As it happened: 2011 Singapore - The Race

• 12:00

  Hello everyone and welcome to the Factbyte Factbox for the Singapore Grand Prix! Are you ready?

• 12:00

  The racing begins in an hour so we have sixty minutes of marvellous build up, starting with predictions!

• 12:01

  Do you think Sebastian Vettel will secure the championship this year? Vote on the poll on Sidepodcast: https://sidepodcast.com/post/live-singapore-2011-the-race or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/questions/10150309128038878/?qa_ref=qd

• 12:02

  The exact maths escapes me, but it is something like... Vettel wil be champion if he wins and the others are less than third, with Alonso less than fourth.

• 12:03

  If you missed any of the action from qualifying yesterday, we'll discuss it more but a quick 60 second round up for you: https://sidepodcast.com/news/red-bull-lock-out-front-row-singapore-qualifying

• 12:05

  One of the key things was Kamui Kobayashi's crash, which came after the Sauber driver bounced over the kerbs at the chicane and into the wall.

• 12:05

  We'd also seen trouble on Friday with the kerbs as Free Practice was delayed while loose sections were taken up.

• 12:06

  After qualifying, Pastor Maldonado commented on the kerb situation: "I think that kind of kerbs are not for Formulas, for touring cars or something like that. If you miss the line a bit, you're going to fly like you saw Kobayashi did. I think he took a bit too much at the first kerb... that's why he flew like that. You must be very clean in that kind of corner. Maybe you can lose one tenth but you can't take a risk there, because you will pay."

• 12:08

  Kobayashi was fine after his brief meet with the barriers, and is seen here waving at the crowds on the driver's parade lap, via @OfficialSF1Team.

• 12:08

  Tweet from @TheFifthDriver: One hour left until the start of the Singapore Grand Prix - both drivers v relaxed. It's going to be a long and unpredictable ride!

• 12:11

  Lewis Hamilton suffered a puncture in qualifying yesterday (potentially from the Sauber's crash) and had to settle for fourth place. McLaren asked the FIA for a new set of tyres but have been refused, so they're having to rethink their strategy.

• 12:13

  If you haven't voted on the poll via the live thread or Facebook, we've just created a Google+ option as well: https://plus.google.com/112564622463572350003/posts/68rhzF6oeuv You just plus one your vote.

• 12:14

  A couple of drivers sat out the final session of qualifying yesterday, with more information available here: https://sidepodcast.com/f1-big-picture/super-savers

• 12:14

  Michael Schumacher, Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil all failed to set a time in Q3. Afterwards, Paul said: "For some of the slower teams, we have to use an extra set in Q1 to go through... in order to do that we used another two sets in Q2. There's no point in going out because you're fighting a losing battle."

• 12:16

  Tweet from @InsideFerrari: Everything is ready in our garage. No major repairs needed under the parc fermé regime.

• 12:17

  Circuit Data

  Marina Bay Street Circuit
  Local timezone	+0800 GMT
  First race	2008
  Number of laps	61
  Circuit length	5.073km
  Race distance	309.316km
  Start offset	0.137km

• 12:20

  If you want a fancypants commenting solution, I recommend the Sidepodcast dashboard - tweets, comments, and the Factbyte Factbox all in one place and no need to refresh: https://sidepodcast.com/dashboard

• 12:20

  Sebastian Vettel secured his 11th pole position of the year yesterday. He's well on his way to the pole position record, which I think is 14 in one season.

• 12:21

  Tweet from @InsideFerrari: Pit lane speed limit here is 60 kph, not the usual 100 kph, so the time lost during the pit-stops will be higher.

• 12:26

  Interview with Paul di Resta: "I think given the circumstances on Friday... we got both cars into Q3, I was a little bit behind Adrian, a small mistake. I think the simulator helps... all we can really reference our performance on is the other chassis and tyre wear. The degradation, I'm not sure how it's going to be. All we can do is go with an aggressive strategy that will hopefully keep us in front of the Saubers. This is madly tough, you sweat a lot, you're going to lose a lot of liquid, to the point where I think we're going to have to weigh before the race! When you're fighting midpack, it's a fight all the way to the end."

• 12:27

  Interview with Kamui Kobayashi: "This is not really my favourite corner, definitely not nice for F1 as well, because it's a bit too high. Today I'm quite confident. This track, with DRS system, we have a lot of overtaking chances as well. It's quite a long race, there's going to be a lot of chances for myself. I hope to make a great race here."

• 12:28

  2011 Race Wins

  Pos	Driver	Total
  1	Sebastian Vettel	8
  2	Lewis Hamilton	2
  3	Jenson Button	2
  4	Fernando Alonso	1

• 12:30

  Bernd Maylander prepares for the long Singapore GP, via @easonF1. There's quite a high chance of the Safety Car appearing, with the average per race standing at 1.7.

• 12:31

  Lap Data

  (data from Williams F1)
  Fuel consumption	2.6kg/lap
  Fuel laptime penalty	0.3s/10kg
  Top speed	302kph
  Average speed	172kph
  Pit lane loss	30s
  Pit lane length	404m

• 12:32

  Tweet from @eddstrawF1: Ambient temperature is 30 degrees. Around 10 warmer in the garages. And the mechanics involved in the stops are wearing overalls. Tough job.

