F1: Singapore Grand Prix – as it happened
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel led from start to finish to win his fourth Singapore Grand Prix, in which Lewis Hamiton was forced to retire due to a faulty pedal

Live feed
Summary
Sebastian Vettel wins in Singapore for the fourth time to help secure Ferrari’s first double-podium of the season. It wasn’t the most exciting race at the front, with Vettel leading from start to finish, but he showed expert professionalism with dealing with the safety cars as the field bunched. It is so hot, so humid out there, and to maintain that level of concentration makes him a deserving winner.
FINAL PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION#SingaporeGP#F1NightRace#F1pic.twitter.com/EqOCvKZSDS
— Formula 1 (@F1)September 20, 2015
What happened behind him was much more interesting. We had a fan walking on the track whilstLewis Hamilton was one of six casualties, which also numbered Button, Alonso, Hulkenburg, Grosjean and Massa.
Hamilton’s peddle problems mean that Rosberg, finishing in fourth, closes the gap at the top of the drivers’ championship to 41 points. But with today’s win, Vettel is just eight points behind Rosberg in third! It’s hotting up a bit. “Maybe we can make the impossible possible,” says Vettel on the podium.
Honourable mention must go to the Toro Rosso boys, particularly Max Verstappen, who stalled on the grid but came back from a full lap behind the pack to zoom through the field and finish in eighth. Fantastic from the teenager, who defied team orders to pip Sainz to the line.
Thanks for reading. See you next time! Bye!
SEBASTIAN VETTEL WINS THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX!
The German moves ahead of Senna’s total of 41 F1 victories. In nine races less than the late Brazilian, too!

Incredible weekend for Sebastian Vettel.#SingaporeGP victory moves him up to THIRD in all time#F1 race winspic.twitter.com/RrcwYIFJcf
— Formula 1 (@F1)September 20, 2015
Lap 61: Verstappen is being told to swap places with his team-mate Sainz, who had previously let the teenager through. “No!” screams Verstappen down the radio. He doesn’t want give up the place, with Grosjean just ahead of him! Defying team orders!
Lap 60: Grosjean runs wide and Nasr zooms past into 10th. A championship point for Sauber there.
Lap 59: Vettel continuing to lead this race, by about three seconds. Ricciardo is offering no resistance, although he himself is not under threat from Raikkonen.
Lap 58: Four minutes left here, which means we might actually get to a full 61 laps.
Lap 57: Maldonado has moved down to supersoft tyres, after falling to 13th. He’ll be pushing for a fastest lap now that he has a brand new pair of shoes on.
Lap 56: Bottas is experiencing some problems with his gearbox – the radio waves are urging the Finnish driver to exercise some caution. He won’t be catching Rosberg in fourth then, although he has to be wary of Kvyat behind him in sixth.
“A glitch in the box on downshifts,” is the issue.
Lap 55: Check out those Toro Rosso boys in blue.
LAP CHART: See how@ToroRossoSpy cars have fought back to trouble the points#SingaporeGP#F1NightRacepic.twitter.com/RtLsBvRl26
— Formula 1 (@F1)September 20, 2015
Lap 54:We’re into the final stages of this race, and we’ll see how well these prime tyres hold out. Rosberg in currently running in fourth, 6.4seconds ahead of Bottas, so on course for a +12 points this race, which would reduce Hamilton’s lead at the top of the drivers’ championship to 41 points.
Lap 53: Button is forced to retire! An over-heating gearbox is the reason, and McLaren have another double-retirement (after Alonso’s earlier exit). That’s the fourth time that has happened this season, and is hugely disappointing – Button was going so well before his collision with Maldonado.

Lap 52: Verstappen is fast approaching Perez in seventh, just 0.4 seconds behind the Force India driver. This is quite remarkable from the teenager.
Lap 51: “You’re doing a very good job, mate. Keep it going, keep it clean,” says Horner to Ricciardo over the radio. Second-placed Ricciardo has just set a new fastest lap but it still 2.9 seconds behind Vettel. I can’t see him closing the gap.

