Sebastian Vettel wins Singapore Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton suffers retirement

The Brit is 41 points ahead of his team-mate Nico Rosberg in the championship after retiring at Marina Bay, where both cars were mysteriously seconds off Sebastian Vettel and Co. But it was no walk in the park for the German as Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo was on his tail throughout.

The second safety vehicle came out after someone was seen walking down the track on the fast Esplanade Drive on the 38th lap, seemingly oblivious to the stark dangers that surrounded him.

There are 150 points still available in the remaining six races, starting in Japan next weekend.

Despite the interference of two safety cars, Vettel was able to weather pressure from Daniel Ricciardo to take the victory. It was also Vettel’s fourth win here in Singapore. I enjoyed it out there but we just didn’t have the pace.

Vettel trails Hamilton by 49 and Raikkonen is 145 adrift with a maximum of 150 available. That put HUlkenberg out of the race immediately and Massa retired later.

In the wake of the hugely disappointing result for World Championship leader in Singapore, Lewis Hamilton has hinted that there is nothing to feel dismayed about the outcome of the race.

“What they do (Mercedes) is really out of our hands, but there is a chance and if we can make the impossible possible, then we might win”.

“I went on the radio and said, “Some guy’s running across the track”.

Sebastian Vettel was not hindered by the incident as he went on to claim his third victory of the season in the race.

Vettel had scorched away at the lights and pulled out a gap of three seconds over Ricciardo on lap one alone.

An Irish former priest ran onto the track during the 2003 British Grand Prix while a disgruntled Mercedes Benz employee invaded the Hockenheim track during the 2001 German Grand Prix. He said: “I don’t have any confidence and I don’t have any information to give me that confidence, but I am hoping it is a one-off”. “I felt like the team was working as hard as they could and these kinds of things just happen, but it was better to retire and save the engine”.

Valtteri Bottas finished fifth behind Rosberg, with Daniil Kvyat next up. Toro Rosso’s other driver Carlos Sainz took ninth and Sauber’s Felipe Nasr rounded out the top ten.

“Looking back though it has been incredible and I can consider myself very lucky that I have been in a position to always have a great team around me and, looking at our current situation, the team is improving and the spirit is very high”.