• 12:34

  The pit lane is open now, drivers are being strapped into the cars, engines are being fired up.

• 12:39

  Braking Analysis

  Turn 1
  (forecast data from Brembo)
  Initial speed	294km/h
  Final speed	147km/h
  Stopping distance	89m
  Braking time	1.53s
  Maximum deceleration	4.25g
  Maximum pedal load	104kg

• 12:41

  Interview with Lewis Hamilton: "It's supposed to be a two-stop, but the wear life is not a problem. They can go for a long time, the tyres, but it's the temperatures. Fingers crossed my tyres will last."

• 12:42

  Interview with Vijay Mallya: "We were very happy that both cars made it into Q3. Hopefully, we will have a double points finish today."

• 12:44

  Interview with Sebastian Vettel: "It's a long race, it's one of the toughest all year. The challenge is big round here. It's hot, we sweat a lot.

  "I think everyone is in the same boat, depending on how big your fuel tank is, I think we should be fine. If the safety car comes out, it helps all of us.

  "I think the most important thing for us is to keep our heads cool and try to do our race and try to get our best result. Depending on what the others do."

• 12:45

  Interview with Norbert Haug of Mercedes: "I think the six cars ahead of us are normally stronger, quicker. But we'll see, a lot of things can happen here. We need to make sure that we are there."

• 12:46

  Tweet from @InsideFerrari: Weather situation is very stable: hot and sticky, no rain expected for the moment.

• 12:47

  Interview with Jenson Button: "It is very tough round here. There's a two hour limit on the race, so it won't go longer than that. It's tough but this is what we train for, I suppose. It looks like we're damaging rear tyres quite a lot, we've got to hope it's different today.

  "I need to get in front of Mark on the start. It's going to be an interesting turn one."

• 12:48

  We've closed the polls, and on the live thread 52% say the championship will go on to Japan. On Facebook, it's 7-1 for Japan and on G+ it's 6-1 for the same.

• 12:50

  If you're struggling to tell one piece of track from another, we learnt yesterday that they've painted the walls a different colour in each sector. 1st sector = blue. 2nd sector = green. 3rd sector = orangey/yellow.

• 12:50

  Some links for you. You might fancy some live timing: http://www.formula1.com/live_timing/live_timing.html

• 12:51

  Autosport's live text is here: http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/404 with the BBC's effort here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9599413.stm

• 12:52

  Interview with Ross Brawn: "It's a little bit cooler, not sure what difference that will make. It's really the abrasiveness of the surface here, it gets the surface of the tyre really hot more from the wear and the rubbing, more than the temperature itself."

• 12:53

  McLaren and Mercedes offer up some live data as the action unfolds. McLaren's here: http://www.mclaren.com/formula1 and Mercedes http://www.mercedes-gp.com/

• 12:53

  We've got just the one DRS zone this week, after the FIA trialled a double DRS zone in Monza.

• 12:54

  It's also worth noting that the tyre compounds on offer today are the softs (yellow sidewalls) and supersofts (red sidewalls).

• 12:56

  Tweet from @matcoch: Fernando Alonso a late arriver on the grid. Arrived just as it's being cleared. #SingaporeGP #F1

• 12:57

  

  31°C

  Track	34°C
  Humidity	62%
  Wind speed	1.8mps

• 12:59

  Di Resta is the only guy on soft tyres out of the top twelve, everyone else on the supersofts.

• 13:00

  They're away on the formation lap.

• 13:02

  The cars are very shiny under the lights, and they wind their way past the Fullerton Hotel on the formation lap.

• 13:02

  Team radio to Webber: "When you get there, bite point, and three and a half burnouts."

• 13:03

  Vettel backs the pack up considerably as they round the final corner and now they line up on the grid.

• 13:03

  Race started.

• 13:04 Lap 1

  Everybody off the grid cleanly, but Jenson Button is up into second, just as he wanted.

• 13:04 Lap 1

  Vettel retained his lead, Webber fell backwards behind Alonso. Lewis Hamilton has also dropped considerably.

• 13:04 Lap 1

  Hamilton has dropped down to 7th, Rosberg ahead of him and Schumacher behind.

• 13:05 Lap 1

  Yellow flag

• 13:05 Lap 1

  Schumacher is ahead of Hamilton, so Lewis has dropped back to 8th, just ahead of two Force Indias.

• 13:05 Lap 1

  Track is clear.

• 13:06 Lap 2

  Team radio to Rosberg: "Everything's okay with cutting the corner, so just concentrate on the race."

• 13:06 Lap 2

  The front wing has come off Ricciardo's car, he's travelling very slowly at the back of the field trying to get back to the pit lane.

• 13:06 Lap 2

  Comment from Lukeh: medical car to overtake the HRT!

• 13:07 Lap 2

  Lewis Hamilton is now looking a bit more feisty, but is tucked up behind Michael Schumacher again. This is very familiar!

• 13:08 Lap 2

  Replays show that Nico Rosberg was pushed wide at the start, hence the radio message about cutting the corner.

• 13:08 Lap 2

  It's strange what happened to Hamilton, he shot forward with a really good start, but got stuck behind Webber with nowhere to go and heaps of cars flooded past him.

• 13:09 Lap 3

  Vettel has already made an enormous lead.

