Singapore GP: Sebastian Vettel beats team-mate Charles Leclerc
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By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Singapore
Sebastian Vettel finished his win burial using a victory at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The German benefited from Ferrari strategy that was unusual to leapfrog Charles Leclerc that was team-mate to the lead.
Leclerc told that the team over the radio it was”unfair” and it will do little to reduce tension within the team.
Nevertheless, it turned out to be a much-needed success for the world champion who faced questions and has had a hard, error-strewn time.
The German noticed Leclerc a yearlong winner in his initial season at Ferrari, emerge as number one in the group as a critical danger to his own position, also has continued a streak of a single driving error every three races since June last year.
But Leclerc made his feelings clear and was quite miserable.
Ferrari’s strategy, but did secure Vettel’s first triumph since the Belgian Grand Prix in the end of August 2018 and them their initial one-two because the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix.
And it pushed against Lewis Hamilton, who started second behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen down to fourth, in the Mercedes.
Vettel started third and his success depended on a decision by Ferrari to stop him early, made to ensure he didn’t pit and come out behind Nico Hulkenberg’s Renault, which had ceased for new tyres after a first-lap incident and had been charging through the area.
Since the leaders were managing their speed to make sure they can make their one pit stop it arose.
Seeing the risk to Vettel from Hulkenberg, he was pitted by the team on lap 19 and that he rejoined in front of the Renault.
Ferrari pitted Leclerc, who’d led the race from the start next time round but Vettel’s pace edge on his first lap from the pits on fresh tyres assured he had been before Leclerc when the 21-year-old arose out of the pits.
“What is hell?” Leclerc said above the radio, almost certainly wondering why he was not matched first.
His scientist advised him”It was the best we can do.”
Leclerc said:”I just wanted to allow you to understand my emotions. To be honest, I really don’t understand the undercut at all. But we discuss it later.”
The double premature stop for the Ferraris meant both drivers needed to work their way past slower cars which hadn’t made a pit stop, also Vettel did so to better effect than Leclerc, creating a six-second lead by the time that they had been running one-two on lap 33, only after half an hour.
The risk for Ferrari now was the danger in Hamilton, who had postponed his pit stop with six laps in an attempt to gain from fresher tyres at the conclusion of the race.
But three safety-car phases for a set of incidents involving rear markers gave Ferrari.
At the last one, Leclerc asked for”that which” in the automobile to attack Vettel, but he was told he needed to manage the engine and make the car home – code for him to maintain position behind his team-mate.
Since the leaders lapped 13 minutes off their qualifying days to ensure their tyres went as necessary a close second behind Leclerc has been running in the early laps.
But the plan gamble of Ferrari undid him.
When Vettel pitted, Hamilton said to his team they should attempt to”undercut” Leclerc in the same fashion but that opportunity was eliminated when Leclerc ceased on the very next lap.
That lent Mercedes attempt to attack on tyres after in the race although no choice except to conduct Hamilton long.
However, the strategy also fell him Verstappen’s Red Bull, along with his tyre advantage – just a couple of laps – was not enough to let him try to pass cars on a path where a vehicle is believed to desire a 2.4-second speed benefit to overtake.
Hamilton desired help from Valtteri Bottas, who pitted earlier and was told to back off to impede Red Bull’s Alexander Albon, whom Hamilton would have come out behind.
However, his championship lead over Bottas, who finished in first time behind him, had been extended to 65 points, and it remains just a matter of time until he wins a sixth domain.
Although his pace was not clear due to the component of the race, Albon drove a strong race at the Red Bull.
And Lando Norris worked nicely to take seventh and best of the remainder to McLaren, ahead of Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly, Hulkenberg and the Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi in the conclusion of a race which was soporific at the front but comprised several harum-scarum racing in the midfield from time to time.
The events that caused the safety car have been a wreck involving Haas’ Romain Grosjean and Williams’ George Russell about the exit of Turn two on lap 35; a retirement which cried Sergio Perez’s Racing Point on course on lap 39; and a collision between Daniil Kvyat’s Toro Rosso and Kimi Raikkonen’s Alfa Romeo in the Russian dived to get a pass at Turn One on lap 50.
Russia at a week. Three wins in a row; can it be made by Ferrari four? Mercedes is going to be determined to bounce back after the errors of Singapore.
Vettel:”First of all, big congratulations to the group – the start of the year has been hard for us we began to come alive and I’m very proud of everybody’s work straight home. I want to thank the fans. We haven’t been the very best and it’s happy to have so many letters and nice messages, also it gives me lots of strength and belief and I put it all into the car today.”
Leclerc:”Clearly it’s always difficult to get rid of a win like this but in the end it is a one-two for the group so I am happy for that, our very first of the year. I am disappointed for me but I’ll return stronger. It looks far more positive than anticipated, they’ve [the mechanics] done an wonderful job.”
Verstappen:”The entire race went well. At the beginning it was slow and everybody was close we awakened and together then I started to struggle with the tyres plus it was a fantastic call. We undercut Lewis and from there it was about managing the widescreen.”
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