F1: Hamilton extends title lead as Vettel crashes out at rain-hit Singapore GP
(CNN)Lewis Hamilton said he would need a "miracle" to win the Singapore Grand Prix and so the rain gods delivered as he clinched a third consecutive victory of the season at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Sunday.
Hamilton, who started fifth on the grid after a lackluster qualifying on Saturday, profited after chaos reigned at the start of the night race as both Ferrari's crashed out.
Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull's Max Verstappen collided on the run down to Turn One before the Finn plowed into the side of pole-sitter Vettel. The German continued only to spin off moments later at Turn Five, his car smashing into the barriers, coolant spewing from its rear.
Both Verstappen's and Raikkonen's race was also over -- so too was Fernando Alonso's who got caught up in the incident after making a fast start from P8. The Spaniard limped on before retiring on lap nine.
The resulting carnage flung open a door through which Hamilton gratefully drove, followed by Daniel Ricciardo who would take second place with Hamilton's Mercedes' teammate Valtteri Bottas in third.
'God blessed me today...'
It was the Briton's 60th win of his career and his seventh of the 2017 season which all means that Hamilton now has a 28-point lead over Vettel with 14 rounds of the 2017 season complete.
"Firstly, I want to congratulate my team," Hamilton said on the podium. "Yesterday we struggled and we had no idea what was going to happen. Obviously we were fortunate with the Ferraris at the beginning.
READ: How sleep experts help F1 drivers
"God blessed me today, for sure. Who knew that would happen? It was really unfortunate for Ferrari -- I was hoping to race Sebastian at the beginning. But of course it's better the way it is," the three-time world champion added.
Debate about who was to blame for the collision started in earnest before the race was over.
Max Verstappen told reporters: "I think Sebastian started squeezing me -- maybe he didn't see Kimi but that's no excuse," while Ferrari took a different view, tweeting: "VER took #Kimi7 out and then he went on to #Seb5"
Vettel himself was keen to play down the incident.
"Not ideal is it?" he said, responding the reporters. "I didn't see that much. I saw Max and then Kimi hitting the side of me. This is how this business is. We move on. I'm sure there will be more opportunities."
Daniel Ricciardo, Verstappen's teammate chose, perhaps wisely, to sit on the fence.
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Montreal: Hamilton cuts Vettel's lead – After a disappointing showing at Monaco, Hamilton produced a driving masterclass in Montreal. In qualifying, he took his 65th career pole -- equaling Ayrton Senna's mark -- before bossing the race, crossing the line 20 seconds ahead of teammate Bottas while Ricciardo pipped Vettel to third.
Drivers' title race after round 7
Vettel 141 points
Hamilton 129 points
Bottas 93 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Baku: Stroll makes history as title rivals clash – A chaotic race in Azerbaijan saw both Vettel and Hamilton miss the podium for the first time in 2017. The pair clashed on track during a Safety Car period from which Ricciardo ultimately profited. The Aussie's unlikely win was the fifth of his career, while Williams' teenager driver Lance Stroll (right) took third to become the youngest F1 rookie ever to make the podium.
Drivers' title race after round 8
Vettel 153 points
Hamilton 139 points
Bottas 111 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Spielberg: Bottas scores second win – Bottas gave another example of why Mercedes chose him to replace Nico Rosberg at the German team. The Finn dominated the Austrian Grand Prix weekend -- qualifying in pole before keeping Vettel at bay in the race. Hamilton who started from eighth on the grid battled back to fourth.
Drivers' title race after round 9
Vettel 171 points
Hamilton 151 points
Bottas 136 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Silverstone: Hamilton dominates home race – Hamilton was simply unstoppable at the British Grand Prix, qualifying more than half-a-second quicker than the Ferraris before delighting home fans with a commanding win. Both Vettel and teammate Raikkonen suffered punctures late in the race. Raikkonen recovered to finish third, but Vettel could only manage seventh, slashing his championship lead over Hamilton to a single point.
Drivers' title race after round 10
Vettel 177 points
Hamilton 176 points
Bottas 154 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Budapest: Vettel bounces back – Another race, another twist as this time Ferrari took the honors with Vettel leading teammate Raikkonen home, followed by the two Mercedes. Hamilton finished fourth after letting Bottas through for the final podium spot -- the Finn had let the Brit past earlier in what turned out to be an unsuccessful bid to chase down the two Ferraris.