  Gap Analysis

  Pos	Driver	Gap
  1st	VET	1:55.464
  2nd	BUT	+3.5
  3rd	ALO	+4.1
  4th	WEB	+5.8

• 13:09 Lap 4

  DRS is now enabled.

• 13:10 Lap 4

  With his first use of DRS, Hamilton passes Schumacher after the Mercedes got a bad exit from the corner.

• 13:12 Lap 5

  Team radio to Webber: "Massa is using all of his KERS to get within DRS distance of you, Mark."

• 13:12 Lap 5

  Further down the order, Jarno Trulli has managed to improve to 17th place, and currently sits behind Kobayashi. Kovalainen is tucked up behind Petrov, battling for 19th place.

• 13:13 Lap 6

  Hamilton makes a similar move on Nico Rosberg, and is now up to 6th. He'll be after Felipe Massa next.

• 13:15 Lap 7

  Driver Positions

  Pos		Driver
  1	0	Sebastian Vettel
  2	1	Jenson Button
  3	2	Fernando Alonso
  4	-2	Mark Webber
  5	1	Felipe Massa
  6	-2	Lewis Hamilton
  7	0	Nico Rosberg
  8	0	Michael Schumacher
  9	0	Adrian Sutil
  10	0	Paul di Resta

• 13:17 Lap 7

  Daniel Ricciardo is one lap down, having pitted for a new front wing and tyres.

• 13:18 Lap 8

  The closest battle is down with Jaime Alguersuari in 18th, with Vitaly Petrov just half a second behind him.

• 13:18 Lap 8

  Tweet from @InsideFerrari: Vettel is flying away. All the other top 5 are on the pace of 1.55, Then Mercedeses on 1.57

• 13:19 Lap 9

  TedNews: The strategy from McLaren for Hamilton is to get right up behind Massa and then try and get the undercut - change to a set of tyres earlier. They do need to make sure Massa is also on a two-stop, otherwise they won't be able to use the undercut.

• 13:19 Lap 9

  Paul di Resta, on the soft tyres, is putting in good lap times compared with his teammate on the other compound.

• 13:20 Lap 9

  Recent Lap Times

  S Vettel
  Lap 2	1:55.464
  Lap 3	1:54.935
  Lap 4	1:54.261
  Lap 5	1:53.910
  Lap 6	1:54.295
  Lap 7	1:54.243
  Lap 8	1:54.205

• 13:20 Lap 9

  Tweet from @PhilDuncanF1: Vettel already 10 seconds ahead, but with Button in P2, he won't win the title today #asitstands #F1 #SingaporeGP

• 13:21 Lap 10

  Rosberg comes into the pitlane.

• 13:22 Lap 10

  Mercedes bring their driver in early, the first of the front runners to pit, they're likely looking at a three stop strategy.

• 13:22 Lap 10

  Tweet from @HRTF1Team: Daniel was struggling to catch a rhythm because of the blue flags but after 6 laps he's clocked the same time as his teammate

• 13:23 Lap 11

  Mark Webber hunts down Fernando Alonso, closes up beside the Ferrari but misses it. However, he doesn't give up, and passes through 15 and 16. Webber up to 3rd.

• 13:23 Lap 11

  Fernando Alonso pits straight away.

• 13:23 Lap 11

  He's bolting on the yellow sidewalls, the soft tyre which is the harder compound. If you can follow that.

• 13:24 Lap 11

  Schumacher and Senna have also pitted.

• 13:24 Lap 11

  Timo Glock has pulled off track, and sits in the escape road - his race clearly over in unspectacular fashion.

• 13:25 Lap 12

  Replays show Glock spun going into the tunnel, which must have damaged the car.

• 13:25 Lap 12

  Massa and Hamilton both come into the pits at the same time, and they come out the same way they went in.

• 13:25 Lap 12

  Yellow flag

• 13:26 Lap 12

  Track is clear.

• 13:26 Lap 13

  Lewis Hamilton hustles Massa for position, and bashes into the back of the Ferrari. He's lost half his front wing, and Massa is wobbling along as well.

• 13:27 Lap 13

  Yellow flag.

• 13:27 Lap 13

  Right rear puncture for Massa.

• 13:27 Lap 13

  Mark Webber has pitted and come back out on track, he's put on the soft tyres too.

• 13:28 Lap 13

  A mega pitstop from Ferrari was all for nothing:

  Pit Stop Analysis

  Driver	F Massa
  Team	Ferrari
  Pit lane	30.1s
  Stopped	2.9s

• 13:29 Lap 14

  Felipe Massa has pitted to put on new tyres, Lewis Hamilton is still out and about with half a front wing.

• 13:29 Lap 14

  Race Control: Incident involving Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa under investigation by the stewards.

• 13:30 Lap 14

  Hamilton finally pits this time, the McLaren crew ready with a new front wing and soft tyres.

• 13:30 Lap 14

  Massa's tyre damage.

• 13:30 Lap 14

  I'm assuming the yellow flags are for the debris from their collision, but I can't see why it's taking so long to clear.

• 13:31 Lap 15

  Sebastian Vettel pits from the lead, having increased his gap to 11.5 seconds. Button also pits from 2nd.

• 13:31 Lap 15

  Massa is down in 20th place now.

• 13:31 Lap 15

  Jarno Trulli is up to 12th, with Alguersuari and Petrov behind him.

• 13:31 Lap 15

  Track is clear.

