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Race highlights - Singapore 2017 - Wet race causes chaos and significant championship swing

Published by Christine

Sparks fly in Singapore
Credit: Steven Tee/LAT

We've not seen a wet race in Singapore until now, but the heavens opened above the Marina Bay track just as the race was about to start. With a mix of intermediate and full wet tyres on the grid, there was only ever going to be chaos into the first corner - and that's just what we got. The first half of the race was fascinating, the second half lost quite a lot of the tension that had been built up, but all in all it feels like this was a crucial point of the 2017 championship campaign.

If you missed any of the action, or want a quick reminder of who retired on which lap, then read on for full coverage of the Singapore Grand Prix as it happened.

As it happened: Singapore 2017 - The race

Event Highlights

  • Lewis Hamilton wins after inheriting lead on the initial lap.
  • First corner crash between Verstappen, Vettel and Räikkönen knocks all three out of the race.
  • Fernando Alonso picks up damage and retires, as Kvyat and Ericsson both cause safety cars.
  • Daniel Ricciardo chases Hamilton but settles for second place, with Bottas third.
  • Jolyon Palmer picked up his first points of the year, with Sainz finishing an epic fourth.
  • 12:30

    Hi F1 friends, how's it going? Are you settling in for the long haul? Because this is Singapore and it can push the two hour mark, with a long lap and slower lap times. Plus, there's rain in the air!

  • 12:30

    TweetTweet from @ChrisMedlandF1: Flashes of lightning on the grid. Could be a few more showers around yet...

  • 12:30

    The pit lane has opened, allowing teams to fire up the engines and get those cars to the grid.

  • 12:31
    Soft
    Supersoft
    Ultrasoft

    On offer today, the softest of the Pirelli compounds, and one-stop races are expected. Although if wet tyres are required than strategies go completely out the window.

  • 12:32
    Circuit Data
    Marina Bay Street Circuit
    Local timezone+08:00 GMT
    First race2008
    Number of laps61
    Circuit length5.065km
    Race distance308.828km
    Start offset0.137km
  • 12:33

    Qualifying yesterday provided some interesting moments, particularly as it became obvious that Red Bull's pace was enduring throughout whilst Mercedes seemed to be off the mark a little. It was Sebastian Vettel that snatched pole though, and the way he screamed his way through the cool down lap suggests he was very excited about it.

  • 12:34
    Starting Grid
    1S VettelFerrari
    2M VerstappenRed Bull
    3D RicciardoRed Bull
    4K RäikkönenFerrari
    5L HamiltonMercedes
    6V BottasMercedes
    7N HülkenbergRenault
    8F AlonsoMcLaren
    9S VandoorneMcLaren
    10C SainzToro Rosso
  • 12:36

    There's a high chance of the safety car making an appearance today, as it often does. We've seen drivers struggling to stay away from those magnetic barriers through all the sessions so far, and the pressure of the race might only make that situation worse.

  • 12:37

    With just three points between Vettel and Hamilton at the top of the championship table, there's every chance that Sebastian could snatch back his lead in the title fight today. Particularly as Mercedes are starting further back on the grid, and overtaking around Singapore is tough.

  • 12:39
    Fastest Session Times
    Free Practice 1D Ricciardo1:42.489
    Free Practice 2D Ricciardo1:40.852
    Free Practice 3M Verstappen1:41.829
    QualifyingS Vettel1:39.491
  • 12:40

    Unlike at the last race, where the starting grid was muddled up by a whole raft of confusing engine related penalties, there's just one driver suffering a grid drop so far today. Marcus Ericsson has a gearbox related five place drop, but he was at the rear of the pack anyway.

  • 12:43

    Sergio Pérez will have a bit of a boost today, it being announced just this morning that he will continue to race for Force India for another season in 2018. That goes with Bottas' contract extension earlier this week, as well as the whole McLaren-Honda-Toro Rosso-Renault-Sainz situation, that I'm sure you heard about.

  • 12:43

    In fact, the only person on the grid who may be feeling less than motivated at the moment is Jolyon Palmer, who is facing unemployment at the end of this season, if not before.

