Singapore Grand Prix 2018
The battle at the Marina Bay was supposed to be Ferrari’s race; however, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton has proven that no one can beat him when he is at his indomitable best.
Hamilton put on a stunning display in the Singapore Grand Prix 2018 to extend his lead over Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel and move closer to the Formula 1 Championship title with six races to go.
It was a straightforward race for the Mercedes star who was rarely troubled in the fight. After surprising everyone when he took the pole position in the qualifying, Hamilton showed that it was no fluke as he dominated from start to finish.
Vettel, on the other hand, was left frustrated with a third-place finish after another Ferrari strategy blunder cost him a spot in the night race that had little drama.
Highlights of the game
Mercedes usually have a hard time at Marina Bay, so it’s no wonder why Ferrari and Vettel were firm favourites in Singapore Grand Prix 2018 betting. Nonetheless, Hamilton made no mistake and used the pole position to his advantage to make it back-to-back victories in the event.
Hamilton got off to a bright start and held his lead in the crucial first corner to stay ahead. While he lost the front seat when he pitted on Lap 15, the Briton quickly regained the advantage and cruised to an easy victory.
He was never really threatened in the tournament, though there was a nervy moment for Hamilton on Lap 37 when he was held up by backmarkers—Haas’ Romain Grosjean and Williams’ Sergey Sirotkin—who was driving way slower than him.
That moment saw Hamilton’s lead over Verstappen cut to just 1.5 seconds, but the Mercedes driver held on. Verstappen had trouble lapping Grosjean during the backmarker incident, but he later admitted that he had the opportunity to overtake Hamilton but declined because it wouldn’t have been “fair.”
“I thought it was not fair anyway with the way he was being held up,” the Dutchman said after the race. “I had an opportunity but you can’t overtake into turn 10 and I didn’t want to take the risk.”
It was smooth sailing after that for Hamilton as he crossed the finish line 8.9 seconds ahead of Verstappen and 39.9 seconds ahead of Vettel.
Vettel finished third, though he could have had the second place if not for a miscalculation from his Scuderia team. The German ace, who started third, went wheel-to-wheel with Verstappen in the opening lap and managed to surpass him for second in Turn Seven—just in time before a safety car was called after Sergio Perez accidentally pushed his Force India teammate Esteban Ocon into the wall.
However, Ferrari decided to pit him on Lap 14 to switch his car to ultra-soft tyres in hopes of mounting a challenge for the lead. That strategy fired back big time as Vettel found himself behind Perez, eventually losing time and allowing Verstappen to retake the second spot.
It was a blunder reminiscent of their mistake in the Hungarian Grand Prix 2018, and Vettel was clearly disappointed with the result as he emphasized they never stood a chance with the way they raced.
Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas ended up fourth, while Kimi Raikkonen rounded up the top five finishers.
Key statistics
Hamilton’s victory is one of his most lopsided wins this year. His 8.9-second lead over Verstappen is only behind his finishes in Barcelona and Hungary where he ended up with a winning margin of 17 seconds or more.
Moreover, the Briton has now tied Vettel for the most wins in Singapore with four. He also won the title in 2017 when Vettel crashed out of the race.
On the other hand, with the Singapore Grand Prix 2018 results, Hamilton is now 40 points ahead of Vettel in the Championship race with 281. Mercedes are also well clear in the Constructor standings with 452 points, 37 points ahead of Ferrari.
What’s next?
There’s a two-week break before Formula One returns, but the SBOBET motorsport page will keep fans posted about the latest news and happenings in the F1 circuit.
The next stop for the competition is Sochi for the Russian Grand Prix. Mercedes won the race last year, though it was Bottas who surprisingly led the Silver Arrow to victory as Hamilton failed to make a podium finish.
A week after that, the teams and their drivers head to the Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix. It was a circuit where both Mercedes and Ferrari often struggle, but the former will fancy their chances after their one-two finish in last season’s edition.
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