So there we are - thanks for your company. Bye!
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And here’s a report for youse, though do check back for a fuller rendition shortly.
Our top ten:
- Hamilton
- Ricciardo
- Bottas
- Sainz
- Perez
- Palmer
- Vandoorne
- Stroll
- Grosjean
- Ocon
“Get in there Lewis, what an awesome drive, mate.”
“What a great day, awesome work with the strategy, thanks for all your work with me”
Ricciardo is second, then Bottas, then Sainz.
LEWIS HAMILTON WINS THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX, EXTENDING HIS LEAD AT THE TOP OF THE DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP to 28 points
A brilliant performance. He was lucky others made a mess at the start, but like the great that he is, he absolutely exploited the situation. The grandstand stand, here he comes, and the fireworks go! What a win! That’s three in a row since the summer break!
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To go: 0.00 Hamilton crosses the line before the clock runs down, so goes round again...
To go: 1.00 Hamilton is buzzing to victory. The hand will be up presently.
To go: 3.07 At no point since going in front has Hamilton been in trouble. That’s pretty remarkable, given the safety cars situation, all the more so given what looked to be the difference between the cars in qualifying.
To go: 5.05 Bottas is 2.305 behind Ricciardo; he’s not going to deal with that now. Hamilton leads by 4.346.
To go: 6.17 Sainz is holding off Perez for fourth - if he can close it out, that’ll be his best ever finish, and Toro Rosso’s best on this circuit.
To go: 7.26 I say this advisedly, but I think we’ve pretty much seen what’s what here. The positions now are the positions at the end.
To go: 9.12 Kevin Magnussen is out, so we’ve now got 12 drivers left in the race.
To go: 9.56 Hamilton is cruising; he’ll soon be 28 points clear in the drivers championship.
To go: 10.51
Duran Duran on the Padang stage right now. Wild Boys! #SingaporeGP #F1NightRace #DuranDuran pic.twitter.com/ad5BNGJH0W
— F1Destinations (@F1destinations) September 17, 2017
To go: 13.35 It’s beginning to look like Hulkenberg is done; and done he is indeed, in the pit for good. That elusive first podium still eludes him.
To go: 14.38 Hamilton leads by 2.773. In all the fuss, it shouldn’t be forgotten what a great drive this is from him.
To go: 16.07
Vettel: Not ideal is it. I didn’t see that much. I saw Max & then next thing I see is Kimi hitting the side of me and Max somewhere there.
— Sebastian Vettel #5 (@sebvettelnews) September 17, 2017
Vettel: It’s how this business is. It doesn’t change much and we can’t show the pace that we have. I’m sure there will be more opportunities
— Sebastian Vettel #5 (@sebvettelnews) September 17, 2017
To go: 18.48 Turns out Hamilton was ordered to take his foot off the gas to back the field up into Ricciardo and not give anyone a free stop if the safety car came back out, but Hamilton didn’t like it, said it wasn’t “comfortable”, so it back to putting it in.
To go: 19.56 Hamilton is stretching again, and Ricciardo is actually now closer to Bottas. It’s 2.251 between 1 and 2.
To go: 20.41 As I was saying! Hamilton’s gap has basically gone on that last lap! Was it a single error, or does he have a problem?
To go: 21.56 Surely this is now over, unless Hamilton has an accident. No number of safety cars will let Ricciardo catch him.
To go: 23.23 Hamilton is still going away. He’s so comfortable in the car and looks so different to practice. I think we might call that genius.
Updated
To go: 24.21 I should say, we’re now on counting down to the finish, rather than up.
To go: 24.47 Hamilton is putting it in here, now 2.179 ahead.
Lap 42/61 Off they go again, and Hamilton is increasing his lead again as they zig-zag to get heat into their tyres! The lead is 1.006....
Lap 41/61 The circuit’s nice and dry now, and Red Bull say they’ve noticed a few issues, as well as conceding that Hamilton looks capable of managing even the restricted gap.
