Vettel Takes Third Consecutive Singapore GP Victory

Sebastian Vettel took his third consecutive Singapore Grand Prix victory and his third straight win of the 2013 season. It was a storming drive from the German who looked at ease throughout the 61 lap race.

Prior to the race, tyre strategy was the topic on everyone's lips and the likelihood of a safety car period shaking up the action. Vettel took pole position in qualifying after dominating Friday practice, but the margin to second place man Nico Rosberg was just under a tenth of a second.

We were hoping for a close battle for the race win; however it was the complete opposite. Some are getting tired of the continuous stream of Vettel victories, but there was no denying his class and maturity around the tricky street circuit. He led pretty much from start to finish, only losing the lead for a few seconds into turn one on the first lap.

Under the bright lights of Singapore, the red lights went out and the racing began. Nico Rosberg had a brilliant start, getting alongside Vettel and taking the lead into turn one despite starting on the dirty side of the grid. However, he seemed to get a bit too excited under braking and went wide at turn two, gifting Vettel the inside line and the lead into the next corner.

From then on, Vettel led the pack and eked out a sizeable gap. It looked effortless and easy for the triple world champion, but he had to contend with a safety car period and brake problems along the way.

The safety car period arrived on lap 25 thanks to a crash for Vettel's 2014 team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. The Aussie's race proved to be a shocking one. He had a Webber-esque start and then crashed at turn 18 after locking his front left tyre, slithering into the tyre barrier and bringing out the safety car.

Vettel's 10 second gap over Rosberg was wiped out and by that time, all drivers had completed their first pit stops. Some decided to pit during the safety car period but Vettel, Rosberg, Webber and Hamilton took the risk and stayed out. When they were released on lap 32, Vettel stormed off into the distance and was unchallenged to the end.

He made his final pit stop on lap 44, putting on the super-soft tyres and managing them brilliantly to take another controlled race victory. He was booed on the podium, some fans in Singapore unhappy with his dominance but there was no denying what a fantastic drive it was for Vettel, he didn't deserve that reaction.

Fernando Alonso needed to finish ahead of Vettel in order to keep his title chances alive. However, thanks to the speed of Vettel, he didn't and could only manage second place. He finished an unbelievable 32 seconds behind Vettel but that was partly due to the Ferrari driver staying out on the set of tyres that his mechanics fitted during the safety car period.

He had a storming start, moving from seventh to third into turn one thanks to taking the outside line. That really put him in the frame for a podium and he benefited from those behind to cross the line in a clear runner-up position.

Our favourite F1 character Kimi Raikkonen battled an injured back to take third place, moving up from 13th on the grid. Unlike Alonso, he didn't make progress at the start and left himself with plenty of work to do during the 61 lap race. A similar strategy to Alonso and a great move around the outside of Jenson Button in the closing stages helped him advance to the final podium position.

Rosberg and Hamilton crossed the line in fourth and fifth, giving Mercedes a good haul of points after a difficult few race weekends. However, Hamilton did concede that his title challenge is definitely over after Vettel's continued dominance. Felipe Massa made good progress in the closing stages to finish in sixth place ahead of Jenson Button.

The Brit - who is currently starring in a cringe-worthy advertisement for Santander - just managed to hang on to seventh place after attempting the same strategy as Alonso and Raikkonen. However, he seemed to find the 'cliff' with tyre wear and dropped off the pace considerably in the final few laps.

Perez, Hulkenberg and Sutil crossed the finish line just behind the Brit to round out the points finishers. Maldonado, Gutierrez, Bottas and Vergne finished just outside of the points after a frantic final few laps and a close closing battle.

Mark Webber was classified in 15th place but he failed to take the chequered flag after his Red Bull erupted in flames after a water pressure problem. He was on course for a top five finish, but he lost power and had to retire despite his best efforts to continue.

The battle at the back saw Giedo van der Garde finish ahead of Max Chilton, Jules Bianchi and Charles Pic. Di Resta was classified in 20th despite crashing out with seven laps to go after locking up into turn seven. RoGro was set for a points finish before he was told to retire his Lotus car on lap 38. Daniel Ricciardo was the first retirement from the race after his earlier mentioned crash.

So Vettel now looks unbeatable at the top of the table, but the racing behind him was hugely exciting and unusually clean. Now the sport looks to Korea and the 14th round of the 2013 season, hoping someone can take the challenge to the championship leader.