• 13:32 Lap 15

  Paul di Resta and Sergio Pérez are up in 3rd and 4th, but both have yet to stop for the first time.

• 13:32 Lap 15

  A controlled stop for the race leader:

  Pit Stop Analysis

  Driver	S Vettel
  Team	Red Bull
  Pit lane	23.9s
  Stopped	3.2s

• 13:33 Lap 15

  Race Control: Drive through for Lewis Hamilton - causing a collision.

• 13:33 Lap 16

  Pérez makes his first pit stop.

• 13:34 Lap 16

  Whilst that fun and games was happening, we missed Michael Schumacher passing Kobayashi for 8th. Adrian Sutil also came through dropping the Sauber to 10th.

• 13:35 Lap 17

  Both Williams drivers have passed Vitaly Petrov - the Renault drivers are really struggling this weekend.

• 13:36 Lap 17

  Jarno Trulli and Vitaly Petrov have both pitted now, their first stop.

• 13:36 Lap 17

  A replay shows Nico Rosberg bouncing heavily over the kerbs, with little bits of carbon fibre flying off the car.

• 13:37 Lap 18

  Lewis Hamilton has taken his drive through penalty now and is down in 19th, behind Kovalainen, who in turn is behind Massa.

• 13:37 Lap 18

  Paul di Resta is the only driver in the top ten who has yet to stop, he's up in third place.

• 13:39 Lap 19

  Fernando Alonso is closing up behind the Force India, and possibly losing a bit of time behind Di Resta. He'll be hoping Paul will take his first pit stop soon.

• 13:39 Lap 19

  Jaime Alguersuari has now pitted, meaning Di Resta is the only driver who has yet to stop - if you don't count the retired Glock.

• 13:39 Lap 19

  He was the only one to start on the soft tyre, which is presumably what has made the difference. But how it will pan out later?

• 13:40 Lap 19

  Fernando Alonso makes the pass on Di Resta, who gifted it to him, realising his fight was not with the Ferrari.

• 13:40 Lap 19

  Mark Webber is now close up behind Di Resta, whilst Alonso scampers away from the battle.

• 13:41 Lap 20

  Tweet from @OfficialLRGP: Bruno had to stop again to have his front wing replaced

• 13:41 Lap 20

  That explains why Senna is down in 22nd, with only Daniel Ricciardo behind him.

• 13:41 Lap 20

  Paul di Resta finally makes his first stop. Supersoft tyres going on the Force India.

• 13:43 Lap 21

  Driver Positions

  Pos		Driver
  1	0	Sebastian Vettel
  2	1	Jenson Button
  3	2	Fernando Alonso
  4	-2	Mark Webber
  5	2	Nico Rosberg
  6	2	Michael Schumacher
  7	2	Adrian Sutil
  8	2	Paul di Resta
  9	2	Sergio Pérez
  10	3	Pastor Maldonado

• 13:45 Lap 21

  Team radio to Hamilton: "Please give me some info with what I'm doing. What am I racing for? How fast am I going?"

  "We are definitely racing for points, absolutely, definitely. There will be safety cars in this race. The cars ahead are coming back towards us now. The way to get ahead is to make these tyres last."

• 13:45 Lap 22

  Last man to pit for the first time:

  Pit Stop Analysis

  Driver	Paul di Resta
  Team	Force India
  Pit lane	30.704s
  Stopped	3.8s

• 13:45 Lap 22

  Tweet from @MarussiaVirgin: Timo confirms it 'was' impact from RIC that ended his race: "It destroyed the rear tyre & steering wheel wasn't straight. Car undriveable"

• 13:45 Lap 22

  One to Watch

  Alonso	vs.	Webber
  3rd	+1.0s	4th

• 13:46 Lap 22

  Tweet from @MyTeamLotus: Such bad luck!! Puncture for Jarno forces him back into the pits

• 13:47 Lap 23

  Nico Rosberg pits from 6th place - starting the second round of pitstops early.

• 13:49 Lap 24

  Massa and Hamilton are up to 12th and 13th respectively. The gap between the two is less than a second, so the Ferrari driver may be getting a bit nervous again.

• 13:50 Lap 25

  Fernando Alonso makes a bit of a mistake through the chicane, either his tyres are going off, or he's under pressure from Webber close behind.

• 13:50 Lap 25

  Or both!

• 13:50 Lap 25

  Sebastian Vettel sets the fastest lap of the race so far - 1:53.101.

• 13:51 Lap 25

  Michael Schumacher pits from 5th place.

• 13:51 Lap 25

  Felipe Massa makes a bit of a mistake round the corner, and Lewis Hamilton took the position - no front wings sacrificed this time.

• 13:52 Lap 26

  Massa pits after the overtake, whilst Hamilton closes up behind Barrichello for 11th.

• 13:52 Lap 26

  The Ferrari mechanics remained in the pitlane for Fernando Alonso, who pits now.

• 13:53 Lap 26

  Alonso's laptimes leading up to his second stop:

  Recent Lap Times

  F Alonso
  Lap 16	1:54.759
  Lap 17	1:55.626
  Lap 18	1:57.653
  Lap 19	1:55.056
  Lap 20	1:54.858
  Lap 21	1:55.444
  Lap 22	1:55.416
  Lap 23	1:54.740
  Lap 24	1:55.088

• 13:54 Lap 27

  Team radio from Button: "I've been stuck behind Alguersuari for a lap now and he hasn't got blue flags."

