2019 Singapore GP: Vettel celebrates first win in over a year

    Vettel took advantage of a strategy call to win the race ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen.

    Published On Sep 23, 2019 10:45:00 AM

    4,401 Views

    Heading into the 2019 Singapore GP night race, Ferrari may not have been the clear favourites to take victory, with the twisty confines of the Marina Bay Street Circuit theoretically suiting Mercedes and Red Bull better. However, the Italian team turned up to the race armed with updates and it was a move that paid off as Ferrari ending up securing its first 1-2 finish this year, with Sebastian Vettel winning the race – handing Ferrari its third consecutive win this season – ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc. Vettel took advantage of a strategy call to end his win-less run. His 2019 Singapore GP victory comes well over a year since his last one at the 2018 Belgian GP.

    After a relatively clean start, the initial stages of the race saw the frontrunners essentially holding position, with polesitter Leclerc leading the way, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Vettel, Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas. Verstappen was the first of the frontrunners to pit for fresh tyres, with Ferrari following suit with Vettel to cover him. Unexpectedly, Vettel’s strong outlap on the fresh hard tyres helped him leapfrog his team-mate, as Leclerc re-joined the track behind him after pitting a lap later.

    Hamilton stayed out an additional six laps, and by the time he did take his pit stop, he was down in 4th place; Mercedes even had to instruct Bottas to manage his pace to ensure Hamilton didn’t lose further track position. The field did bunch up a few times as the race saw three safety car periods in quick succession – caused by George Russel and Kimi Raikkonen crashing out in separate incidents, and Sergio Perez stopping on the track.  

    Leclerc was ultimately asked to manage his engine and “bring the car home”, to which the Ferrari driver responded saying: “I won’t do anything stupid, it’s not my goal. I want us to finish 1-2, I just think it’s not fair”. Ultimately Vettel crossed the chequered flag 2.641 seconds ahead of Leclerc, while Verstappen secured the final spot on the podium. Mercedes had to settle for a 4th place finish for Hamilton and 5th place finish for Bottas.

    Alexander Albon ended up finishing 6th, while Lando Norris secured a strong 7th place finish for McLaren. Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg and Antonio Giovinazzi completed the top 10. Giovinazzi did receive a 10-second post-race penalty for driving too close to a recovery crane, but was nevertheless able to retain 10th place.

    Results

    POS

    DRIVER

    CAR

    LAPS

    GAP

    1

    Sebastian Vettel

    Ferrari

    61

    1h58m33.667s

    2

    Charles Leclerc

    Ferrari

    61

    2.641s

    3

    Max Verstappen

    Red Bull/Honda

    61

    3.821s

    4

    Lewis Hamilton

    Mercedes

    61

    4.608s

    5

    Valtteri Bottas

    Mercedes

    61

    6.119s

    6

    Alexander Albon

    Red Bull/Honda

    61

    11.663s

    7

    Lando Norris

    McLaren/Renault

    61

    14.769s

    8

    Pierre Gasly

    Toro Rosso/Honda

    61

    15.547s

    9

    Nico Hulkenberg

    Renault

    61

    16.718s

    10

    Antonio Giovinazzi

    Alfa Romeo/Ferrari

    61

    27.855s

    11

    Romain Grosjean

    Haas/Ferrari

    61

    35.436s

    12

    Carlos Sainz Jr.

    McLaren/Renault

    61

    35.974s

    13

    Lance Stroll

    Racing Point/Mercedes

    61

    36.419s

    14

    Daniel Ricciardo

    Renault

    61

    37.660s

    15

    Daniil Kvyat

    Toro Rosso/Honda

    61

    38.178s

    16

    Robert Kubica

    Williams/Mercedes

    61

    47.024s

    17

    Kevin Magnussen

    Haas/Ferrari

    61

    1m26.522s

    -

    Kimi Raikkonen

    Alfa Romeo/Ferrari

    49

    Collision

    -

    Sergio Perez

    Racing Point/Mercedes

    42

    Oil leak

    -

    George Russell

    Williams/Mercedes

    34

    Collision

     

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