Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2018: Results, standings, session times, key stats

James Pavey

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Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2018: Results, standings, session times, key stats image

The Formula 1 circus returns to tackle the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the fifteenth round of the 2018 season - the Singapore Grand Prix .

The first Singapore Grand Prix broke ground in 2008, with the event hosting the inaugural night race at the first street circuit in Asia for Formula 1.

The Marina Bay Street Circuit is 5.065 kilometres of tight left-right corner combinations, long straights and difficult sweeping bends. Even the pitlane entry and exits are a challenge!

The circuit is located in a harbourside location similar in style to the Circuit de Monaco and the Valencia Street Circuit.  

Italy: Hamilton defeats Raikkonen

Belgium: Start chaos can't stop Vettel

Hungary: Hamilton dominates

Germany: Hamilton wins thriller

The Singapore Grand Prix holds a unique record - in every race to date, the safety car has made an appearance, with a total of 17 safety car deployments in ten races.

Sebastain Vettel tamed the race three times in his Red Bull days, and added a fourth win for Ferrari in 2015.

However, Singapore was where his 2017 championship charge fell apart when he was involved in a spectacular start-line incident with teammate Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen.

That race effectively handed the title to Lewis Hamilton, who has won the Singapore event three times.

KEY STATS

- Singapore is the only race on the current F1 schedule run entirely during night hours. In fact, the 2017 edition was the first ever night race to see rain.

- Marina Bay has 23 corners, the most of any circuit on the current F1 calendar.

- Three of the last four races in Singapore have lasted more than two hours (the FIA limit for race length).

- Seven of the 10 races in Singapore have been won by the driver on pole.

- Sebastian Vettel has won and taken pole on four occasions in Singapore, the most of any driver (Lewis Hamilton three wins and three poles).

#sebastian vettel 2013


 

- Ferrari have secured four pole positions in Marina Bay, the most of any team in Singapore; however no team has taken back to back pole positions in the 10 qualifying sessions at the race.

- Red Bull haven’t seen both of their drivers reach the finish in any of the last six races, their worst streak since a run of nine races between 2006 and 2007.

- If Lewis Hamilton secures pole position but loses the race he will equal Ayrton Senna as the driver to have done this most often (36).

- Since Valtteri Bottas signed for Mercedes, the Finn is the driver to have finished second most often (11 races across 2017 and 2018).

- Fernando Alonso will equal Jenson Button as the driver to have raced the third most Grand Prixes in F1. Only Rubens Barrichello (323) and Michael Schumacher (307) have raced in more.

- Fernando Alonso (World Champion in 2005 and 2006) and Kimi Raikkonen (in 2007) are both enduring their longest winless streaks in Formula 1. The Spaniard has failed to win any of his last 103 races while the Finn is winless in 108. The longest gap between two wins in F1 history is 99 races (set by Riccardo Patrese between 1983-90).

- Fernando Alonso won from 15th on the grid in Singapore in 2008, the furthest back he has ever won from and he also picked up his only Grand Chelem in Singapore (2010, win, pole position, leading the race from the grid to the end and fastest lap).

#fernando alonso 2008

- Sebastian Vettel has won 27 races in Asia, the most of any driver on this continent. In fact, the four races the German has won most often are in Asia: Malaysia, Japan, Bahrain and Singapore (four wins at each).

- Kimi Raikkonen has reached the podium in each of his last six races where he hasn’t retired (four third places and two second places).

- Daniel Ricciardo hasn’t reached the podium in eight races, his worst run since 11 consecutive races between 2015 and 2016.

- Daniel Ricciardo is one win away from equalling his best year (three wins in 2014), one fastest lap away from equalling his previous best (four in 2016) and one pole position away from his best campaign (currently on one, level with 2016).

- At the 2017 Singapore GP, Max Verstappen secured his best place in qualifying (second, as at Belgium 2016 and Mexico 2017) but abandoned on the first lap for the second time in his F1 career (Austria 2017 also).

- This will be Nico Hulkenberg’s 150th race in F1; the German is the driver to have raced the most GPs without ever reaching the podium.

TYRE COMPOUNDS

The 2018 Singapore Grand Prix will see Pirelli's yellow-walled  soft and purple-walled ultrasoft  and pink-walled hypersoft compounds used.


QUALIFYING REPORT

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton smashed the lap record to claim pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix.

After Mercedes had failed to top the timesheets in any of the three practice sessions, Hamilton beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen to first place, with rival Sebastian Vettel having to settle for third.

Valtteri Bottas was fourth, with Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo making up the top six after Saturday's session at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Hamilton's time of one minute, 36.015 seconds – set on his first run – was described as "a pretty epic lap" by Mercedes on team radio and was 3.4s faster than last year's pole, and did not come close to being challenged in the final runs.


RACE REPORT & RESULTS

Lewis Hamilton strengthened his grip on top spot in the Formula One drivers' championship with victory in Singapore as Sebastian Vettel's strategy let him down.

The Mercedes driver benefited from a questionable Ferrari tyre choice and a Max Verstappen overcut on the German to extend his championship lead to 40 points with six races to go, as Vettel finished third.

It was largely plain sailing for Hamilton after a spell behind the safety car in the opening laps, following a collision between Racing Point Force India team-mates Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, which planted the latter's car into a wall.

Hamilton certainly came under no pressure from his main challenger in the drivers' standings and it was only during a brief period of traffic that Verstappen could get close.

Full race report and results here .

SESSION TIMES

FP1:  Friday, September 14, 6:30pm


 

FP2:  Friday, September 14, 10:30pm


 

FP3: Saturday, September 15, 8:00pm


 

Qualifying:  Saturday, September 15, 11:00pm


 

Race: Sunday, September 16, 10.10pm


 

All times shown AEST.

F1 DRIVER STANDINGS

AFTER ROUND 15 (SINGAPORE)

Position Driver Constructor Points Margin
1st Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 281  
2nd Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 241 -40
3rd Kimi Raikkönen Ferrari 174 -107
4th Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 171 -110
5th Max Verstappen Red Bull 148 -133
6th Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 126 -155
7th Nico Hulkenberg Renault 52 -229
8th Fernando Alonso McLaren 50 -231
9th Kevin Magnussen Haas 49 -232
10th Sergio Perez Force India 46 -235

F1 CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS

AFTER ROUND 15 (SINGAPORE)

Position Constructor Points Margin
1st Mercedes 452  
2nd Ferrari 415 -37
3rd Red Bull 272 -180
4th Renault 91 -361
5th Haas 76 -376
6th McLaren 58 -394
7th Force India 32 -420
8th Toro Rosso 30 -422
9th Sauber 21 -431
10th Williams 7 -445
EXC Force India 0 (59) -452
 

James Pavey

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