SEBASTIAN VETTEL HAS edged ever closer to a second world championship after another Formula 1 victory – this time at an evening Grand Prix in Singapore.
Starting from pole position, the German led from start to finish and lapped a second faster than his closest rivals to establish an early advantage.
The chasing pack closed right in on the Red Bull racer when a mid-race Safety Car period – brought about when Michael Schumacher clipped Sergio Perez and ended up in barriers – bunched the field back up together. Once again no one could compete with his pace however, though Jenson Button did battle back to within a couple of seconds by the time the chequered flag was waved.
Button’s second-place finish means Vettel now only needs a point at the next event in Japan to reclaim his drivers’ title.
A slow start saw Vettel’s team-mate, Mark Webber, drop back from second on the grid and into the clutches of both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
Hamilton had his own woes – getting a drive through penalty for clattering into the back of Felipe Massa and eventually finishing fifth – and Webber then passed Alonso with a bold move into Turn 10 just after the restart to secure another podium for his F1 record.
Ferrari man Alonso was fourth, ahead of Hamilton, with Paul Di Resta gaining a career-best sixth for Force India.
Strong showings from Nico Rosberg and Adrian Sutil saw the German pair claim the final points – the former bringing his Mercedes home seventh with the latter completing a great day for Force India by finishing eighth.
For the full results from the Singapore GP, click here
To see the latest Drivers’ standings, click here