  • 12:44

    TweetTweet from @McLarenF1: Fernando and Stoff arrive on the grid. They head to their starting positions of P8 and P9.

  • 12:44

    Impressive performance from McLaren so far this weekend, regularly featuring in the top ten and earning themselves two very good spots on the grid.

  • 12:44

    TweetTweet from @JennieGow: Hard to tell what the weather’s going to do when its dark - drivers still looking up to the sky in hope of answers…

  • 12:45

    TweetTweet from @HaasF1Team: Rain falling a bit heavier on the grid 15-minutes from the start.

  • 12:48

    Drivers have gathered at the front of the grid to listen to the national anthem.

  • 12:49

    It's raining consistently now, but it's reportedly very warm out as well. The FIA have warned that conditions will mean low grip.

  • 12:50

    This might be our first wet Singapore Grand Prix, just to make the race even more tricky than it already is!

  • 12:51

    TweetTweet from @andrewbensonf1: A real journey into the unknown, this. Has never been rain in the race in Singapore. What's track like? Do the lights create glare? Etc

  • 12:53

    Officially a wet race.

    Intermediate
    Wet
  • 12:53

    Weather icon

    28°C
    Track32°C
    Humidity76%
    Wind speed2.3mps
  • 12:54

    TweetTweet from @pirellisport: About to start @F1NightRace and it’s raining. All those carefully constructed strategies can now be thrown out of the window.

  • 12:58

    Williams had a really difficult qualifying session, with both drivers dropping out in Q1. Massa starts 17th and Stroll 18th, and it's going to be hard work for them to make any progress through the field.

  • 12:59

    The top six drivers are starting on the green intermediates, with Hülkenberg, and the two McLarens following them on full wets. A real mix of strategies there.

  • 12:59

    Behind them it's clear there's no consensus on opinion, with Sainz, Kvyat, Grosjean and stroll on greens, the rest of the field on blue wets.

  • 13:00

    The formation lap gets underway, red rain lights flashing very brightly in the night time as the field pulls away from the grid.

  • 13:01

    Certain parts of the track look really wet but others are barely damp at all - this could be a really tense few opening laps.

  • 13:02

    TweetTweet from @pirellisport: Not an ideal situation for #Seb5, but he’ll have the big advantage of a clear track in front of him with no spray.

  • 13:02

    Team radioTeam radio from Romain Grosjean: "Mate, the visibility is terrible back there."

  • 13:03

    Vettel rounds the final corner and rolls to a stop at the pole position grid slot. The rest of the field line up behind him.

  • 13:03

    Green flagRace started.

  • 13:04 Lap 1

    Verstappen had a really slow start and then Vettel seemed to take out a heap of cars!

  • 13:04 Lap 1

    AccidentAccident between lots of cars!

  • 13:04 Lap 1

    Race controlSafety car deployed.

  • 13:04 Lap 1

    Vettel escaped the initial carnage but then spun a few corners later.

  • 13:05 Lap 1

    Verstappen and Räikkönen are both out, off track and climbing out their cars with a certain amount of rage.

  • 13:05 Lap 1

    So Verstappen's slow start allowed Räikkönen to move alongside, but Vettel squeezed the Red Bull into Kimi, which caused significant damage to both cars.

  • 13:06 Lap 1

    As Kimi and Max flew off track with debris flying everywhere, they also bashed into Fernando Alonso - but the McLaren is still going at the moment.

  • 13:07 Lap 2

    Race controlSafety car through the pit lane.

  • 13:07 Lap 2

    Race controlTurn 1 incident under investigation.

  • 13:08 Lap 2

    Looks like Sebastian Vettel is out of the race as well, he was running last anyway after his own damage.

  • 13:08 Lap 2

    Lewis Hamilton is therefore leading after a great start, with Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg up to a sudden third place!

  • 13:10 Lap 3

    Vettel was actually instructed to stop the car after the pit wall could see significant damage.

  • 13:11 Lap 3

    Team radioTeam radio to Fernando Alonso: "What damage can you see?"

    "From here, not much. My position in the car feels okay, but it was a huge hit. What a start!"

