and regain the point lead in the championship. The Petronas Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, a good sign for Ferrari. However, a first lap incident that took out the Ferraris of both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen gave Hamilton just the miracle he needed to win.
Ferrari has a very tumultuous weekend
Heading into the Singapore Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari was optimistic they could take the checkered flag.
Singapore is traditionally a track that requires a lot of downforce and the Ferraris have been much stronger on these tracks this season. However, on the first day of practice, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were off the pace. Raikkonen came in ninth during practice, and Vettel was twelfth. Suddenly Ferrari found themselves in a place they didn’t want to be, looking for speed.
Qualifying, however, was a different story. By Saturday Scuderia Ferrari had found the speed they were lacking in practice and Sebastian Vettel took pole position. Kimi Raikkonen was not far behind and qualified in the fourth position. It seemed Ferrari had found the speed they were looking for earlier in the weekend.
Unfortunately, a first lap accident took out both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen. Neither car was reparable, and Ferrari was out of the race from the first corner of the first lap.
Lewis Hamilton goes to the front and stays there
While both Ferraris were being destroyed, Lewis Hamilton slipped, unharmed and unnoticed through the chaos.
He took the lead of the race and never looked back. The Petronas Mercedes driver was never even challenged and led from the beginning to the end of the race in one of his most beautiful runs to date. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo came in second and Hamilton’s teammate, Valtteri Bottas, was third. Valtteri Bottas had struggled most of the weekend.
He had just resigned his contract with Petronas Mercedes earlier in the week so a good finish was important.
In two weeks racing will resume in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Historically, Sepang is a track that favors Petronas Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton is looking to extend his 28 point lead in the point championship and move ever closer to clinching his next World Championship.
