Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Philip Duncan

Singapore Grand Prix 2019 results: Sebastian Vettel beats Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc to victory

Sebastian Vettel ended his 22-race losing streak by controversially beating Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc to victory at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The four-time world champion jumped a furious Leclerc in the only round of pit stops to take to the top step of the podium for the first time since last year's Belgian Grand Prix in August.

Max Verstappen finished third for Red Bull with Lewis Hamilton only fourth.

Hamilton had been in contention for victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, but a poor strategy by his Mercedes team ensured the championship leader dropped two places.

Hamilton, however, extends his title lead over team-mate Valtteri Bottas to 65 points with just six rounds remaining. Bottas finished fifth ahead of Red Bull's Alex Albon.

Leclerc, 21, had looked on course to win for a third time in as many appearances after controlling the opening third of the 61-lap race from pole position.

But the race turned on its head when Ferrari stopped Vettel for tyres first. Leclerc came in a lap later, but Vettel had taken advantage of his new rubber to leapfrog his team-mate.

Naturally, the move by Ferrari angered Leclerc. "To be completely honest with you I don't understand the undercut," he moaned over the radio. "We will discuss after the race," Leclerc added.

Over at Mercedes, the world champions decided to keep Hamilton on track as their rivals changed tyres, but the 34-year-old was rapidly losing time on worn rubber.

Hamilton was soon in no-man's land, and when he did eventually stop, six laps later than Leclerc and seven laps later than Vettel, the Briton re-joined the race behind both Ferrari cars and Verstappen, too. Indeed, Hamilton only stayed ahead of Bottas for fourth position after Mercedes ordered the Finn to slow down.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.