Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing profited immensely by McLaren’s mechanical woes to take the win for the second straight year in the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix.
The two-time defending world champion was running second, one-and-a-half seconds behind pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren when the McLaren’s gearbox went away on lap 23. Vettel was three seconds ahead of McLaren’s Jenson Button when Hamilton retired, and nine seconds ahead at the finish.
The win, and Hamilton’s retirement, put the Red Bull driver back into the title chase. Vettel went from third with 140 points to second with 165, 29 points behind Ferrari’s Fernando Alonzo who finished third, a ten-point gain. Hamilton fell to fourth, scoring no points on the day.
The 25-year-old German driver told Formula1.com that he didn’t know how much the win would ultimately matter in the points race, “but for sure it was great to bag 25 points. It’s been a good day for us.
“At the end of the first stint I could not keep up the speed and had to pit for new tires, which wasn’t exactly the plan. In the end the decision was correct as I felt much more comfortable on the harder compound and could get closer to Lewis.