  • 13:13 Lap 4

    The Force India pair have benefited from this chaotic start - Pérez is up to fourth, and Ocon up to eighth.

  • 13:14 Lap 4

    Team radioTeam radio to Lewis Hamilton: "This race is going to be all about getting the car home in one piece."

    "I realise that, Bono. I'll do my best."

  • 13:14 Lap 4

    Race controlTurn 1 incident involving S Vettel, K Räikkönen and M Verstappen will be investigated after the race.

  • 13:15 Lap 4

    The safety car should be coming in this lap.

  • 13:15 Lap 4

    TweetTweet from @TW_UKATX: How on earth is @alo_oficial's car still running? That's a very very strong tub, inversely proportional to its PU

  • 13:15 Lap 4

    TweetTweet from @MercedesAMGF1: We did NOT expect to be leading now! Big commiserations to the Red Bull and Ferrari crews, no one wants to go out like that!

  • 13:16 Lap 5

    Green flagTrack is clear.

  • 13:16 Lap 5

    Jolyon Palmer gets a good restart, making the most of his full wet tyres to sweep past Valtteri Bottas for fifth place. The Mercedes is on the intermediates.

  • 13:17 Lap 5

    Hamilton edges away from Ricciardo in P1, he has the benefit of no spray but of course is the first to discover the condition of the track through each corner.

  • 13:18 Lap 6

    Vandoorne has now closed up behind Bottas, but the McLaren is looking quite squirrelly in these conditions.

  • 13:19 Lap 6

    Carlos Sainz runs wide on his intermediates, it looks like the full wets are the tyres to be on at the moment - but how long will that last for?

  • 13:19 Lap 6

    Ricciardo tells his team that he feels he's on the right tyre, and he's on the intermediates. It's really a fine line right now.

  • 13:21 Lap 7

    Team radioTeam radio from Fernando Alonso: "What do you think?"

    "Fernando, we've lost data from the car so we don't know what's going on. You'll have to manage things yourself, let us know what happens."

  • 13:24 Lap 8
    One to Watch
    E Oconvs.C Sainz
    8th+0.661s9th
  • 13:24 Lap 9

    Early gapper.

    Gap Analysis
    PosDriverGap
    1stHAM2:04.425
    2ndRIC+4.091
    3rdHUL+11.905
    4thPER+16.627
    5thPAL+19.252
  • 13:25 Lap 9

    Fernando Alonso is just drifting backwards through the field, and he gets the call that they will, indeed, be retiring the car. Not a surprise considering the sizeable bump it got on the first lap.

  • 13:27 Lap 10

    Out front, Hamilton is setting fastest lap after fastest lap, but with the track drying up and conditions improving, that's only going to continue to improve as time ticks on.

  • 13:27 Lap 10

    TweetTweet from @McLarenF1: Fernando retires from the #SingaporeGP. He pushed hard but the damage from that first lap incident was just too severe.

  • 13:29 Lap 11

    Right, so, this is the Singapore we are more familiar with. Field spread starting to drift in, waiting for the pit stops to see if there's any drama.

  • 13:29 Lap 11

    BOTH the Toro Rosso drivers tell their pit crew to leave them alone, they're concentrating and need quiet to get the job done.

  • 13:30 Lap 11

    Kvyat puts the silence to good use, hustling his Toro Rosso past the Haas of Kevin Magnussen. He's moved up to 10th place.

  • 13:30 Lap 11

    Except, NO! Kvyat has gone straight on into the barriers!

  • 13:30 Lap 11

    Race controlSafety car deployed.

  • 13:31 Lap 12

    Replays show it was a big hit into the wall, but Kvyat apologises to the team straight away, so he's fine.

  • 13:32 Lap 12

    Ricciardo and Pérez have both come into the pits for geniune stops. Another set of intermediate tyres going on the Red Bull.

  • 13:32 Lap 12

    Several more pit stops taking place, no sign of dry tyres at this stage, but some of the full wet tyres are being exchanged for intermediates.