• 13:55 Lap 27

  Tweet from @MikeGascoyne: Drive through for Alguersuari, good decision but still ruins jarnos race

• 13:56 Lap 28

  That's as official as it gets, I'm afraid, because Race Control don't appear to want to put up any messages on screen.

• 13:56 Lap 28

  Paul di Resta has made it past his teammate Sutil for 5th place.

• 13:57 Lap 28

  Felipe Massa takes his turn with the fastest lap - 1:52.550.

• 13:57 Lap 28

  Vettel has extended his lead to just over 20 seconds now. Amazing.

• 13:58 Lap 29

  Top Speeds

  Sector 1	Hamilton	302kph
  Sector 2	Massa	266kph
  Sector 3	Schumacher	237kph
  Speed trap	Kobayashi	280kph

• 13:59 Lap 30

  Nico Rosberg found himself ahead of Pérez, but made a mistake and allowed the Sauber driver back alongside him. He wasn't giving an inch though, and pushed Pérez wide, so that he lost out.

• 14:00 Lap 30

  Michael Schumacher hit the back of Pérez and flew up into the air!

• 14:00 Lap 30

  Safety car deployed.

• 14:00 Lap 30

  Schumacher is climbing out of the car, he's fine.

• 14:00 Lap 30

  Mark Webber pits.

• 14:01 Lap 30

  Lots and lots of drivers have also pitted. Both Force Indias, Pérez, Rosberg, D'Ambrosio, Senna and Ricciardo.

• 14:02 Lap 30

  Lewis Hamilton comes in as well. The order is very messed up.

• 14:02 Lap 30

  Schumacher hits Pérez.

• 14:02 Lap 31

  Sebastian Vettel pits from the lead, with Jenson Button following him in from second.

• 14:03 Lap 31

  Schumacher gets some air and causes some sparks.

• 14:03 Lap 31

  The marshals are guiding the Mercedes off track, dangling from the tractor.

• 14:04 Lap 31

  There's just some big bits of debris left on track, as the Safety Car guides the cars round.

• 14:04 Lap 31

  The marshals are running to retrieve the carbon fibre, and they've got the brooms out again.

• 14:05 Lap 32

  We're halfway through the race now, and just over an hour through the allotted duration.

• 14:09 Lap 33

  Safety car in this lap.

• 14:10 Lap 33

  Track is clear.

  Driver Positions

  Pos		Driver	Stops
  1	0	S Vettel	2
  2	1	J Button	2
  3	2	F Alonso	2
  4	-2	M Webber	2
  5	5	P Di Resta	2
  6	1	N Rosberg	3
  7	2	A Sutil	2
  8	3	S Pérez	3
  9	-5	L Hamilton	4
  10	3	P Maldonado	2

• 14:10 Lap 33

  Track is clear.

• 14:11 Lap 34

  Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso were weaving their way through traffic, and Webber managed to sneak out alongside and ahead of Alonso, as though the Ferrari driver was asleep!

• 14:12 Lap 35

  Replays show that Mark Webber just left it a lot later on the brakes, with Alonso clearly not expecting a move from the Red Bull.

• 14:13 Lap 35

  Sebastian Vettel is galloping off into the distance again. Almost nine seconds already.

• 14:13 Lap 35

  Hamilton has closed up behind Sutil, with the Force India keeping hold of the 7th place position for now.

• 14:14 Lap 35

  There's a great snake of cars battling for 5th back down to 8th, all winding their way around the circuit.

• 14:15 Lap 36

  The gap between Sutil and Hamilton is a bit wider now, as they passed traffic and found an HRT between them.

• 14:16 Lap 37

  Two laps after the Safety Car, Vettel sets the fastest lap of the race.

  Gap Analysis

  Pos	Driver	Gap
  1st	VET	1:50.992
  2nd	BUT	+10.0
  3rd	WEB	+15.8
  4th	ALO	+17.4

• 14:16 Lap 37

  He gets some radio informing he may go to the end of the race on this set of tyres.

• 14:17 Lap 37

  DRS is now enabled once more.

• 14:17 Lap 37

  Lewis Hamilton took the position, as the pair navigated their way round Jarno Trulli. Lewis will be chasing down Nico Rosberg next.

• 14:18 Lap 37

  TedNews: Jenson Button's plan is to go to the end of the race, because he's famously easy on his tyres. Red Bull know this and that's why the message went out to Vettel. Button will try and go to the end of the race.

• 14:19 Lap 38

  Race Control: Incident involving Kobayashi under investigation - ignoring blue flags.

• 14:19 Lap 38

  Rosberg has been dispatched already, moving Hamilton up to 6th place. Paul di Resta is next on his agenda.

• 14:21 Lap 39

  Another lap, another car, Hamilton is past Di Resta.

• 14:21 Lap 39

  Tweet from @MarussiaVirgin: Now the pack has closed up a bit there are periods when the pit straight is incredibly quiet. Such a big track.

• 14:22 Lap 40

  Trulli has dropped backwards, but Heikki Kovalainen is up in 15th, and crucially ahead of both Renault drivers.

• 14:22 Lap 40

  Race Control: Drive through penalty for Kobayashi - ignoring blue flags.