Lap 50: After the safety car delays, this race will now be a timed one. Which basically means that we will see the chequered flag at around about the 59-lap mark.
Lap 49: Race control confirm that there will be no further action taken over the collision between Maldonado and Button.
Lap 48:The Toro Rosso boys are on fire! Sainz moves into ninth after taking Grosjean, who is forced off over the track.
Lap 48/61: Sainz takes Grosjean. "He pushed me wide," complains Grosjean. "I had nowhere to go!"#SingaporeGPpic.twitter.com/V24DKP49kQ
— Formula 1 (@F1)September 20, 2015
Lap 47:Race control say they are investigating that collision between Maldonado and Button. We’ll have some news on what they say shortly.
Lap 46: Verstappen is now up to eight, masterfully overtaking Grosjean on the inside. Surely this man in a world champion in the making.
Max Verstappen: From LAST to 8th in 47 laps#SingaporeGP#F1NightRacepic.twitter.com/ZNwbhvu8Y5
— Formula 1 (@F1)September 20, 2015
Lap 45:Verstappen is up to ninth and has just set the fastest lap of his race! Remember he was an entire lap down at the start of this race, stalling on the grid. The safety cars have helped his cause but this is electric driving from the 17-year-old.
Max is purple!! Fastest lap of the race so far for him#ToTheMax 👍👍pic.twitter.com/XIBEHmzuqZ
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRossoSpy)September 20, 2015
Lap 44:Vettel has re-established his lead at the front of this race.
#Seb5 2.5 seconds on Ric in P2 Go Seb!#SingaporeGP#redseasonpic.twitter.com/ceKT2tc0cP
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari)September 20, 2015
The crash doesn’t seem to have affected Maldonado
Lap 43:Button sounds very despondent. He’s back in 14th now.
Button after shunt with Maldonado: "I should have known really"#SingaporeGP#F1NightRacepic.twitter.com/pU3rxjo2mH
— Formula 1 (@F1)September 20, 2015
Lap 42: Button and Maldonado collide at turn 15, with the McLaren man’s front wing is damaged. Debris flies all over the track and flies backward into the path of the drivers behind. Very dangerous, that, although all seem to have come through unharmed, apart from Button, of course. The Brit pits, terrible news, he was going so well!
Lap 41:The officials have decided that Rossi is taking too long to rejoin and so the race restarts! That means Rossi will be in the way of the top three.
Lap 41/61: The safety car departs & we're back racing - P1 VET - P2 RIC - P3 RAI - P4 ROS - P5 BOT#SingaporeGPpic.twitter.com/KokeDXcODh
— Formula 1 (@F1)September 20, 2015
Lap 40: There is no debris on the track, but we’re waiting for Alex Rossi to unlap himself. He’s being very, very slow coming round.
“It’s a real shame. I think I had the pace today to win,” says Hamilton.
The#SingaporeGP pedestrian has affected strategy: all drivers now in for their final stop. Now a fight to the finish#F1
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport)September 20, 2015
Lap 39: The safety car is still out, and so whilst we wait for the re-start, have a look at the crash earlier between Massa and Hulkenburg.
VIDEO: Hulkenberg collides with Massa at pit lane exit >>http://t.co/gH5hgE4k7b#SingaporeGP#F1NightRacepic.twitter.com/QDWs9E01xi
— Formula 1 (@F1)September 20, 2015
Lap 38: And so, this race changes again. Once again, Vettel will have to build his lead up again. Button uses this safety car opportunity to put, and he re-emerges in 10th.
THERE IS A FAN ON THE TRACK!
Lap 37:How bizarre, a man is just walking down the side of the track. He casually hops back over the barriers, and the safety car has been deployed!
Fan on track!#F1#SingaporeGPpic.twitter.com/DerSBAHyUa
— Mattzel89 (@Mattzel89)September 20, 2015
Lap 36:Button is up to eighth. With Alonso out, it’s been a miserable night for McLaren thus far, but Button is still in this.
Pit to Jenson: “Last lap good pace. Cars that have pitted are on Option. We can get something here.”#SingaporeGPpic.twitter.com/brZSbMUyrY
— McLaren (@McLarenF1)September 20, 2015
Behind him, Perez sweeps inside Grosjean to grab ninth.
Lap 35: Let’s return to the sharp end of this race, where it is all going nicely for Vettel, he’s just under five seconds clear of Ricciardo. Clean air and the Australian just a speck in his rear mirror. Happy days.
Lap 34:Kyvat has a shocker of a pit – the Red Bull guys struggled with re-attaching the rear right tyre and he drops five places into ninth!
Meanwhile, Alonso is also out of the race, he is retiring as well! Suspected gearbox failure.
HAMILTON RETIRES!
Lap 33: And that’s that, Hamilton is out of the Singapore GP! It was a problem with the pedal apparently. Can Rosberg take advantage and close the 53-point gap in the drivers’ championship?

Lap 32: Hamilton is discussing with his team whether to retire in order to save the engine. The brakes are also getting cold. Mercedes have to make a decision, he’s now in 18th. Surely that is his race over?
Lap 31: Massa will retire the car! Hamilton meanwhile has slipped to 14th, he is fast disappearing out of this race!

Lap 30:Massa is having serious issues. “I don’t know what’s happened - I’ve just gone to neutral,” he says over the radio. He can’t get it in gear, and then drives into the pit lane, but doesn’t stop, drives straight through. Very strange!
Lap 29:With Hamilton struggling, Vettel pulls away.
Hulkenburg has been asked about the crash now that he is off the track.
“I was in the racing line going into turn three, and he was coming out of the pits. It’s a bit strange, I’m very frustrated. I knew I was in front then I got hit in the back. Can’t understand why penalty was given.”
That’s not actually true, he was behind but going faster than Massa coming out of the pits, and would have passed him, had he not careered into the Brazilian.
Lap 28:Hamilton is now 40mph slower out on the track! He’s slipped now to ninth! Mercedes think it is a problem with the throttle, but Hamilton has no idea how to reset it. The team are audibly scrambling to figure out what is wrong. It’s not electrical, apparently.
Lap 27: Disaster for Hamilton! It is as though the rug has been pulled from under him. Rosberg, then Kvyat, then Bottas all cruise past him on the straight. From fourth, Hamilton is now in seventh!
Lap 26: Hamilton says he is “losing some power. Quick guys, quick!”
Lap 25: Vettel’s lull in pace is down the fact that he is trying to save his tyres and make sure he completes a two-stop race. It’s a dangerous strategy, and a very different one to his blistering start.

Meanwhile, Kyvat says he is “losing some brake efficiency.”
Lap 24: “Vettel’s backing up Ricciardo, I think,” Hamilton says over the radio. The field is certainly more bunched than before. He’s about 3.6 seconds behind the leader but has built a nice little lead over team-mate Rosberg behind him in fifth.
Lap 23:The stewards have ruled that the crash was Hulkenburg’s fault and as a result, he will suffer a three-place penalty at the next grand prix in Japan!
Lap 22: Turns out that the stewards are going to investigate that crash between Massa and Hulkenburg, but I wouldn’t expect anything to come of it, it was a silly move from the German. DRS is back in play now, but Raikkonen is just too far from Ricciardo coming round turn five to activate it along that big second straight.
Lap 22/61: Raikkonen (P3) pushes hard to set the fastest 1st sector - and beats it the next lap#SingaporeGPpic.twitter.com/nPa06jF0jm
— Formula 1 (@F1)September 20, 2015