Sebastian Vettel stormed to victory at the Singapore Grand Prix as technical gremlins brought halt t
Formula One was faced with a major security threat on Sunday as a fan wandered onto the side of the road during an action-packed race under the lights in Singapore.
‘There’s a man on the track, there’s a man on the track!’ eventual winner Sebastian Vettel exclaimed on his way to a dominant victory.
Lewis Hamilton’s demise through the heart of Singapore was almost as painful as the authorities were slow to get hold of the situation here. Around an illuminated street circuit supported by 65 miles of electric cables, the world champion lost power altogether.
This was his first retirement of the season, only the second time he has failed to claim victory in his usually all-conquering Mercedes unit.
Hamilton need not worry too much about his lead over Nico Rosberg in the championship, which still stands at an impressive 43 points after his team-mate’s fourth-placed finish, it is the devastating return of Vettel that could give the Brit chills in this hot and humid city-state.
The Ferrari driver, now a four-time winner here, led from start to finish and moves ahead of Ayrton Senna with 42 grand prix victories. That Hamilton was aiming to just match his Brazilian idol’s tally last night, is another kick in the teeth.
Mercedes’ mysterious tyre problems in qualifying saw them start on the third row of the grid and their pace showed no sign of picking up early on. Vettel – wearing a red visor on his helmet to sharpen his eye-sight under the lights – eeked out a three-second lead over Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo on the first lap alone.
Hamilton and Rosberg were 10 seconds behind the former world champion soon after, as Kimi Raikkonen and Daniil Kvyat tried their best to catch up with the leading duo.
As is usually the case through the twists and turns around Marina Bay, there was no shortage of incidents. The safety car has never failed to make an appearance.
Nico Hulkenberg was the first man out, carelessly colliding with Felipe Massa as the Williams driver exited the pits. The Brazilian had nowhere to go, and Hulkenberg duly clattered into the barriers. It was entirely his fault, and he will serve a three-place grid penalty in Japan.
Hamilton meanwhile cannot take the blame for his downfall. He may not have been challenging the leaders but he was far quicker than Rosberg and was on course to extend his lead in the championship.
‘Lost power guys, lost power,’ Hamilton said as cars sped past him. The Mercedes mechanics tried their best to resolve the problem but the 30-year-old accepted defeat after eventually dropping down to 16th, having ambled round for eight laps.
The second safety car period last night was far from due to driver error. In fact, race leader Vettel’s discovery was astonishing.
Amid all the excitement in the glitzy surroundings, a fan had wondered onto the side of the track via Esplanade Drive.
This distraction was unacceptable and could well have ruined a grand prix. A 27-year-old man was later arrested.
McLaren arrived in Asia with merited confidence that both their cars could finish in the points. This low downforce, figure-of-eight track suited their Honda engine, after all.
But both Fernando Alonso and Brit Jenson Button were forced to retire due to gearbox problems.
Overtaking in Singapore last night was almost impossible and Vettel had the look of the man from 2013 once again. Ricciardo finished 3.3seconds behind, with Raikkonen a distant third.
He will just hope his supporters don’t get so close next time.