• 14:23 Lap 40

  Race Control: Incident involving Rosberg and Pérez under investigation by the stewards.

• 14:23 Lap 41

  That must be the incident that occurred just before the Michael Schumacher crash - where Pérez was pushed wide by Rosberg.

• 14:25 Lap 41

  Inter-Team Battle

  Renault
  Bruno Senna	15th
  Vitaly Petrov	17th

• 14:25 Lap 42

  Kobayashi pits from 14th place.

• 14:26 Lap 42

  Felipe Massa also pits, set to change onto the harder compound - his fourth stop of the race so far.

• 14:26 Lap 42

  Tweet from @clubforce: 20 long laps till the end of the race. Two stoppers will have to really look after their tyres.

• 14:28 Lap 43

  Interview with Michael Schumacher: "I'm fine. I was just about to dive inside because I had good speed, a better exit. The moment I was about to go inside, he lifted off the throttle to get prepared for his braking, which I didn't anticipate so early. A racing incident, I guess."

• 14:30 Lap 44

  Race Control: Incident involving Rosberg and Pérez - no further action.

• 14:30 Lap 44

  Tweet from @autosportlive: Di Resta continues in a strong sixth place, largely untroubled by Rosberg and Sutil behind him. #F1

• 14:32 Lap 45

  Lap Analysis

  Jenson Button on lap 43
  Sector 1	29.8	272kph
  Sector 2	43.3	249kph
  Sector 3	38.4	238kph

• 14:33 Lap 46

  Retirements

  Driver	Reason	Lap
  Michael Schumacher	Accident	30
  Timo Glock	Accident	11

• 14:34 Lap 46

  Team radio to Hamilton: "You're still just catching Alonso, times are very similar at the moment. You're still gapping the cars behind us which we need to do before the pitstops."

• 14:34 Lap 46

  Pastor Maldonado has pitted for the third time this race.

• 14:36 Lap 47

  Tweet from @HRTF1Team: Tonio is setting 1:59's and maintains the gap with Daniel but he might have to come in for a last pit stop

• 14:36 Lap 48

  Schumacher talks to the press after retiring early from the race, via @njuancof1.

• 14:37 Lap 48

  Mark Webber has pitted from third place, and he's put on the supersoft tyres.

• 14:38 Lap 48

  Team radio to Webber: "You've come out behind Hamilton who is on very old options."

• 14:38 Lap 48

  Pit Stop Analysis

  Driver	M Webber
  Team	Red Bull
  Pit lane	30.413s
  Stopped	3.9s

• 14:38 Lap 49

  TedNews: Ferrari thought Webber was going to the end of the race, but are now considering their options. Alonso last pitted on lap 25.

• 14:38 Lap 49

  Jenson Button pits from second, as Lewis Hamilton runs out of grip and lets Mark Webber past easily.

• 14:39 Lap 49

  Button returns to the track in third, as Lewis Hamilton comes in for his stop. The fifth time McLaren have seen Lewis go through the pits!

• 14:39 Lap 49

  Pit Stop Analysis

  Driver	J Button
  Team	McLaren
  Pit lane	30.305s
  Stopped	3.6s

• 14:40 Lap 49

  Sebastian Vettel pits from the lead of the race.

• 14:40 Lap 50

  Pit Stop Analysis

  Driver	L Hamilton
  Team	McLaren
  Pit lane	29.876s
  Stopped	3.6s

• 14:41 Lap 50

  Vettel was meandering back out the pitlane, and Heikki Kovalainen was released straight into his path. They managed to avoid an accident and Vettel rejoined in the lead.

• 14:41 Lap 50

  Pit Stop Analysis

  Driver	S Vettel
  Team	Red Bull
  Pit lane	30.796s
  Stopped	3.7s

• 14:43 Lap 50

  Vettel informed via the radio that they only pitted to cover Button and he is still safely in the lead. The minute McLaren called their driver in, Red Bull knew they didn't need to take a risk with running the tyres too long.

• 14:43 Lap 51

  Alonso is last of the front runners to make their final stop:

  Pit Stop Analysis

  Driver	F Alonso
  Team	Ferrari
  Pit lane	29.972s
  Stopped	3.6s

• 14:44 Lap 51

  Lewis Hamilton is making his way through the field again, he's back up to 7th position with Nico Rosberg ahead of him.

• 14:45 Lap 52

  Jarno Trulli has stopped off track, and climbed from the car. Another retirement for Lotus.

• 14:45 Lap 52

  Vettel sets the fastest lap of the race, a whopping 1:48.688.

• 14:46 Lap 52

  Gap Analysis

  Pos	Driver	Gap
  1st	VET	1:48.688
  2nd	BUT	+12.3
  3rd	WEB	+20.1
  4th	ALO	+38.5
  5th	DIR	+46.5

• 14:46 Lap 52

  Hamilton has passed Nico Rosberg and now chases Paul di Resta for sixth place.

• 14:46 Lap 53

  Tweet from @HRTF1Team: Tonio had a small impact and has to come in again: change of nose and new soft tyres to make it until the end

• 14:47 Lap 53

  Nine laps to go. Fifteen minutes left.

• 14:47 Lap 53

  Tweet from @tonyfernandes: Jarno gearbox failing which we expected but took the risk so as not to get a grid penalty

• 14:48 Lap 54

  Team radio from Hamilton: "I can smell oil."

