Red Bull Motorsports
F1
Max Verstappen scores a well-earned podium at the Singapore Grand Prix
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen finishes third under the lights at the Singapore Grand Prix as Sebastian Vettel wins from Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc.
After two difficult races, Max Verstappenmade a return to the podium for the sixth time this season, ending a tense, safety car-affected race at the Singapore Grand Prix in third place, as Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel won his first race since the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix.
At the start, Charles Leclerc made a great jump to make good on his pole position and lead into the tricky first corner with, Ferrari team-mate Vettel challenging Lewis Hamilton in an attempt to wrestle second place from the reigning world champion.
Christian Horner, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing's Team Principal, described the opening laps as being like "a load of boxers circling around the ring." The top four of Leclerc, Hamilton, Vettel and Verstappen weighed each other up and managed their tyres, with Leclerc dictating the pace and playing a waiting game.
Following several laps of no movement, Leclerc upped the pace on Lap 16, opening up a gap of almost two seconds over Hamilton.
Vettel and Verstappen pitted on Lap 20 from third and fourth respectively, both taking hard compound tyres and, unfortunately for Verstappen, the Dutch driver cycled out behind Nico Hulkenberg's Renault, while Vettel enjoyed clean air and the chance to pull away.
One lap later, Leclerc pitted from the lead and Hamilton stayed out. Amazingly, on exiting the pits, Leclerc found himself on the wrong end of the undercut and was passed by team-mate Vettel, meaning the the pole-sitter was forced to follow in the German driver’s dirty, air as Hamilton continued to stay out.
With a gaggle of cars yet to pit ahead of Vettel in sixth, the Ferrari driver was being held up and holding up team-mate Leclerc in turn, allowing Verstappen to reel them in.
Vettel didn't wait for the leaders to pit and dealt a forceful move on Gasly to set about putting as much of a gap between himself and Leclerc as possible, as Giovinazzi continued to be the first Alfa Romeo driver to lead a Grand Prix since the early 1980s until Vettel eventually made it past.
By half race distance, Verstappen had made his way into third behind the two Ferraris, as contact between Ricciardo and erstwhile race leader Giovinazzi led to a puncture for the Renault driver.
On Lap 35, contact between George Russell’s Williams and Romain Grosjean's Haas led to the former being sent spinning into the wall, with the French driver apparently at fault. Significantly, this triggered the first safety car of the evening.
The safety car pulled off the track on Lap 40, effectively leaving a 21-lap shootout between the leaders, and at the restart Vettel maintained his lead from Leclerc and Verstappen, with Red Bull Racing team-mate Albon in sixth and hunting down the two Mercedes' in front.
Racing Point's Sergio Pérez interrupted the anticipated shootout when he retired with mechanical gremlins, his stranded car leading to a four-lap safety car period on Lap 43.
At the restart, the order up front remained the same, with Vettel leading Leclerc and Verstappen, as further back Gasly drove superbly in the Toro Rosso to pass both Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen for eighth place.
Similarly, Verstappen established some breathing room over Hamilton in fourth, as the top six cars spread out for the first time in the race during the closing eight laps. Albon bookended the top six, a couple of seconds ahead of Lando Norris in the McLaren.
At the flag, Vettel claimed his first win in just over a year ahead of Leclerc, who was denied his hat-trick of Grand Prix wins by the four-time champion. Verstappen claimed a strong third, fending off Hamilton over the last two laps, as Albon took a lonely sixth and Gasly a fighting eighth for Toro Rosso.
