Sebastian Vettel won the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix as Ferrari went 1-2 and won their third consecutive race since the summer break. Vettel’s teammate Charles Leclerc finished second and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed the third and final podium position.
Leclerc was the pole-sitter with defending champion Lewis Hamilton starting in second and Vettel starting alongside him in third with Verstappen in fourth on the grid. The first 19 laps were a snoozefest as the top six cars did not change in order but once the pit crossovers began on Lap 20, things got interesting as teams exposed their pit stop strategies.
Vettel and Verstappen pitted first and that turned out to be the crucial decision that got each of them podium positions. By the time Leclerc had pitted on the next lap, Vettel had run a fast enough lap to overcome Leclerc as he exited the pits. Similarly, Verstappen’s early pit allowed him to build up a big enough cushion of time to keep him in front of Hamilton when he eventually pitted on Lap 27. After some more minor shuffling of positions, all six cars reverted to their eventual finishing order from Lap 34 onward.
With the victory, the third spot in the 2019 Formula One driver’s championship tightens up significantly. Hamilton still maintains a commanding lead with 296 points while his teammate, Valtteri Bottas holds on to second with 231 points but third place is a free-for-all between Leclerc [200 points], Verstappen [200 points] and Vettel [194 points].
2019 Singapore Grand Prix Top Five
1] Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari
2] Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
3] Max Verstappen – Red Bull
4] Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
5] Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes