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Lewis Hamilton extends championship lead as Sebastian Vettel falters again
Sebastian Vettel lost more ground in the Formula One drivers’ championship as Lewis Hamilton won the Singapore Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton strengthened his grip on top spot in the Formula One drivers’ championship with victory in Singapore as Sebastian Vettel’s strategy let him down.
The Mercedes driver benefited from a questionable Ferrari tyre choice and a Max Verstappen overcut on the German to extend his championship lead to 40 points with six races to go, as Vettel finished third.
It was largely plain sailing for Hamilton after a spell behind the safety car in the opening laps, following a collision between Racing Point Force India team-mates Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, which planted the latter’s car into a wall.
Hamilton certainly came under no pressure from his main challenger in the drivers’ standings and it was only during a brief period of traffic that Verstappen could get close.
The Briton emerged from that tailback with his lead intact - if a little narrower than before - and was soon putting space between himself and Verstappen once again when he hit clean air.
The front three looked locked in as they spread out 10 laps from the end, with Vettel eventually crossing the line more than half a minute behind second-placed Verstappen.
Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas finished fourth, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo, with Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz Jr, Charles Leclerc and Nico Hulkenberg completing the top 10.
