The 2018 Singapore Grand Prix is in the books and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton won in a snoozer over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
The race itself only had a couple dramatic moments but one of those was at the beginning when Hamilton, sitting on the pole position, beat Verstappen to the first corner to grab the lead, then Vettel passed Verstappen to grab second place shortly before a safety car was deployed for a first lap kerfuffle between Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon that knocked Ocon out of the race. Except for pit crossovers from Lap 16 to 28, Hamilton led the entire race and was never seriously challenged. Verstappen retook his second place starting position during the pit crossovers and Vettel was never challenged for the third and final podium position so ASN awards points in that finishing order for the race. Hamilton comfortably leads over Vettel for this category.
The Pastor Maldonado Driving School Award was just as easy to award with Perez making a bid for it with his first lap scuffle with his teammate that knocked his teammate out of the race but then cementing the award by intentionally hitting Williams’ Sergey Sirotkin when he apparently felt Sirotkin was being too feisty in not allowing him to easily pass – resulting in a drivethrough penalty from the stewards and his first point of the season in this category. Verstappen has a commanding lead in this category.
The Kimi Raikkonen “Leave Me Alone! I Know What I’m Doing!” Award was a 50-50 split between Perez and the pit of Verstappen. Perez spent multiple radio transmissions whinging about Sirotkin while Verstappen complained about Sirotkin and Haas’ Romain Grosjean racing for position in front of him and the pit responded with the simple answer – “They’re racing.” Hamilton and Verstappen share the lead in this category.
The Bernie Ecclestone Doofus Moment Award was another shared award this week between the award namesake and former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg when Rosberg talked to Ecclestone in a pre-race interview for Rosberg’s podcast and Ecclestone effused about controversial USA president Donald Trump amongst his many other brain farts while Rosberg supplied him with the platform to speak. Hamilton leads this category.
ASN 2018 Formula One Driver Rankings – After Singapore Grand Prix
1] Lewis Hamilton – 29 points
2] Sebastian Vettel – 21
3] Kimi Raikkonen – 10
4] Max Verstappen – nine
5] Valtteri Bottas/Daniel Ricciardo – eight
7] Sergio Perez – three
8] Pierre Gasly/Nico Hulkenberg – two
2018 Pastor Maldonado Driving School Award – After Singapore Grand Prix
1] Verstappen – 5.33 points
2] Grosjean – two
3] Vettel – 1.5
4] Bottas/Hulkenberg/Perez/Sirotkin/Stoffel Vandoorne – one
9] Raikkonen – .5
10] Red Bull/Ricciardo – .33
2018 Kimi Raikkonen “Leave Me Alone! I Know What I’m Doing!” Award – After Singapore Grand Prix
1] Hamilton/Verstappen – four points
3] Fernando Alonso – 2.5
4] Bottas/Raikkonen/Vettel – one
7] Perez/Minttu Raikkonen/Verstappen pit – .5
2018 Bernie Ecclestone Doofus Moment Award – After Singapore Grand Prix
1] Hamilton – 2.125 points
2] McLaren/Mercedes – 1.5
4] Verstappen – 1.125
5] Canadian Grand Prix officials/Ferrari pit [Raikkonen]/Force India/Mercedes pit [Hamilton]/Monaco Grand Prix officials/Vettel – one
11] Ecclestone – .625
12] Azerbaijan Grand Prix officials/Nico Rosberg/Spanish Grand Prix officials – .5
15] Gasly/Grosjean/Hulkenberg/Kevin Magnussen/Toto Wolff – .125