  • 13:35 Lap 13

    QuoteSebastian Vettel: "I had an average start, moved slightly to the left trying to fend off Max, the next thing I get a bump in the side, I see Kimi's car as well. Then I spun after turn three, but I think there was damage on the car already, then it didn't matter to be honest. The cooler was broken, massively bent, so we had to stop anyway. It's a long race, for sure we are the wrong side of the track, so that doesn't help. We've got races to go, for sure it's bitter, but it's done."

  • 13:35 Lap 13

    Renault have brought both their cars in for pit stops under the safety car but it's badly timed for both. Hülkenberg is down to fifth place, Palmer in seventh.

  • 13:36 Lap 13

    Minor contact between Massa and Vandoorne. Williams are looking to make hay here and prove me absolutely wrong. Earlier I said they wouldn't be able to make progress, but at the moment both cars are in the top ten.

  • 13:37 Lap 14

    TweetTweet from @pirellisport: The two @MercedesAMGF1 cars are the only two among the leaders not to have made a pit stop. Good call or bad call?

  • 13:37 Lap 14

    Hamilton has questioned the decision to stay out to his team. "I'm not sure that was a good idea," he said. But it's too late now.

  • 13:39 Lap 14
    Driver Positions
    PosDriverStops
    14L Hamilton3
    21D Ricciardo4
    33V Bottas3
    46C Sainz3
    52N Hülkenberg4
    66S Pérez4
    74J Palmer4
    810L Stroll3
    90S Vandoorne4
    107F Massa3
  • 13:39 Lap 14

    Hamilton slows the pace down hugely as he prepares for the restart. Ricciardo momentarily passes him but lets the Mercedes back in front again very quickly.

  • 13:40 Lap 14

    Green flagTrack is clear.

  • 13:40 Lap 15

    Decent start for everyone, no major changes or drama on the restart.

  • 13:40 Lap 15

    TweetTweet from @toomuchracing: Restart. Track looks a bit less wet now.

  • 13:41 Lap 15

    The top nine are all on intermediate tyres, and in fact only two drivers have the wets on now. Massa in tenth, Wehrlein in 14th.

  • 13:42 Lap 16

    TweetTweet from @ForceIndiaF1: Checo having a looksy on the inside of HUL. That's a technical term.

  • 13:44 Lap 16

    Romain Grosjean has pushed Felipe Massa out of the top ten, moving past him for the final points position. A heartstopping overtake by the other Haas puts Magnussen ahead of Ocon for 12th.

  • 13:44 Lap 17

    TweetTweet from @pirellisport: Beginnings of a dry line is starting to emerge but it’s going to be a brave man who is going to be first to try the slicks.

  • 13:45 Lap 17

    Kevin Magnussen has now closed up behind Felipe Massa, hoping to follow in his teammates footsteps. He moved to the outside and Massa squeezed him but they avoided carnage.

  • 13:46 Lap 17

    Distracted, Magnussen drifted back into the clutches of Massa, but then remained ahead - though Esteban Ocon took the initiative and moved ahead of the Williams as well. Lots of squeezing happening, with the walls looking closer than ever.

  • 13:47 Lap 18

    StopwatchAnother fastest lap for Hamilton, 2:01.715.

  • 13:47 Lap 18

    Massa comes into the pit lane and it's intermediates that go on the Williams. We're still looking for the first set of dry tyres here, feels like Williams could have taken the gamble there.

  • 13:49 Lap 19

    Just Wehrlein is left on the wet tyres now, he's running in 14th place.

  • 13:49 Lap 19

    Team radioTeam radio from Daniel Ricciardo: "There's some parts which are a bit dry, but the wet parts are still too wet."

  • 13:52 Lap 20

    Hamilton still setting the pace out front, but the gap between the leader and second place Ricciardo is hovering around 4 seconds.

  • 13:54 Lap 21

    Forgive the squeeze but there's a great fight happening for fourth place.

    Gap Analysis
    PosDriverGap
    2ndRIC2:01.543
    3rdBOT+8.692
    4thSAI+19.020
    5thHUL+20.240
    6thPER+21.462
  • 13:54 Lap 22

    TweetTweet from @nigelmansell: Race now settled down,Lewis just doing enough to stay away from Ric.Just important to leave a small margin as track conditions are changing

  • 13:56 Lap 22

    Weather icon

    28°C
    Track30°C
    Humidity77%
    Wind speed2.4mps

    (Just because I didn't get to include the moon earlier.)

