Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Aldo Costa
Alonso successful at night
By Erik Nielsen
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media
Singapore has tried branding itself as the Monaco of the east. I’ll give them credit for creating something special. But, with strict laws and not nearly the same quantity of vulgar, rich Russians, it’s not going to be an exact copy. But what they have managed to do is create a show, and that’s what this sport is all about.
Critics complain that true street circuits are somewhat boring because they tend not to be the fastest tracks, and it’s difficult to see much of the action. Both points are valid, but what the tight canyons bring is the requirement that the driver is 100% on their game. There is no margin for mistakes and a concrete wall or Armco is very unforgiving, not something you casually drift into, or out of for that matter. It’s difficult to find a huge advantage over the competition in race conditions such as these, and this year’s event was no different.
Felipe Massa
Fernando Alonso checked off every box this weekend: pole, win, most laps lead, and fastest lap. There is likely a performance bonus in his contract that caused some poor accountant way in the back of the Ferrari factory to go from fantastico, to merda while watching the race. It was worth it. Alonso’s hiring has not pleased all of the tifosi, several factions still think of him as a hired gun. Well, the team received their money’s worth this weekend.
That’s not to say that the Spaniard ran away with everything. Sebastian Vettel never gave up and was always hot on his heels. The Red Bull chassis was very evenly matched, but the younger driver never found a spot to take advantage of the situation. Mark Webber finished 30 seconds behind and the result was enough to keep him in the lead in the driver’s championship and solidified Red Bull’s overall lead in the constructor’s championship. Alonso closed the gap with the win making the competition tight enough to go to the last race of the season now.
Fernando Alonso
Jenson Button was the fourth across the line this weekend. His race was somewhat uneventful. The McLarens looked like they could be in the hunt, but his team mate received the short end of the stick when he broke his suspension after a collision with Webber. The Australian was un-penalized in the event. For a team that is usually icy-cool, Lewis Hamilton has become a bit of a hot head. He pitched the wheel of his car and refused to speak with the media immediately after the incident. He almost has the behavior of someone who would drive for Ferrari.
Rosberg beat Schumacher. Again. Flavio made statements to the media that Herr Schumacher made a mistake to return to F1. The shot across the bow happened on the second anniversary of the race that was fixed that got Briatore thrown out of the sport. No comments were fired back at the tax dodger who still doesn’t have a job in F1. Espresso vendors in Italy may have a case against Flavio by claiming that his comments and the resulting increase in blood pressure suffered by many may negatively impact their sales.
Singapore Circuit
Kubica did well and finished in seventh, rumors are starting to fly that he may replace Massa at the Scuderia. Speaking of the Brazilian, he ended up finishing in eighth, after Sutil and Hulkenberg were penalized for illegal moves on lap 1. Not a bad result for starting in the pit lane.
Racing will be in the land of the rising sun in two weeks when the circus goes to Suzuka’s famous figure eight configuration.
Race Results
| 1 | ALONSO | Ferrari | 1h57m53.579s |
| 2 | VETTEL | RBR-Renault | + 0.2s |
| 3 | WEBBER | RBR-Renault | + 29.1s |
| 4 | BUTTON | McLaren-Mercedes | + 30.3s |
| 5 | ROSBERG | Mercedes GP | + 49.3s |
| 6 | BARRICHELLO | Williams-Cosworth | + 56.1s |
| 7 | KUBICA | Renault | + 86.5s |
| 8 | MASSA | Ferrari | + 113.3s |
| 9 | SUTIL | Force India-Mercedes | + 122.4s |
| 10 | HULKENBERG | Williams-Cosworth | + 132.8s |
| 11 | PETROV | Renault | + 1 lap |
| 12 | ALGUERSUARI | STR-Ferrari | + 1 lap |
| 13 | SCHUMACHER | Mercedes GP | + 1 lap |
| 14 | BUEMI | STR-Ferrari | + 1 lap |
| 15 | DI GRASSI | Virgin-Cosworth | + 2 laps |
| 16 | KOVALAINEN | Lotus-Cosworth | + 3 laps |
| 17 | GLOCK | Virgin-Cosworth | + 12 laps, hydraulics |
| 18 | HEIDFELD | BMW Sauber-Ferrari | + 25 laps, accident |
| 19 | HAMILTON | McLaren-Mercedes | + 26 laps, accident |
| 20 | KLIEN | HRT-Cosworth | + 30 laps, hydraulics |
| 21 | KOBAYASHI | BMW Sauber-Ferrari | + 31 laps, accident |
| 22 | SENNA | HRT-Cosworth | + 32 laps, accident |
| 23 | TRULLI | Lotus-Cosworth | + 34 laps, hydraulics |
| 24 | LIUZZI | Force India-Mercedes | + 60 laps, accident damage |
| Fastest Lap |
ALONSO | Ferrari | 1m47.976s |
Note: Sutil and Hulkenberg had 20 seconds added to their race times for gaining an advantage by leaving the track on lap one.
Driver’s Championship Standings
| 1 | WEBBER | RBR-Renault | 202 Points |
| 2 | ALONSO | Ferrari | 191 Points |
| 3 | HAMILTON | McLaren-Mercedes | 182 Points |
| 4 | VETTEL | RBR-Renault | 181 Points |
| 5 | BUTTON | McLaren-Mercedes | 177 Points |
| 6 | MASSA | Ferrari | 128 Points |
| 7 | ROSBERG | Mercedes GP | 122 Points |
| 8 | KUBICA | Renault | 114 Points |
| 9 | SUTIL | Force India-Mercedes | 47 Points |
| 10 | SCHUMACHER | Mercedes GP | 46 Points |
| 11 | BARRICHELLO | Williams-Cosworth | 39 Points |
| 12 | KOBAYASHI | BMW Sauber-Ferrari | 21 Points |
| 13 | PETROV | Renault | 19 Points |
| 14 | HULKENBERG | Williams-Cosworth | 17 Points |
| 15 | LIUZZI | Force India-Mercedes | 13 Points |
| 16 | BUEMI | STR-Ferrari | 7 Points |
| 17 | DE LA ROSA | BMW Sauber-Ferrari | 6 Points |
| 18 | ALGUERSUARI | STR-Ferrari | 3 Points |
Constructor’s Championship Standings
| 1 | RBR-RENAULT | 383 Points |
| 2 | McLAREN-MERCEDES | 359 Points |
| 3 | FERRARI | 319 Points |
| 4 | MERCEDES GP | 168 Points |
| 5 | RENAULT | 133 Points |
| 6 | FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES | 60 Points |
| 7 | WILLIAMS-COSWORTH | 56 Points |
| 8 | BMW SAUBER-FERRARI | 27 Points |
| 9 | STR-FERRARI | 10 Points |