• 14:49 Lap 54

  He's clearly not worried about the oil, though, easily passing Di Resta for fifth place.

• 14:49 Lap 54

  Race Control: Incident involving Jarno Trulli will be investigated after the race - unsafe release.

• 14:50 Lap 55

  I thought it was Heikki that came out in front of Vettel, but it must have been Trulli.

• 14:50 Lap 55

  Jenson Button sets a new fastest lap of the race - 1:48.454. Wait for Vettel to respond.

• 14:51 Lap 55

  Team radio to Button: "Okay, Jenson, you're the fastest car on the track. Two seconds a lap faster than Vettel."

• 14:51 Lap 55

  Kobayashi pits from 14th place.

• 14:52 Lap 56

  Button is just under nine seconds behind Vettel and his radio is urging him to push and catch the Red Bull. A difficult ask, I think.

• 14:53 Lap 57

  Five laps to go.

• 14:55 Lap 58

  Most Pitstops

  Pos	Driver	Visits
  5	Lewis Hamilton	5
  10	Felipe Massa	4
  15	Kamui Kobayashi	4
  16	Bruno Senna	4
  21	Tonio Liuzzi	4

• 14:56 Lap 58

  Vettel is now going through traffic, with Button closing the gap to 6.5 seconds. Four laps remaining.

• 14:57 Lap 59

  Blue flags waving madly for Vettel, with Button catching up the end of the traffic now.

• 14:58 Lap 59

  Button passes one, but the two Williams drivers are battling each other and getting in the way a little bit.

• 14:58 Lap 59

  Tweet from @InsideFerrari: Felipe is back in the points, having overtaken RUbens

• 14:59 Lap 60

  Two laps to go.

• 14:59 Lap 60

  Yellow flag.

• 15:00 Lap 60

  Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso is buried in the wall, but he hops from the car and over the barriers to safety.

• 15:00 Lap 60

  Replays show he just lost it in the same spot that Glock did.

• 15:01 Lap 61

  Vettel's closed up on more traffic, and holds back as Massa passes Pérez for ninth place.

• 15:02 Lap 61

  The traffic is mad, but Vettel won't be taking any risks on the last lap.

• 15:03

  Sebastian Vettel wins the Singapore Grand Prix!!

• 15:03

  Jenson Button was only 1.7 seconds at the end, after all that traffic. Mark Webber takes third.

• 15:03

  Only six drivers remained on the lead lap by the end of the race.

• 15:04

  Fireworks break out over the circuit as the rest of the pack cross the line to end the race.

• 15:05

  Fireworks over Singapore.

• 15:05

  The championship is almost sewn up then. It will got to Japan, but Button is the only driver who can challenge Vettel.

• 15:06

  Button needs to win every single race to the end of the season, and Vettel can't pick up a single point. Tough ask!

• 15:07

  Driver Positions

  Pos		Driver	Stops
  1	0	S Vettel	3
  2	1	J Button	3
  3	-1	M Webber	3
  4	1	F Alonso	3
  5	-1	L Hamilton	5
  6	4	P di Resta	2
  7	0	N Rosberg	3
  8	1	A Sutil	2
  9	-3	F Massa	4
  10	1	S Pérez	2

• 15:07

  Tweet from @tomcary_tel: Excellent recovery from Hamilton to take fifth after his collision with Massa. Wonder what his mood will be like

• 15:08

  Race Winner

  Driver	Sebastian Vettel
  Team	Red Bull
  Race time	1:59:06.757
  Race distance	309.316km
  Average speed	155.810km/h

• 15:08

  Sebastian Vettel bumps into the number one slot in the winner's circle, and climbs from the car for a hug with Mark Webber.

• 15:09

  The top three look very hot and sweaty as they had to the podium waiting area.

• 15:10

  Vettel wins in Singapore... and realises that he has more than one finger!

• 15:11

  Vettel and Button are practically on top of each other here, but it's a good way of demonstrating how close it was at the end.

  Gap Analysis

  Pos	Driver	Gap
  1st	VET	1:57.895
  2nd	BUT	+1.7
  3rd	WEB	+29.2
  4th	ALO	+55.4
  5th	HAM	+67.7

• 15:11

  They're quiet in the green room, towels and water at the ready. Moments to go before the podium ceremony begins.

• 15:12

  Vettel makes his way to the top step and leaps up. Hats off and the national anthems ring out.

• 15:12

  Retirements

  Driver	Reason	Lap
  Jaime Alguersuari	Spin	60
  Jarno Trulli	Gearbox	52
  Michael Schumacher	Accident	30
  Timo Glock	Accident	11

• 15:14

  Race Battle

  McLaren	Finished Ahead
  Lewis Hamilton	7
  Jenson Button	7

• 15:15

  Vettel wields his trophy, it's a chunky looking thing, and in the background there's plenty of cheering.

• 15:16

  The champagne sprays out, with both Red Bull drivers ganging up on their team representive.

• 15:17

  Championship Standings

  Pos	Driver	Pts
  1	Sebastian Vettel	309
  2	Jenson Button	185
  3	Fernando Alonso	184
  4	Mark Webber	182
  5	Lewis Hamilton	168

• 15:17

  Championship Standings

  Pos	Driver	Pts
  1	Red Bull	491
  2	McLaren	353
  3	Ferrari	268
  4	Mercedes	114
  5	Renault	70

• 15:20

  Interview with Paul di Resta: "Very happy, it was quite a long race. We were looking very strong before the safety car came out... I thought this was going to cause a problem but when we changed onto the prime we could easily manage the pace. It was just a matter of bringing the car home.