  • 13:56 Lap 23

    Pascal Wehrlein has come into the pit lane at last, green intermediate tyres going on the Sauber, so the entire field are on the same rubber at the moment.

  • 13:58 Lap 24

    The track looks pretty dry now, perhaps just a bit damp in the middle sector. Someone is going to have to make the jump to slicks soon, but can understand the reticence. There's no room for errors with barriers lining almost all of the track.

  • 14:01 Lap 25

    Hülkenberg quizzed on the idea of switching to slicks if a Safety Car were to be called. He's not keen at all.

  • 14:02 Lap 25

    Magnussen comes in and Haas bolt a set of dry tyres on. Everyone in the paddock will be watching the lap time from Mags.

  • 14:03 Lap 26

    Massa too gambles on a set of slicks. The second sector will give the first indication of potential lap times.

  • 14:04 Lap 26

    Sector 2 for Magnussen is better than his teammate on the inters. Looks like a sensible gamble at this point.

  • 14:06 Lap 27

    Lance Stroll takes the hint from his teammate and comes in for some slick tyres. Bit of a wobble at the pit exit but he's on his way.

  • 14:07 Lap 28

    Team radioTeam radio from Lewis Hamilton: "Track is still very greasy, but these tyres are still good."

  • 14:07 Lap 28

    Sainz comes in for red supersofts, the other slicks we've seen so far have been ultrasofts.

  • 14:07 Lap 28

    Vandoorne comes in for ultrasofts and it's a slow stop from the McLaren crew. Off he goes.

  • 14:08 Lap 28

    Kevin Magnussen sets the fastest lap of the race so far, the move to slicks was the right one!

  • 14:08 Lap 29

    And in comes Ricciardo. This is key.

  • 14:09 Lap 29
    Pit Stop Analysis
    DriverD Ricciardo
    TeamRed Bull
    Pit lane29.118s
    Stopped2.4s
  • 14:09 Lap 29
    Pit Stop Analysis
    DriverV Bottas
    TeamMercedes
    Pit lane29.089s
    Stopped2.3s
  • 14:09 Lap 29

    Slightly better stop from Mercedes there, but oof, it's close.

  • 14:10 Lap 29

    With those pit stops, we've got Jolyon Palmer running in second place. That won't last long.

  • 14:10 Lap 29

    Hamilton gets the call to come in for his own pit stop.

  • 14:11 Lap 30
    Pit Stop Analysis
    DriverL Hamilton
    TeamMercedes
    Pit lane28.466s
    Stopped2.5s
  • 14:11 Lap 30

    QuoteFernando Alonso, via Instagram: "Today was the day. The first podium for the team was a clear target. The car launch like a rocket and We could be running P2 in the first lap but we found ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong moment after RAI and VES had their contact. Thanks to the team for the superb effort all weekend and hope for better luck in Sepang. Thanks for the support."

  • 14:12 Lap 30

    Palmer dived into the pit lane from second place and rejoined in seventh.

  • 14:13 Lap 31

    Everyone is now on slick tyres, with ultrasofts the choice of the day. Only Sainz on supersofts in fifth place, and Ericsson on softs in 14th place have gone for a different strategy.

  • 14:13 Lap 31

    StopwatchNico Hülkenberg sets the fastest lap of the race so far, 1:53.649 from fourth place.

  • 14:15 Lap 32

    Just over halfway through the race if you're counting by laps, but given the time, it's unlikely we'll go full distance today.

  • 14:16 Lap 33

    Fastest lap is changing hands constantly now. Grosjean held it momentarily, and then Massa snatched it from him. Now Hamilton is back on top out front.

  • 14:17 Lap 33

    Then Ricciardo gets the fastest lap, by the smallest of margins. The track is really coming into its own.