Lap 40/61 Verstappen says that he got away better than Vettel, who he thinks didn’t see Raikkonen. “I couldn’t get out of that sandwich,” he says, after chiding Vettel.
Lap 39/61 Hulkenberg is back out and in 10th. Behind Hamilton, it’s Ricciardo, Bottas, Sainz, Perez, Palmer, Vandoorne.
Lap 39/61 Hulkenberg has a pressure issue and is in the pits. His first podium is diddled, basically.
Lap 38/61 Ericsson has driven into the wall and the safety car is out! Now we’re’ talking! Hamilton stays out, but his lead is his lead no longer!
Lap 38/61 Hamilton’s lead is now at 10.339. Raikkonen says there was nothing he could’ve done about the crash, and the conditions were not to blame.
Lap 37/61 “You’re just a passenger in the car,” says Alonso of his demise. He also reckons he was taking out Hamilton, so might well be in the lead now. Or not, obviously.
Lap 36/61 Just when it looks like Ricciardo is making some kind of impression, Hamilton puts in his fastest lap. Meanwhile, Sainz’s team tell him about a potential battery issue; he tells them to “shut up”.
Lap 34/61 Hamilton’s lead is up to 9.343 seconds. Ricciardo, Bottas, Hulkenberg, Sainz and Perez come next. Those last two are battling hard for the ascendancy.
Lap 33/61 Ricciardo sets the fastest lap, 0.2 faster than Hamilton. Famine for thought for the race leader.
Lap 32/61 Perez, in sixth, has a shy at Sainz, but Sainz finds the grip and shuts him out.
Lap 31/61 So the pits are did and Hamilton is 8.666 ahead. It’s hard to see how Ricciardo closes that up, let alone how he gets past thereafter. If he stays safe, he’ll win.
Lap 30/61 Vandoorne has a shy as Palmer, takes him on the inside, and Palmer shuts the do!
Lap 30/61 Hamilton comes in, the stop is a bazzer, slicks are applied, and back out he comes into the lead. Ricciardo is back into second, Palmer stops. Bottas is third, then Hulkenberg, Sainz, Perez, Palmer and Vandoorne.
Lap 29/61 A rash of stopping. Sainz is on supersoft now, but the rest are all on slicks. Palmer is second now, Ricciardo third, then Bottas, Hulkenberg and Sainz.
Updated
Lap 29/61 Hamilton is lapping six seconds faster then Magnussen on his new tyres, and Ricciardo pits! Will that help? Will it encourage Hamilton to pit?
Lap 28/61 “Track’s still greasy, these tyres still doing good,” Hamilton tells his team. I believe him.
Lap 27/61 Surely Ricciardo will have to take the tyre gamble, because he’s just making no impression. Or perhaps he’ll consider second a decent evening’s work and be done.
Updated
Lap 26/61 Still Hamilton goes away. Massa comes in, and is now in 14th. Magnussen, 16th, is quicker than Grossjean his team-mate, but slower than Hamilton.
Lap 25/61 No one is prepared to go to slicks yet and there goes Hamilton again, extending his lead to 6.438! What a lap he’s just driven! Magnussen bites the bullet, nipping in to change to slicks.
Lap 24/61 This really is impressive stuff from Hamilton. He doesn’t have the fastest car, he isn’t on the freshest tyres, and he’s still driving away from the field. The lack of further rain makes you think he’ll squanty this right down.
Lap 23/61 “No more rain expected,” we hear on someone or other’s radio, and Hamilton stretches away a little more. Raikkonen has his sunglasses on; it’s night-time.
Lap 23/61 While Hamilton speeds away from the field, I should note that he’s recently become vegan, to help cut down on pollution. Yes, really.