  "I think because we were reasonably quite quick after the first pit stops, I wasn't going to compromise my own speed to let them go. Everything seemed to go in order, and when we were in free air we were very strong.

  "I think the big thing is we came here with an upgrade package that enabled us to gain performance. After missing Friday... it's a big credit to the team and we worked very hard this weekend to achieve that."

• 15:21

  Interview with Felipe Massa: "My thought is that again, I told you yesterday, that Lewis can't use his mind. Even in qualifying, so you can imagine in the race. What he did, he could have caused a big accident, and he's paying for that. He doesn't understand, even paying for a problem. I was in the middle, so I had a puncture in my tyres. I was not even lucky with the safety car because I'd stopped for the soft tyre then after six laps the safety came in and I was on the wrong tyres. As I said, it's important that the FIA are looking and analysing him all the time in the car because he's not thinking about it."

• 15:23

  Press Conference Quotes - Sebastian Vettel: "First of all, I'm very pleased with the result. The car was fantastic all teh way through. We could pull away quite easily and make a gap. The safety car came out, it didn't really fit with our plan. Nevertheless I had a good restart. I was a bit lucky with the backmarkers between Button and myself. I was quite happy. Towards the end, with the traffic, it's quite busy round here, there isn't a lot of space. In the end, last lap, I faced five cars, quite a large group. Not that big margin when I crossed the line but I was in control. All in all a fantastic result, I really love the track. I love the challenge. It's the longest race, the car was fantastic. Enginewise everything was great. We were in a comfortable position for most of the race, which is pretty handy round here. The pace was good, and I'm very pleased. For the championship, looks like we have another chance at the next race."

• 15:25

  Press Conference Quotes - Jenson Button: "I can understand that it's difficult to move over here. Most people were fighting out there, but they've got to respect that the cars are lapping them for a reason. There were some frustrating moments in the race. One was with Kobayashi... and the two Williams were fighting between themselves. When it gets to the last lap... they forget that a cars trying to overtake.

  Forgetting that, it was the best we could have done today. I felt I got the most out of the car... but we weren't quick enough to win. A good finish all the same."

• 15:26

  Press Conference Quotes - Mark Webber: "Unfortunately, I found myself having to come back through too often. I can't make the starts I made last year at the moment. We'll look at them and need to improve. It's more risky to come back through and try and regain positions on the track, particularly when the DRS isn't working.

  "Seb fully deserved the victory. Overall, if you come here and say you get a podium, we all want a win, that's what you strive for. It's not the easiest track for me, I don't seem to be superquick round here. I want to thank my guys, they've done a good job for me round here. Well done to JB, good second place for him."

• 15:27

  Press Conference Quotes - Sebastian Vettel: "I had something in my eye, but yea, I really like this track. Especially after last year where it was a tough fight to the end with Fernando, all the way from start to finish last year. This year was great to come back and get the job done, in a way. As we all agree, I think this is one of the toughest challenges this year. The humidity makes us sweat a lot and work hard. It's nice when you cross the line knowing you've done your best and achieved the optimum. A fantastic race from start to finish, good pitstops. In the heat, I think we kept our heads cool. A great day in the office."

• 15:30

  Interview with Fernando Alonso: "The start was good, we recovered some places. At one point we were third, but then Webber overtook us. We knew in normal conditions they should be in front of us. As far as the pace, it's six tenths slower than them. I think fourth was the maximum we could do.

  "We're racing with McLaren some races, and some others with Mercedes. At the moment, either the drivers championship is gone. The constructor's championship is extremely difficult for us to catch. From behind there is no threat, but in front there is very few opportunities to catch. We will try to enjoy, and there will be some test for 2012's car, because with so little testing in February, we'll use the next five races to test next year's car."

• 15:30

  Tweet from @clubforce: Great result. P6 for Paul and P8 for Adrian. 12 Points in total. First double points since Melbourne back in March! Nice work guys!

• 15:35

  That brings to a close a long, hot race in Singapore. Vettel is as good as champion now, but he still has to compete in Japan and pick up that one point over his rivals.

• 15:36

  Tweet from @willbuxton: Ructions in TV scrum. Massa shoved Hamilton mid question. Hamilton was asked if he could see Massa's point. Ham storms off to save exploding

• 15:36

  There's a big battle brewing between Massa and Hamilton, particularly as it was only yesterday that Massa was complaining about Hamilton's driving style, and then it occurs again today.

• 15:36

  It was a bad day in the office for Renault, who finished the race 15th and 17th, with Heikki Kovalainen between them.

• 15:37

  Sauber also seemed to struggle more in the Singapore conditions, with Pérez just picking up points in 10th place, but Kobayashi finishing down in 14th.

• 15:38

  The action moves on to Japan next, race day on the 9th Oct, with Suzuka lining up to host the championship decider. I hope you'll join me back here for all the action.

• 15:38

  Stay tuned to Sidepodcast and F1Minute for all the post-race updates you'll need, and let us know how you thought the race went!

• 15:39

  Speak soon and stay safe, fact fans.