[Speed.Demon]

Nope. Lewis was on the softs for the last leg, I believe.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by Blue_V

Vettel beats his team mate finally ! Return to form?
Regarding LH pulling away in the final stages, wasn't he on super softs?

Yes, he was on super softs but he made that set of super softs last more than what other drivers managed with their soft tyres, still extracting lap times in 1:50-1:52 range. He started pulling away at a time when his super softs were already ~15 laps old. Great driving.

Originally Posted by Speed.Demon

Nope. Lewis was on the softs for the last leg, I believe.

I think Blue_V meant the time after the safety car and before Lewis's final pitstop. That was when Hamilton pulled away 27 seconds clear of Vettel.

[sgiitk]

I feel sorry for Rosberg, I wish he was there at he end.

[deetjohn]

Finally the law of averages caught up with Nico and Lewis leads the championship for the first time now. Merc is far from reliable and I hope there are no DNFs from now on. It will be a shame to decide the champion on account of reliability.

And wow! I don't think I recall Singapore grand prix ever being this interesting. The second half after the SC period was intense.

Lewis wanted to take the opponents out on the track after making an early pit stop. But his team wanted him to build a sufficient gap to jump cars. And Lewis did some stunning laps on that super softs to build a gap. But this was nail biting stuff as another SC would have certainly ruined that strategy.

Vettel gets the best result so far this season on the track he owns. Ferrari could have got the Bulls with a better strategy. Surprisingly, the F14T had good pace over here.

[Fullrevs]

That was a fun race to watch. Fabulous driving by Lewis. Looked like he had lost the win but the last stint before his final pitstop was epic. Schumacheresque! That car has so much pace in reserve, the way he plucked out a 25sec lead to vettel was really inspiring to watch.

Alonso looked extremely strong and good for a second place finish if it wasnt for the safety car. The ferrari was awesome on super softs but just didnt have enough on the softs to take the RBR's, despite him stopping later than Ricciardo and Vettel. Really hoped to see the ferrari on the podium but it wasnt meant to be. I dont think there would be such a opportunity on any of the remaining tracks. We go to Japan next were raw pace and downforce will play a huge role.

Vergne sure had an exciting race. He must have pulled off atleast 10 overtaking moves. True he did most of them by gaining an advantage at the run-off but still some exciting moves.

Anyone catch Magnussen cooling his hands off during the safety car period? The poor chap is being treated for burns apparently.

[asr245]

Another so-so Singapore GP. Unfortunate for Rosberg. I was hoping to see a battle all the way through. SC was a bother. I thought did stayed out too long just to clear off some debris. What was it? 8-10 laps?

After the SC, it was hardly a race to watch, with Hamilton being the only one providing some excitement. That was great driving. I didn't think it was possible. I thought he was screwed. Probably the difference between S & SS was quite big in S'pore.

Bring on Suzuka.

Originally Posted by zenren

Yes, he was on super softs but he made that set of super softs last more than what other drivers managed with their soft tyres, still extracting lap times in 1:50-1:52 range. He started pulling away at a time when his super softs were already ~15 laps old. Great driving.

No way were those tires 15 laps old (when SC pitted). His 1st stint was I think around 12-13 laps and he was on 3 stops.

[tazmaan]

Originally Posted by asr245

No way were those tires 15 laps old (when SC pitted). His 1st stint was I think around 12-13 laps and he was on 3 stops.

Hamilton had pitted 3 or 4 laps before the safety car. He went through the SC period on the same tires until he pitted for the last time.

[Hatari]

An anti climax in the end. Shame that Rosberg's car broke down. Quite sure that Alonso would have pressured Vettel if he had behind him, Ric albeit with ERS issues had fresher tires and DRS from Vettel to defend.

Good to see Ferrari back on the pace.. appears they will finish ahead of Williams comfortably in the Constructors.