Lap 22/61 “Wasn’t suggesting I agreed with Ferrari,” emails Peter van Balen. “To the contrary - see this photo/tweet:”
Captions please. pic.twitter.com/AE51FP23jX
— Giedo van der Garde (@GvanderGarde) September 17, 2017
Lap 21/61 Hamilton now leads by 5.05 or so; what is the Honey Badger going to do about it? This could be a pivotal weekend in the season, or at least one on which Hamilton and Vettel will look back when they finish first or second.
Lap 20/61 “Vettel on broadcast seems to be blaming Verstappen,” Beau Dure. “Clearly, Max should’ve simply stopped his car and allowed everyone to pass.”
My exceedingly inexpert eye is blaming Vettel and more or less only Vettel.
Lap 19/61 “Still too wet,” reckons Ricciardo. For everyone, his team don’t correct him.
Lap 19/61 Vettel and Raikkonen have been carpeted to explain their start.
Lap 18/61 Hamilton puts in his fastest lap and tells his team that the track is taking ages to dry - odd given how hot it is. Ok, how hot it apparently is.
Updated
Lap 17/61 Hamilton is 2.708 in front - Ricciardo still can’t make an impression despite his fresh tyres.
Lap 16/69 Excellent from Magnussen, taking out Ocon like nothing happened.
Lap 16/61 Hamilton is still quicker than Ricciardo, putting them in like nobody’s business.
Lap 15/61 Hamilton is driving really well today, much better than in practice, and is extending his lead.
Lap 15/61 Off goes the safety car and off they go again. Hamilton leads Ricciardo by 1.440 seconds.
Lap 14/61 “Ferrari’s blaming Vestappen,” emails Peter van Balen.
VER took #Kimi7 out and then he went to #Seb5 #SingaporeGP
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) September 17, 2017
I’m not sure about that one. Seemed to be Vettel sticking himself in harm’s way to me.
Lap 14/61 So will Hamilton, on worn tyres, be able to hold off Ricciardo on a fresh set?
Lap 14/61 Bottas is now in third, Sainz in fourth.
Lap 13/61 Hamilton now leads Ricciardo by 1.066 - Hulkenberg is sixth.
Lap 12/61 So the field are bunching together again. Vettel says he doesn’t know what happened at the start, and that he moved across to shut out Verstappen.
Lap 12/61 Ricciardo pits to change - he loses a spot but should come out in third - and Hulkenberg slips past.
Lap 11/61 Hamilton is still pulling away, now 5.2 seconds ahead. But look at this! Kvyat takes out Magnussen and then crashes out! Safety car back in business.
Updated
Lap 10 /61 In commentary they’re debating whether anyone will pit to change into slicks, but reckon five to 10 more laps first. And if Hamilton waits until lap 20, he can get to the end without needing another stop.
Lap 9/61 Fernando Alonso has been called in - his car took that hit, by the way on that first turn when all the aggravation happened.
Lap 9/61 “’Vettel was told to stop because he’d lost water pressure’,” tweets Bill Hargreaves. “My father has a similar issue. Quite common when you get older, I hear.”
How old is older? Asking for a friend.
Lap 8/61 Alonso’s car is damaged on it’s left sidepod. “Superficial,” apparently. Ricciardo reckons his lot made the correct tyre choice.
Lap 7/61 Hamilton leads by 4.490, and he’s gone away a little. Ricciardo will still fancy his chances, I shouldn’t wonder, because his car seems more suited to this circuit.
Lap 6/61 Still Hamilton, and it turns out Vettel was told to stop because he’d lost water pressure, not because of the damage to his car. The rain has stopped.
Updated
Lap 4/61 Off we go again! Hamilton zooms away, and there are serious visibility issues for those trailing. In a gush of spritz, Palmer takes out Bottas.
Updated
Lap 4/61 Over the radio, Vettel apologised to his team. I guess his first error was in not starting as well as Raikkonen, then driving overly aggressively looking to remedy it.
Lap 3/61 Anyway, the fight between Hamilton and Ricciardo should be a fun one to enjoy.
