2010 Singapore GP: Alonso wins by 0.293 seconds from Vettel

Fernando Alonso won the 2010 Singapore GP for Ferrari from pole position. Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull shadowed him over the full 61-lap distance but never got past. Mark Webber finished third. He owed his podium to an early pit stop under the first Safety Car. For the championship, though, another moment proved decisive: after the second restart Webber and Lewis Hamilton collided, and the McLaren driver retired.

At the Marina Bay Street Circuit Alonso started from first place, with Vettel alongside him. Vettel immediately tried to get past Alonso at the start, but the Spaniard kept the lead. Hamilton and Jenson Button defended third and fourth ahead of Webber, who started fifth on the grid.

Several cars made contact in the midfield on the first lap. According to Wikipedia, Nick Heidfeld (Sauber) damaged his front wing against Adrian Sutil. Vitantonio Liuzzi then tangled with Heidfeld. Liuzzi's Force India came to a halt with damaged suspension, and the first Safety Car had to be deployed.

Red Bull played this phase boldly: Webber was the only front-runner to pit, switching to the harder tyre compound. He ran that set all the way to the finish. Although he initially dropped well down the order, the stop paid off later. When his rivals made their mandatory stops, he came out ahead of Hamilton and Button.

At the front, a duel developed with barely anything to choose between the two. According to Wikipedia, Alonso led Vettel by 3.2 seconds after 20 laps. Hamilton was already around eleven seconds adrift by then. The two leaders apparently took turns setting the fastest lap.

The biggest threat to Alonso was the pit stop. Ferrari and Red Bull brought their drivers in on the same lap, and both teams worked quickly. According to grandprix.com, the Ferrari crew made no mistake, and Alonso stayed in front.

In the closing stages Vettel threw everything at closing the gap. According to Wikipedia, Alonso responded on lap 58 with the fastest lap of the race, a 1:47.976. At the finish just 0.293 seconds separated the pair. Because Alonso started from pole, led every lap, won and set the fastest lap, he completed a Grand Chelem. According to Wikipedia, it was the first of his career.

The second Safety Car period began around lap 30. Kamui Kobayashi lost control of his Sauber and hit the barrier at Turn 18. Shortly afterwards Bruno Senna crashed into the wall at the same spot in the HRT. According to Wikipedia, Kobayashi had earlier tried to pass Michael Schumacher around the outside, and the two had touched.

At the restart, according to grandprix.com, Webber was held up by the Virgin of Lucas di Grassi. Hamilton seized the chance and attacked at Turn 7. Webber's right front wheel struck Hamilton's left rear. With a damaged tyre, Hamilton could go no further and retired after 35 laps. According to Wikipedia, the stewards took no action. After the race Webber said of his rival: “He had to have a go.” (grandprix.com). His Red Bull was vibrating at the front from then on, but he still brought it home third ahead of Button.

Shortly afterwards Heidfeld's race was over too. According to Wikipedia, Schumacher ran into the back of him, Heidfeld hit the barrier, and the stewards deemed it a racing incident. Schumacher pitted for a new front wing and could only finish 13th, one lap down.

Key retirements at a glance:

• Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India), after 1 lap: collision, damaged suspension
• Jarno Trulli (Lotus), after 27 laps: hydraulics
• Bruno Senna (HRT), after 29 laps: crash at Turn 18
• Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber), after 30 laps: crash at Turn 18
• Christian Klien (HRT), after 31 laps: hydraulics
• Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), after 35 laps: collision with Webber
• Nick Heidfeld (Sauber), after 36 laps: collision with Schumacher
• Timo Glock (Virgin), after 49 laps: hydraulics
• Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus), after 58 laps: engine. According to Wikipedia, his car caught fire on the start/finish straight. He put it out himself and, despite retiring, was classified 16th.

The big winner in the field was Felipe Massa. After a technical problem in qualifying he started from 24th. He gained 16 places and still picked up four points in eighth. Post-race penalties helped him: according to grandprix.com, Sutil and Nico Hülkenberg were each handed 20 seconds for cutting corners on the first lap. That dropped them behind Massa to ninth and tenth. Hülkenberg had gained seven places, Sutil six.

Robert Kubica (Renault) suffered a puncture on lap 46, according to Wikipedia, and fell back to 13th. He then passed several cars and still finished seventh. Nico Rosberg was fifth for Mercedes, Rubens Barrichello sixth for Williams. The big losers of the day were Hamilton, who lost 16 places, and Kobayashi, who lost 11.

The win lifted Alonso to second in the 2010 championship standings. On 191 points, he was eleven behind Webber, who stayed on top with 202. After his retirement Hamilton dropped to third with 182 points. Right behind him came Vettel on 181 and Button on 177 points. With the last four races of the season to go, five drivers were separated by only 25 points – exactly what a single win was worth.

In the constructors' standings Red Bull extended their lead to 383 points ahead of McLaren (359). Ferrari were third with 319 points.

Singapore 2010 belonged above all to Alonso. Under the greatest pressure he didn't make a single mistake all evening and put himself back in the title race. For Hamilton and McLaren, by contrast, it was a painful setback.