  • 14:19 Lap 34

    TweetTweet from @toomuchracing: Sauber look like they totally screwed up both cars. Wehrlein on wets when it was drying, Ericsson on softs just pitted for ultras

  • 14:19 Lap 34

    Esteban Ocon puts his foot down and powers past Magnussen, who has lost two places in one lap. Ocon moves to 11th place, and has a two second gap to close to the other Haas.

  • 14:22 Lap 36

    If the race finishes like this, which is very likely, then Hamilton will have a comfortable lead over Vettel in the championship. Plenty of races still to go but it's a good buffer for the Mercedes driver.

  • 14:22 Lap 36

    Sainz telling his pit crew to "shut up, please" but they sounded like they were going to tell him something important about the battery. Sometimes they have useful information, Carlos.

  • 14:24 Lap 37

    QuoteFernando Alonso: "Not much aware of what is happening on the inside, you are in the wrong place at the wrong time and you're just a passenger in the car. Nothing you can do. That hit was too much for the car to continue, it's an unfortunate race because I think, even in front of Hamilton in turn one, it was only Vettel, Verstappen and Kimi, so ultimately we could be in P1 now."

  • 14:26 Lap 38

    TweetTweet from @tonydizinno: Hulk finishing fourth in the race he is set to break record for most races w/no podiums would be the most Hulk result ever

  • 14:27 Lap 38

    Ericsson has lost the car, running backwards into the barriers, spinning by himself.

  • 14:27 Lap 38

    Race controlSafety car deployed.

  • 14:28 Lap 38

    QuoteKimi Räikkönen: "I don't think the conditions were anything to blame, I don't think that affected whatsoever the end result, but obviously I don't think I could have done anything to change the end result, apart from doing a bad start and not being there. That's not really my fault. Whatever cause of the accident is, it doesn't change the end result now. Everybody has different views and opinions."

  • 14:28 Lap 39

    Felipe Massa took the opportunity to pit for fresh ultrasoft tyres, and now he's directly behind the safety car, with Hamilton behind.

  • 14:28 Lap 39

    Team radioTeam radio from Lewis Hamilton: "Why another safety car? Surely a VSC would do."

  • 14:29 Lap 39

    Nico Hülkenberg is in the pit lane, there's some significant work going on for that Renault as it waits.

  • 14:30 Lap 39

    Hülkenberg has rejoined the field, but he's down in tenth place now. The irony of his non-podium finishes is lost, so that's something.

  • 14:33 Lap 40

    QuoteMax Verstappen: "I think initially, Sebastian saw I was a little better off the line than him, so he wanted to close me so he drove to the left. Maybe he didn't see Kimi on the left, but what does he expect, I cannot just move out the way? Especially if you are fighting for a world championship, you shouldn't do that. I'm not fighting for a world championship, just a race win.

    "He was just not very clever, he just kept squeezing me. Kimi also started squeezing me. What could I do? I braked but the rear tyres are wider than the front, so I just became a sandwich. It doesn't really hurt, what can you do about it? If I made a mistake myself and you go off, that's a different stroy. I was just trying to have a good start."

  • 14:34 Lap 41

    TweetTweet from @HaasF1Team: Looks like we'll be on a timed race. 30-minutes left until we hit the two-hour max window.

  • 14:35 Lap 41

    And the lap counter has changed to a clock, so it's officially a countdown race.

  • 14:35 Lap 41

    The crane has lifted the Sauber out the way now, so the track is just about cleared.

  • 14:37 Lap 42

    Green flagTrack is clear.

  • 14:38 Lap 42

    Clean restart from everyone, Hamilton already pulling out a gap as best he can. Almost two seconds.

  • 14:40 Lap 43

    Kevin Magnussen runs wide, just misses the barrier, and loses momentum. He's running 13th, but has dropped away from those in front of him.

  • 14:41 Lap 44

    TweetTweet from RenaultSportF1: Jolyon now P6, between Perez and Vandoorne. Nico is P10 with Esteban close just as DRS is enabled! Elbows out Hulki!

  • 14:42 Lap 45

    Hamilton pulled out a four second gap over just a couple of laps, but Ricciardo has picked up his own pace and closed back to 1.7 seconds.

  • 14:43 Lap 45

    Perhaps it was just a mistake for Hamilton, who is increasing the gap once again.