[gtonsing]

Exciting race over all. It was headed to a "another singapore race" then the safety car changed everything.
What pace on Hamilton's car. Too bad his team mate retired. But what I witnessed was amazing concern for the team - when Hamilton pitted towards the end of the race, there was a somber sense concern on Rosberg's face as he watched from the side-lines (dont know if it would be the same if it were the other way around)
Good stuff from SFI as well, didnt expect them to finish any points but good job done there from both drivers. They are now ahead of McLaren-Mercedes. I hope they resume their 1st half of the season performance.
I dont like the 5 second stop go penalty. having been penalised, Vergne SHOULD be made to make the stop. Whats the whole point of penalising someone when he has not even dropped a spot by not making the stop? It should be made mandatory to make the stops if penalised, otherwise it loses its meaning.

[asr245]

Originally Posted by gtonsing

I dont like the 5 second stop go penalty. having been penalised, Vergne SHOULD be made to make the stop. Whats the whole point of penalising someone when he has not even dropped a spot by not making the stop? It should be made mandatory to make the stops if penalised, otherwise it loses its meaning.

Making someone go through the pits for an illegal/invalid overtake might be on overkill, but 5 seconds is probably too less. If I feel i can gain more than 5 seconds in the next few laps I might actually not mind the 5 second penalty, which is exactly what Vergne did.

Originally Posted by tazmaan

Hamilton had pitted 3 or 4 laps before the safety car. He went through the SC period on the same tires until he pitted for the last time.

8-10 laps under SC will have to be discounted. Even those SS would have done probably 50 laps at SC speed. So not exactly the same thing.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Ferrari could have got the Bulls with a better strategy. Surprisingly, the F14T had good pace over here.

James Allison seems to have made the F14T into another 2013 Lotus: fast through corners and twisty sections of the track but not enough top speed to overtake others. Kimi seems to be in a very familiar territory in that regard.

Originally Posted by asr245

Making someone go through the pits for an illegal/invalid overtake might be on overkill, but 5 seconds is probably too less. If I feel i can gain more than 5 seconds in the next few laps I might actually not mind the 5 second penalty, which is exactly what Vergne did.

Kimi should have done the same once Button stopped - cut the chicane to overtake Bottas, and then put pressure on Massa to get that position. Even with a 5 seconds added, he could have finished 5th.

[Speed.Demon]

Little wonder that Daniil Kvyat suffered from dehydration after his Torro Rosso team revealed his drinks bottle failed before the race even started. It's incredible that he managed to cope until the end.

Wow. How he managed to finish the race in those conditions, I can't imagine.

[Blue_V]

Originally Posted by Speed.Demon

Wow. How he managed to finish the race in those conditions, I can't imagine.

Also Magnussen could not drink since the drink got too hot !

[Fullrevs]

Originally Posted by Hatari

Good to see Ferrari back on the pace.. appears they will finish ahead of Williams comfortably in the Constructors.

I wouldnt count on it Hatari. The remaining tracks require good straight line speed and downforce. Both of which ferrari are lacking. The reason for their pace in Singapore was because straight line speed and downforce arent overly important. Traction is the most important thing there which Ferrari isnt too poor in, the car is quite kind on tyre wear and to add they have the magical powers of Fernando Alonso.

Ferrari are going to struggle in Suzuka. I dont think they can cover up the gap in just two weeks. All of the remaining races are fly-away races and its going to be hard to get parts from the factory in time. They are going to need some really aggressive strategies to hold off Williams.

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by Fullrevs

I wouldnt count on it Hatari. The remaining tracks require good straight line speed and downforce. Both of which ferrari are lacking. The reason for their pace in Singapore was because straight line speed and downforce arent overly important. Traction is the most important thing there which Ferrari isnt too poor in, the car is quite kind on tyre wear and to add they have the magical powers of Fernando Alonso.

Ferrari are going to struggle in Suzuka. I dont think they can cover up the gap in just two weeks. All of the remaining races are fly-away races and its going to be hard to get parts from the factory in time. They are going to need some really aggressive strategies to hold off Williams.

Ferrari are down on traction and downforce, but are in a better state than Williams. Apart from Austin and Abu Dhabi, which have long straights and where Williams will have the advantage, the other three circuits should suit Ferrari.

Kimi will play a key role, he will need to be on top of his game.