Drivers' title race after round 11
Vettel 202 points
Hamilton 188 points
Bottas 169 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Spa: Hamilton makes F1 history – Hamilton equaled Michael Schumacher's all-time pole record of 68 at the Belgian Grand Prix and then fended off a challenge from Vettel in the final 10 laps to take the checkered flag and his third career victory at Spa Francorchamps.
Drivers' title race after round 12
Vettel 220 points
Hamilton 213 points
Bottas 179 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Monza: Hamilton wins in Ferrari's back yard – After trailing Vettel all season, Hamilton finally got his nose in front in the drivers' championship showing a zen-like composure at the Italian Grand Prix. Ferrari, however, had a weekend to forget on home soil. A poor qualifying in wet conditions was followed by a frustrating race. Vettel did squeak onto the podium behind the Mercedes duo, but his title lead had slipped away.
Drivers' title race after round 13
Hamilton 238 points
Vettel 235 points
Bottas 197 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Marina Bay Street Circuit: Ferrari crashes out – Disaster strikes for Ferrari in Singapore as both Vettel and Raikkonen crash out on the opening lap -- Raikkonen hit his teammate after colliding with Max Verstappen at the start. Lewis Hamilton, who started from fifth, avoids trouble and quickly assumes the lead which he holds to the checkered flag. The win, his third at the Singapore GP extends the Briton's lead over Vettel to 28 points.
Drivers' title race after round 14
Hamilton 263 points
Vettel 235 points
Bottas 212 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Vettel vs. Hamilton – Lewis Hamilton (left) and Sebastian Vettel have been engaged in one of most exciting championship battles of recent years.
Click through the gallery to see how the 2017 Formula One season has played out.
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1 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Melbourne: First blood to Vettel – The German took the checkered flag at the season opener in Melbourne leaving Hamilton and the Briton's new Mercedes teammate -- Valtteri Bottas -- trailing in his wake.
Drivers' title race after round 1
Vettel 25 points
Hamilton 18 points
Bottas 15 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Shanghai: Hamilton fights back – Hamilton pats his Mercedes car after it propelled him to victory at the Shanghai International Circuit. It was his fifth career win in China and saw the Briton draw level on points with Vettel who came home second. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third.
Drivers' title race after round 2
Vettel 43 points
Hamilton 43 points
Bottas 23 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Sakhir: Vettel shines under the lights – Vettel prevailed in Bahrain after Bottas had claimed a maiden pole in qualifying. During the race Hamilton was handed a five-second stop-go penalty for holding up Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo in the pit lane. Vettel took full advantage eventually cruising to a comfortable win.
Drivers' title race after round 3
Vettel 68 points
Hamilton 61 points
Bottas 38 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Sochi: Bottas scores maiden win – After claiming a first-ever pole in Bahrain, Bottas (far right) soared to a maiden F1 victory at the Russian Grand Prix. A fast start enabled the Finn to overtake the two Ferraris at the front of the grid. Vettel chased Bottas hard all the way to the line to claim second. Hamilton finished fourth.
Drivers' title race after round 4
Vettel 86 points
Hamilton 73 points
Bottas 63 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Barcelona: Hamilton reigns in Spain – After missing out on a podium in Russia, Hamilton roared back to the top step at the Spanish Grand Prix. The Briton was overtaken by Vettel at the start but Hamilton fought back, dramatically overtaking his title rival later in the race to take the checkered flag. Red Bull's Ricciardo took third -- his first podium of the season after Bottas suffered an engine failure.
Drivers' title race after round 5
Vettel 104 points
Hamilton 98 points
Bottas 63 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Monte Carlo: Vettel takes third win of season – Vettel's teammate Kimi Raikkonen claimed his first pole in nine years at Saturday's qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix but it was the German who prevailed in the race after the Finn had led in the early stages. Vettel assumed the lead after pitting slightly later than the Finn and never looked back. Ricciardo finished third with Bottas fourth. Hamilton, meanwhile, who had started 13th on the grid, finished the race in sixth.
Drivers' title race after round 6
Vettel 129 points
Hamilton 104 points
Bottas 75 points
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Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Montreal: Hamilton cuts Vettel's lead – After a disappointing showing at Monaco, Hamilton produced a driving masterclass in Montreal. In qualifying, he took his 65th career pole -- equaling Ayrton Senna's mark -- before bossing the race, crossing the line 20 seconds ahead of teammate Bottas while Ricciardo pipped Vettel to third.