Lap 3/61 I guess Vettel didn’t see or anticipate how good Raikkonen’s start was, but he did make a mistake there, driving into what he thought was space that wasn’t space.
Lap 2/61 The track is drying - it’s hot - and it’s not really raining anymore. Hulkenberg is third, then Petez, Bottas and Palmer.
Updated
Lap 2/61 They’re all in the pit lane behind the safety car, as the debris is taken off the track. Hamilton leads, then Ricciardo.
Lap 1 Raikkonen got a great start, Verstappen gave him space, Vettel didn’t see him, came across, shunted him, spun a bit, took another hit, and goodnight!
Lap 1 Vettel is absolutely jiggered, banging into Verstappen, then Raikkonen, and HAMILTON LEADS! The safety car is on and Vettel is out!
Updated
Lap 1 OFF WE GO AND THERE’S BEEN A RIDICULOUS CRASH AND CRASHES!
Updated
They backs cars are just parking on the grid...
No one’s even done any practice starts in the wet, so literally no one has a clue what’s about to happen.
The formation lap is away!
Down to Bottas, sixth on the grid, they’re on intermediate tyres; the rest are on full wets.
Updated
The chaps are in their cars; we’re not far away now.
I guess Vettel might deem it harder - even harder - to overtake him given the wet. But we’re definitely more likely to see a safety car, and of course he’s more likely to make a mistake.
Context: this circuit has never hosted a race in the wet, so we’ve no idea how it’ll affect the actual track nor the driving conditions.
Vettel’s fettle will not be improved with what’s going on here - the rain is now coming down hard.
Please forgive me.
It’s definitely raining again as the anthem eases to a close. Not too heavily, but with some urgency.
Right, the build-up of the build-up is over. Time for the build-up!
Plus, while we were talking, there was lightning and thunder close by
— Andrew Benson (@andrewbensonf1) September 17, 2017
Force India's Bob Fernley says there will "definitely" be some rain in the race. Looks like about 10 mins in https://t.co/bO1qwRwqvs
— Andrew Benson (@andrewbensonf1) September 17, 2017
WEATHER UPDATE
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 17, 2017
Might we see some rain during the #SingaporeGP? 🤔🇸🇬 pic.twitter.com/zgjdDaOC7y
Alain Prost reckons things look good for Red Bull.
Jackie Stewart, resplendent in Super Gran hat, says this is now one of the premier events of the season.
The rain has done some starting and stopping. The grid:
1) Sebastian Vettel — Ferrari — 1:39.491
2) Max Verstappen — Red Bull — +0.323s
3) Daniel Ricciardo — Red Bull — +0.349s
4) Kimi Raikkonen — Ferrari — +0.578s
5) Lewis Hamilton — Mercedes — +0.635s
6) Valtteri Bottas — Mercedes — +1.319s
7) Nico Hulkenberg — Renault — +1.522s
8) Fernando Alonso — McLaren — +1.688s
9) Stoffel Vandoorne — McLaren — +1.907s
10) Carlos Sainz — Toro Rosso — +2.565s
How long before Daniel Ricciardo wins a drivers championship? To my extremely inexpert eye he looks the most exciting to watch and the one with that bit of devil about him.
Bantz, etcetera.
30 MINS TO GO ⏰
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 17, 2017
Some of us are in a hurry to get started#SingaporeGP 🇸🇬 #F1 pic.twitter.com/uzfIhwKnyP
Fernando Alonso says that McLaren knew they had a chance to do well here*, but is non-committal as to whether Verstappen needs to take Vettel at the start.
*there
Updated
It’s raining. Not heavily, but nonetheless.
Preamble
Sebastian Vettel delivered a quite stunning performance to qualify in pole for the most aesthetically rewarding race of the season, breaking the track record in the process; even Lewis Hamilton reckons he’s likely to win here. The current gap at the top of the driver’s championship is three points in Hamilton’s favour - he’s won the last two GPs - but he’ll do well to still be in control three hours from now.
Lights out: 1pm BST
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