Two Ferrari drivers on the Singapore podium is a real surprise. No Mercedes drivers but a beaming Red Bull driver, Daniel Ricciardo, gives credit to the Scuderia's double success. Will the season be exciting once again?
by B. Fleckenstein
For the third time this season, Sebastian Vettel wins a race for Ferrari. And this time with a sovereignty that he has never managed before. He took pole in qualifying with a lead of up to 1.5 seconds over Mercedes. Even the Silver Arrows' crew was amazed, and Nico Rosberg seemed at a loss when asked by journalists what the problem was.
From the start, everything went smoothly, as if at the push of a button, and the young German managed to pull away from the competition and gain a five-second lead within a short time. But it seemed to be too easy to win a start-finish race like that. There was already a bang on lap 13 due to an accident between Felipe Massa (Williams) and Nico Hülkenberg (Force India). The resulting safety car wiped out the Heppenheim driver's lead and Vettel had to make sure again that no one would put a spoke in his wheel.
He couldn't pull away like that five laps later on the restart but kept Australian Ricciardo at bay. Raikkonen and the Mercedes drivers followed the two. On lap 26, Lewis Hamilton, the current overall leader, was overtaken by teammate Nico Rosberg and Daniil Kwyat, the second Red Bull driver. Six laps later, the Briton had to retire from the race for technical reasons. Just as Felipe Massa (Williams) had to retire two laps earlier and Fernando Alonso (McLaren-Honda) three laps later.
Nothing seemed to stand in the way of Vettel's triumph. When the safety car had to return to the track on lap 38 because a spectator was walking on the track and allegedly taking photos, at least that was Vettel's comment, he drove past this passerby before he climbed over the barrier again and was taken into custody by the police.
Three laps later, the race was reopened and Vettel was not to be stopped and drove towards a safe start-finish victory. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) and Kimi Räikkönen(Ferrari) followed him onto the podium as they had done from the start. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) was content with fourth place and Valteri Bottas was the more consistent Williams driver in fifth. Felipe Nasr took one point for Sauber followed by his teammate Marcus Ericsson.
Results Singapore GP 2015
1st S. Vettel Ferrari
2nd D. Ricciardo Red Bull +1.478 sec.
3rd K.Raikkonen Ferrari +17, 154 sec.
4th N. Rosberg Mercedes +24.720 sec.
5th V. Bottas Williams + 34.204 sec.
6th D. Kwyat Red Bull + 35.508 sec.
7th S. Perez Force India + 50.836 sec.
8th M. Verstappen Toro Rosso + 51.450 sec.
9th C. Sainz Toro Rosso + 52.860 sec.
10th F. Nasr Sauber + 1:30 min.
11th M. Ericsson Sauber + 1:37 min.
12th P. Maldonado Lotus + 1 :37 min.
13th R. Grosjean Lotus + 2 laps
14th A. Rossi Manor-Marussia + 2 laps
15th W. Stevens Manor Marussia + 2 laps
16th J. Button McLaren Honda + 9 laps
17th F. Alonso McLaren Honda + 26 laps
18th L. Hamilton Mercedes + 29 laps
19th F. Massa Williams + 31 laps
20th N. Hülkenberg + 49 laps
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