SINGAPORE: Britain’s Lewis Hamilton eased to victory from pole position at the floodlit Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday as the Mercedes driver extended his Formula One championship championship lead over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to 40 points with six rounds remaining.

Hamilton made a clean start and was largely untroubled as he held off a mid-race challenge from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to register a record-equalling fourth triumph at the Marina Bay Street Circuit track, while Vettel finished a distant third to slip further behind in the title race.

“I definitely didn’t come to Singapore thinking I’d come away with 10 points more [than Vettel],” a jubilant Hamilton said. “I know I can’t get ahead of myself, we can’t get ahead of ourselves.”

A unique set of challenges makes the steamy track in the heat and humidity of Singapore’s tropical climate the toughest physical test of the season.

The duration of the race, with each of the 61 laps of the 5.063 kilometre track having 23 bends and 80 gear changes — more than any other on the Formula One calendar — means that drivers and machinery are worked to breaking point.

“I’m spent. It felt like the longest race of my life so I’m glad it’s over,” said Hamilton when interviewed on track after hugging his crew in celebration. “Max put up a great fight as well — but what a day, what a weekend.”

His team-mate Valtteri Bottas was fourth ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso, who won the inaugural race here 10 years ago, was seventh for McLaren in his final F1 season.

Hamilton’s 69th overall victory was his seventh of the season and it was built on the foundations of a stunning qualifying lap on Saturday, when he stormed to pole in a car deemed inferior to the Ferraris and Red Bulls on this circuit.

For Vettel and Ferrari it was another disappointing weekend after the car showed plenty of pace through all three practice sessions, the German’s cause not helped by a questionable strategy and a poor pitstop.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2018