  • 14:45 Lap 46

    Hamilton in deep discussion with the pit wall over strategy. They suggest dropping back a little to keep the field compressed and stop anyone getting a free pit stop if there's another safety car. But Hamilton says he's not comfortable driving off the pace, so they agree he can dictate the pace as he sees fit.

  • 14:46 Lap 47

    Jolyon Palmer is sitting sixth at the moment - if he can get to the end, this will be his first points this season.

  • 14:47 Lap 48

    Team radioTeam radio to Stoffel Vandoorne: "Absolute focus now, let others make mistakes. Hand in the candle."

    He's running seventh, and very well for a McLaren!

  • 14:49 Lap 48

    TweetTweet from @lookingspiffy: Don't put your hand in any candles, kids

  • 14:50 Lap 49

    Hülkenberg is dropping back, and he comes into the pit lane. Looks like a retirement for the Renault.

  • 14:51 Lap 49

    We've only got 13 runners left now, it's been a high attrition race!

  • 14:52 Lap 50

    TweetTweet from @RenaultSportF1: Having to retire Nico. Absolutely gutted. What a drive from our Hulk

  • 14:53 Lap 51

    The stewards have requested the presence of Verstappen, Vettel and Räikkönen to explain what happened at the start.

  • 14:53 Lap 51

    Magnussen is told to "slow down, mgu-k" and he swears his way to a retirement.

  • 14:54 Lap 51

    And then there were 12.

  • 14:54 Lap 51

    Less than ten minutes remaining.

  • 14:58 Lap 51

    Just over five minutes left, nothing major happening on track yet.

  • 14:59 Lap 54

    Team radioTeam radio to Sergio Pérez: "Palmer behind is not under pressure."

    "I don't care about him. I want to put Sainz under pressure on the last lap."

  • 15:01 Lap 55

    Carlos Sainz is doing a great job in fourth place, on a different tyre to everyone else, and showing the Renault crew just what they're getting next season.

  • 15:03 Lap 56

    One minute left on the clock.

  • 15:04 Lap 57

    We've hit zero. Hamilton is cruising out front, Ricciardo closes the gap a little but still well over 4 seconds between the pair. Everyone just holding their breath and hoping for the end.

  • 15:05 Lap 58

    Final lap begins, just three shy of the full race distance.

  • 15:07

    Chequered flagLewis Hamilton wins the Singapore Grand Prix!

  • 15:07

    Fireworks fly as the Mercedes crosses the line, and Ricciardo follows behind. Bottas rounds the final corner for a very quiet and lonely third place.

  • 15:08
    Race Winner
    DriverL Hamilton
    TeamMercedes
    Race time2:03:23.543
    Race distance293.907km
    Average speed142.913km/h
  • 15:09

    Sainz gets his fourth place finish, and Palmer does finally get some points on the board - good job by both.

  • 15:13
    Driver Positions
    PosDriverStops
    14L Hamilton4
    21D Ricciardo5
    33V Bottas4
    46C Sainz4
    57S Pérez5
    65J Palmer5
    72S Vandoorne5
    810L Stroll4
    96R Grosjean4
    104E Ocon6
  • 15:14
    Gap Analysis
    PosDriverGap
    1stHAM1:48.227
    2ndRIC+4.507
    3rdBOT+8.800
    4thSAI+22.822
    5thPER+25.359
  • 15:15

    That was a much better race than I was expecting, although the first half was far better than the second.

  • 15:15

    Incredible carnage on the first lap which robbed us of three of the main players, and it was disappointing to see Alonso go out when he actually had a car that might have worked this time out.

  • 15:16

    It puts the momentum of the championship firmly in Hamilton's favour, but there are still six races to go and everything to play for.

  • 15:16

    Midfield drivers put in stunning drives today to pick up points wherever possible, and with contracts being talked about now, that couldn't have happened at a better time.

  • 15:17

    It will be interesting to see if there's any fallout from what happened today, but we have to wait two weeks until the next race in Malaysia before any more talking can be done on track.

  • 15:17

    Thanks for joining me today, and do pop back here in a fortnight where I'll be covering every lap of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

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