Drivers' title race after round 7
Vettel 141 points
Hamilton 129 points
Bottas 93 points
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8 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Baku: Stroll makes history as title rivals clash – A chaotic race in Azerbaijan saw both Vettel and Hamilton miss the podium for the first time in 2017. The pair clashed on track during a Safety Car period from which Ricciardo ultimately profited. The Aussie's unlikely win was the fifth of his career, while Williams' teenager driver Lance Stroll (right) took third to become the youngest F1 rookie ever to make the podium.
Drivers' title race after round 8
Vettel 153 points
Hamilton 139 points
Bottas 111 points
Hide Caption
9 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Spielberg: Bottas scores second win – Bottas gave another example of why Mercedes chose him to replace Nico Rosberg at the German team. The Finn dominated the Austrian Grand Prix weekend -- qualifying in pole before keeping Vettel at bay in the race. Hamilton who started from eighth on the grid battled back to fourth.
Drivers' title race after round 9
Vettel 171 points
Hamilton 151 points
Bottas 136 points
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10 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Silverstone: Hamilton dominates home race – Hamilton was simply unstoppable at the British Grand Prix, qualifying more than half-a-second quicker than the Ferraris before delighting home fans with a commanding win. Both Vettel and teammate Raikkonen suffered punctures late in the race. Raikkonen recovered to finish third, but Vettel could only manage seventh, slashing his championship lead over Hamilton to a single point.
Drivers' title race after round 10
Vettel 177 points
Hamilton 176 points
Bottas 154 points
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11 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Budapest: Vettel bounces back – Another race, another twist as this time Ferrari took the honors with Vettel leading teammate Raikkonen home, followed by the two Mercedes. Hamilton finished fourth after letting Bottas through for the final podium spot -- the Finn had let the Brit past earlier in what turned out to be an unsuccessful bid to chase down the two Ferraris.
Drivers' title race after round 11
Vettel 202 points
Hamilton 188 points
Bottas 169 points
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12 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Spa: Hamilton makes F1 history – Hamilton equaled Michael Schumacher's all-time pole record of 68 at the Belgian Grand Prix and then fended off a challenge from Vettel in the final 10 laps to take the checkered flag and his third career victory at Spa Francorchamps.
Drivers' title race after round 12
Vettel 220 points
Hamilton 213 points
Bottas 179 points
Hide Caption
13 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Monza: Hamilton wins in Ferrari's back yard – After trailing Vettel all season, Hamilton finally got his nose in front in the drivers' championship showing a zen-like composure at the Italian Grand Prix. Ferrari, however, had a weekend to forget on home soil. A poor qualifying in wet conditions was followed by a frustrating race. Vettel did squeak onto the podium behind the Mercedes duo, but his title lead had slipped away.
Drivers' title race after round 13
Hamilton 238 points
Vettel 235 points
Bottas 197 points
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14 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Marina Bay Street Circuit: Ferrari crashes out – Disaster strikes for Ferrari in Singapore as both Vettel and Raikkonen crash out on the opening lap -- Raikkonen hit his teammate after colliding with Max Verstappen at the start. Lewis Hamilton, who started from fifth, avoids trouble and quickly assumes the lead which he holds to the checkered flag. The win, his third at the Singapore GP extends the Briton's lead over Vettel to 28 points.
Drivers' title race after round 14
Hamilton 263 points
Vettel 235 points
Bottas 212 points
Hide Caption
15 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Vettel vs. Hamilton – Lewis Hamilton (left) and Sebastian Vettel have been engaged in one of most exciting championship battles of recent years.
Click through the gallery to see how the 2017 Formula One season has played out.
Hide Caption
1 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Melbourne: First blood to Vettel – The German took the checkered flag at the season opener in Melbourne leaving Hamilton and the Briton's new Mercedes teammate -- Valtteri Bottas -- trailing in his wake.
Drivers' title race after round 1
Vettel 25 points
Hamilton 18 points
Bottas 15 points
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2 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Shanghai: Hamilton fights back – Hamilton pats his Mercedes car after it propelled him to victory at the Shanghai International Circuit. It was his fifth career win in China and saw the Briton draw level on points with Vettel who came home second. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third.
Drivers' title race after round 2
Vettel 43 points
Hamilton 43 points
Bottas 23 points
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3 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Sakhir: Vettel shines under the lights – Vettel prevailed in Bahrain after Bottas had claimed a maiden pole in qualifying. During the race Hamilton was handed a five-second stop-go penalty for holding up Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo in the pit lane. Vettel took full advantage eventually cruising to a comfortable win.
Drivers' title race after round 3
Vettel 68 points
Hamilton 61 points
Bottas 38 points
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4 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Sochi: Bottas scores maiden win – After claiming a first-ever pole in Bahrain, Bottas (far right) soared to a maiden F1 victory at the Russian Grand Prix. A fast start enabled the Finn to overtake the two Ferraris at the front of the grid. Vettel chased Bottas hard all the way to the line to claim second. Hamilton finished fourth.
Drivers' title race after round 4
Vettel 86 points
Hamilton 73 points
Bottas 63 points
Hide Caption
5 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Barcelona: Hamilton reigns in Spain – After missing out on a podium in Russia, Hamilton roared back to the top step at the Spanish Grand Prix. The Briton was overtaken by Vettel at the start but Hamilton fought back, dramatically overtaking his title rival later in the race to take the checkered flag. Red Bull's Ricciardo took third -- his first podium of the season after Bottas suffered an engine failure.
Drivers' title race after round 5
Vettel 104 points
Hamilton 98 points
Bottas 63 points
Hide Caption
6 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Monte Carlo: Vettel takes third win of season – Vettel's teammate Kimi Raikkonen claimed his first pole in nine years at Saturday's qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix but it was the German who prevailed in the race after the Finn had led in the early stages. Vettel assumed the lead after pitting slightly later than the Finn and never looked back. Ricciardo finished third with Bottas fourth. Hamilton, meanwhile, who had started 13th on the grid, finished the race in sixth.
Drivers' title race after round 6
Vettel 129 points
Hamilton 104 points
Bottas 75 points
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7 of 15
Photos: The story of the season so far ...
Montreal: Hamilton cuts Vettel's lead – After a disappointing showing at Monaco, Hamilton produced a driving masterclass in Montreal. In qualifying, he took his 65th career pole -- equaling Ayrton Senna's mark -- before bossing the race, crossing the line 20 seconds ahead of teammate Bottas while Ricciardo pipped Vettel to third.
Drivers' title race after round 7
Vettel 141 points
Hamilton 129 points
Bottas 93 points
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8 of 15
"I kind of watched the chaos in front of me -- I was fortunate enough to have a bad start. It looked like three going into one, but I don't know who was to blame."
Hamilton on cruise control
Never before in the 10-year history of the Singapore Grand Prix had rain affected the night race, but a deluge before sundown served notice of what a difficult night might be in store.
The rain cleared only to return 15 minutes before lights out, forcing drivers to switch to intermediate tires and full wets while waiting on the start grid.
The added grip was little help to Verstappen and Raikkonen as they slipped up, and into each other as they fought over the same piece of track.
It was an unexpected blessing for Hamilton who, with both Ferrari drivers out and only one Red Bull to deal with, controlled the race as the rain relented and the track dried out.
The Briton easily kept Ricciardo at arm's length even when the Safety Car inevitably came out as members of the chasing pack slid into the barriers -- in all, eight drivers retired.
Hamilton took the checkered flag after two hours with 58 laps of the scheduled 61 complete -- motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, stipulate that a race can last a maximum of 120 minutes.
Further down the field, Carlos Sainz finished fourth, with Sergio Perez and Jolyon Palmer following on behind.
Palmer's first points of the season may stand him in good stead as he looks to find another seat next year after recently being axed by Renault in favor of Sainz.
READ: McLaren splits with Honda, Sainz joins Renault 'on loan'
Sainz battled with his future Renault teammate Nico Hulkenberg for most of the race before the German was forced to retire.
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The DNF means Hulkenberg now holds the record outright for the most F1 races without a podium finish. Singapore marked his 129th race without any silverware, one more than compatriot Adrian Sutil who left F1 in 2014.
Ferrari and Vettel will need all the podiums they can get in the remaining six races starting at Malaysia in two weeks' time.
Vettel has a good record at the Sepang International Circuit with four wins compared to Hamilton's one. But after Spa, then Monza and now a win in Singapore, the Briton has momentum and perhaps the racing gods on his side as the season enters the final straight
News Courtesy: www.cnn.com
