Fernando Alonso produced a masterful drive yesterday to win an incident-packed Singapore Grand Prix ahead of a charging Sebastian Vettel to put the world championship title race on a knife-edge.
Starting from pole position, the Ferrari star led from start to finish for the second race in a row to take the checkered flag, just 0.2 seconds ahead of the Red Bull tyro.
It was a measured performance from the two-time world champion Spaniard, who outpaced his title rivals under floodlights for his fourth win of the season and the 25th of his career.
PHOTO: REUTERS
In hot and humid conditions, but on a dry track, the other Red Bull of Mark Webber came third to keep him atop the championship standings, leaving McLaren’s Jenson Button in fourth, but it was another disastrous day for Lewis Hamilton in the other McLaren, failing to finish his second Grand Prix in a row after colliding with Webber on lap 36, dealing his championship hopes a potentially devastating blow.
Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes came fifth, with Rubens Barrichello in a Williams sixth, Robert Kubica’s Renault seventh and Adrian Sutil’s Force India eighth.
It leaves the championship race finely poised with four Grand Prix to go, starting in Japan next month, before South Korea, then to Brazil and Abu Dhabi for the finale.
Webber now leads with 202 points ahead of Alonso on 191, Hamilton on 182, Vettel a point further adrift and Button on 177.
The front row of the grid was always going to be decisive on the tight Marina Bay street circuit where overtaking is difficult and Alonso made the most of starting on pole, as he did in Monza two weeks ago.
Driving with aplomb and assurance on a track that demands precision, nerve and confidence, he came through the opening corner scramble in prime position ahead of Vettel.
Alonso and Vettel were wheel-to-wheel at the front at the end of the race, but the experienced Spaniard held on to win in Singapore for the second time in three years.
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