Singapore – Race: Vettel Plunges His Rivals into Darkness

The race conditions are optimal for the start of this Singapore Grand Prix with Sebastian Vettel in the lead.

At the start, Nico Rosberg launches an initial attack on Sebastian Vettel which proves successful until the first corner, allowing the triple world champion to regain his position. Just behind, Fernando Alonso makes a spectacular start up to third place, ahead of Mark Webber and Romain Grosjean, who suffers from a mediocre start. At the beginning of the second lap, Sebastian Vettel already has a two-second lead, while Lewis Hamilton has to let Felipe Massa overtake him, as the Briton gained his position by going off track.

After 6 laps, Sebastian Vettel stabilizes the gap between him and Nico Rosberg around 6 seconds, while Kimi Räikkönen overtakes Esteban Gutierrez. The main performer of the race also gains time on Sergio Perez and quickly finds himself close behind him.

On the 11th lap, Kimi Räikkönen is the first driver to pit for a set of super-soft tires, followed by Jules Bianchi with his Marussia. The 22 racers are not taking excessive risks to attempt overtakes, likely waiting for the degradation of their opponents’ tires. Esteban Gutierrez is next to stop, while the time advantage gained with fresh tires seems significant: Kimi Räikkönen gains 1 second at certain moments on Sergio Perez, who was just ahead of him before the stop. The Finn launches an attack and overtakes Valtteri Bottas during acceleration. Felipe Massa also pits to switch to medium tires. The teammate of the future Ferrari driver, Romain Grosjean, pushes Mark Webber to wear out his tires, and the Australian decides to head to the pits. The pit stop strategy is well underway, and Fernando Alonso loses a bit by getting stuck behind di Resta’s Force India.

On the 16th lap, Nico Rosberg is called to the pits to switch to medium tires, likely to cover Fernando Alonso, and it’s the Frenchman from Lotus who follows him for super-soft tires. We can see many different strategies, and the end of the race will undoubtedly be exciting. Sebastian Vettel is also called back to the pits for medium tires. The German attacks strongly on his out-lap and finds himself with a 9-second lead. Behind, Nico Rosberg has a 5-second lead over Paul di Resta, who is holding up Fernando Alonso, as the Scot still hasn’t stopped. Romain Grosjean is aiming for fifth place, putting pressure on Mark Webber.

At the 21st lap, Paul di Resta finally pits, which puts Fernando Alonso back on the podium. Jules Bianchi is almost forced to stop to let drivers taking a lap over him pass, as they attack like madmen. In the lead, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg continue their solo rides, having a lead of 10.6 and 8.5 respectively over their pursuer.

In the 25th lap, the safety car is out! Daniel Ricciardo crashes into the wall before the small bridge, in a spot that’s difficult for the race marshals to access. Many pit stops occur, with only the Red Bull and Mercedes drivers refraining from doing so.

On the 31st lap, the safety car returns the track to the drivers who set off again, with Vettel in the lead. The Red Bull driver widens the gap once more, lapping 2 seconds faster than Nico Rosberg. The Mercedes driver is also under pressure from Mark Webber, while the triple world champion is asked to push his tires. He complies and increases the gap from his pursuers at a frantic pace: almost 2.5 seconds per lap! Romain Grosjean is called back to the pits due to an issue with the air consumption in his engine, a cruel disappointment for the French driver, who can, however, rejoin the race but very far behind.

At the 38th lap, the peloton no longer genuinely attempts overtaking and remains extremely compact, except for Sebastian Vettel, who is lapping much faster than everyone else. The German sets lap record after lap record, flirting with the 1:50 mark per lap, while his opponents do not come close to 1:52. Further back, Romain Grosjean retires as he enters the pits, with visible disappointment in the Lotus camp.

On the 41st lap, Mark Webber and Adrian Sutil pit to change tires, followed by Nico Rosberg. The German completes a rather slow stop in 3.6 seconds, allowing Mark Webber to pass him, taking the virtual second position. Lewis Hamilton then stops, and Red Bull calls in Sebastian Vettel, who had a 30-second lead at that moment.

At the 46th lap, Fernando Alonso is in second position but has not yet stopped, like his pursuers. Several teams seem to want to try a one-stop strategy, such as Ferrari, McLaren, and Sauber. Kimi Räikkönen, in fourth position, will probably also attempt this choice. Esteban Gutierrez is one of the first victims of this choice, losing several positions.

On the 54th lap, Mark Webber finally manages to overtake Nico Hülkenberg, just before Kimi Räikkönen makes a superb overtaking move on Jenson Button, in a very nice duel between world champions. The Finn secures third place on the podium, while Mark Webber overtakes Sergio Perez, rushing to attack Jenson Button, whom he overtakes fairly quickly. The two Mercedes drivers and Felipe Massa are on the attack against the two McLaren drivers, who can’t do much to defend themselves.

At the 59th lap, Felipe Massa positioned himself between the two McLaren drivers, while Jean-Eric Vergne is battling with Esteban Gutierrez. At the front, Sebastian Vettel continues to widen the gap, which stands at 30 seconds. Jenson Button and Sergio Perez are struggling, lapping 10 seconds slower than the leading driver.

On the last lap, Mark Webber was overtaken by both Mercedes drivers after major problems: the Red Bull driver was forced to drive very slowly. But that wasn’t enough, the rear of his car was on fire.

But in the end, it’s Sebastian Vettel who wins with a 32-second lead over Fernando Alonso and 43 seconds over Kimi Räikkönen. The two Mercedes drivers are right behind, bringing valuable points for the constructors’ championship.

2013 Singapore Grand Prix Formula 1 standings: