Formula 1 2019 Singapore Grand Prix

Leclerc aired his frustrations over the team radio during the first and second of three safety car periods, complaining he did not think the way the order had shaken out, as a result of Vettel pitting a lap earlier than him, was "fair".<br>However, he later said he understood the strategy when Ferrari explained it to him. But what was that explanation, and is it really feasible that the team would ...

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Vettel’s first victory of 2019 ended a wait of more than a year for a win, stretching back to the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix.<br>The four-time world champion has come under scrutiny for multiple high-profile mistakes in that period, including a spin and “dangerous” return to the track at the previous race in Italy.<br>Asked how it felt to hit back, the Ferrari driver said said: “Maybe less ...

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The two Renault drivers had eventful races, with both Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo suffering punctures after collisions with other cars.<br>Ricciardo started 20th after receiving a penalty and made good early progress through the field, but he fell back to an eventual 14th after he picked up a puncture in a clash with Antonio Giovinazzi.<br>Hulkenberg dropped to the rear of the field after ...

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Leclerc lost a third straight F1 win after Ferrari pit teammate Sebastian Vettel first in the Singapore GP, to try to get Vettel ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton into second place, and an unexpected 3.9-second gain on fresh tyres allowed Vettel to jump Leclerc as well.<br>Leclerc said Vettel's one-lap "undercut" was not planned before the race and this "will be one of the discussions too, to try ...

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Verstappen struggled to match Ferrari and Mercedes for pace in qualifying, citing a lack of grip after earning only fourth place on the grid - which became third in the race after he jumped ahead of Lewis Hamilton via strategy.<br>Despite coming off poor weekends in Spa and Monza – where he had first-lap incidents – Verstappen was not satisfied with landing only the third spot on the ...

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Kubica announced ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix that he would be leaving Williams at the end of the season, although he had not made his mind up what he wanted to do.<br>While he has been linked with other racing series including DTM, the likelihood is that he will want to retain some ties with F1.<br>Steiner has revealed that he is discussions with the former grand prix winner about a role for ...

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Despite holding a 96-point advantage over his nearest non Mercedes rival, Hamilton says the resurgent form of Ferrari has left him mindful about the challenges that still lay ahead.<br>And after a bruising Singapore Grand Prix, when a wrong strategy call cost Hamilton the chance of a win, the Briton is clear that his outfit needs to refocus.<br>Reflecting on the growing threat of Ferrari and Red ...

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Bottas had been pitted earlier than Hamilton as the team tried to find a way to get past the lead Ferrari cars, but its decision to extend the world champion’s first stint opened up the risk of him falling behind his Finnish teammate.<br>Just before Hamilton’s stop, Mercedes strategist James Vowles was heard over the radio instructing Bottas to back off by several seconds and hold up the ...

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Leclerc controlled the race from pole position but fell behind Vettel when Ferrari brought the German in to pit first.<br>Vettel's pace on fresh tyres was so much stronger that he jumped Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc, despite his teammate only pitting one lap later.<br>Leclerc voiced his displeasure during the grand prix after losing the position on a strategy call, and Ferrari will review its ...

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Magnussen had looked on course for an eighth-place finish at the Marina Bay circuit but it all went wrong after the final safety car period when a clear plastic bag got stuck in the left side of front wing – badly affecting the car's aerodynamics.<br>The bag, which can be seen in the exclusive photograph below, cost the Haas driver around four seconds per lap of pace.<br>The team had no choice ...

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Mercedes was viewed as the favourite at the downforce-reliant street circuit, but could only finish fourth and fifth with the two cars, missing out on a podium only for the second time this season.<br>This was despite points leader Lewis Hamilton starting on the front row and running second initially, the Briton ultimately losing out by making his sole pitstop several laps after his ...

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Though a 10-second penalty was added to his race time, Giovinazzi had finished 17.6s clear of 11th-placed Romain Grosjean.<br>The incident occurred when a recovery crane was on track at the exit of Turn 8 to retrieve George Russell's Williams, which had ended up in the wall following a tangle with Grosjean.<br>A stewards' statement said: "The race director had instructed all cars to stay to the ...

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Sainz and Hulkenberg maintained their starting positions of seventh and eighth after the opening corners, with the former attacking Red Bull's Alex Albon for sixth.<br>Attempting to find a way around the outside of Albon at Turn 5, Sainz was instead collected by Hulkenberg, who had taken the inside line.<br>The incident left Sainz with a puncture and significant floor damage, while Hulkenberg also ...

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Kvyat was trying to pass Raikkonen for 12th place into the first corner with 12 laps to go when they made contact.<br>While Toro Rosso driver Kvyat was able to continue and finish 15th, Raikkonen was out on the spot with broken front suspension.<br>"I was surprised because I made a move, I made it clear," said Kvyat. "He moved under braking, a thing we discuss a lot, and he was the one against it ...

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The crash happened when Grosjean had tried to hang his Haas VF-19 round the outside of Russell exiting Turn 8 in a lap 35 battle for 17th place.<br>His right-front tyre made contact with the left rear of Russell and the Briton's Williams was speared into the wall, Russell retiring on the spot and telling his team "I shouldn't be surprised" in the immediate aftermath.<br>Grosjean went on to finish ...

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Leclerc led the opening phase of the Marina Bay race, as he slowed the field up in a bid to keep his tyres alive for as long as possible.<br>Ferrari elected to pit Vettel first and the early stop on fresh tyres handed the German enough of a pace advantage over one lap to jump Leclerc with the undercut.<br>Speaking over the team radio during the first safety car phase, Leclerc made it clear that he ...

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Leclerc led the opening phase of the race from pole position but fell behind Vettel after Ferrari pit the second-placed car first, which Vettel converted into a first win of the season to end a drought stretching back to the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix.<br>After being told to save his engine 15 laps from the finish, Leclerc's response to Ferrari included: "I just don't think it is fair, but I won't do ...

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Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull have all offered to take part in the test and, in conjunction with the FIA, Pirelli now has to decide which teams will do it, having indicated that it might be possible for all three to run.<br>The Spanish circuit was originally booked by Pirelli for 18-inch F2 running.<br>Pirelli had requested the extra test in order to prove its latest 2020 constructions on a high ...

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Leclerc surprised Mercedes and Red Bull by putting his Ferrari on pole position, although Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton will line up alongside him.<br>Hamilton has hounded Leclerc in the past two grands prix but such relentless pressure comes at a bigger cost in Singapore, which is a long race that takes its toll on the drivers, cars and tyres.<br>Wolff said: "I think it's more difficult here ...

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After a tricky opening day of practice at the Marina Bay circuit, Haas elected to revert to the floor, bargeboard and rear wing package it used for the first race of the season on Grosjean's car – while sticking with the latest front wing.<br>Although a lack of preparation time meant the French driver could not extract the most from the package and he got knocked out in Q1, he is adamant the ...

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Following the session, FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer reported that Ricciardo's car had exceeded the MGU-K power limit of 120kW during Q1.<br>Renault made it clear that the power spike created an advantage of just one microsecond, and pointed out that it didn't occur on the lap which actually got Ricciardo from Q1 to Q3.<br>However, after meeting team representatives Alan Permane and Remi Taffin ...

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A significant upgrade package helped Charles Leclerc claims his third pole position in a row at a circuit most expected to be the domain of Mercedes and Red Bull.<br>It is part of Ferrari's pursuit of greater peak downforce, an area it has been weaker in that Mercedes and Red Bull this season.<br>Greater aerodynamic efficiency and a powerful engine made it a major factor at power-sensitive ...

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At a track where many expected Red Bull to shine, Verstappen earned fifth in Q1, fourth in Q2 and fourth in Q3, 0.6 seconds behind Ferrari's polesitter Charles Leclerc.<br>“Of course I’m disappointed with the result,” the Dutch driver said. “At the moment I don’t have a clear answer on why.<br>“Yesterday [Friday] felt alright, but not amazing. Some corners we were lacking and we ...

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Mercedes had a particular issue with tyre warm-up, with the drivers requiring a faster out lap than most of their rivals in order to get tyres up to temperature.<br>In the build-up to his final run in Q3, Bottas was trying to make a gap for himself while keeping up sufficient speed to maintain tyre temperature when he was unexpectedly passed by Hamilton.<br>That forced him to slow to create a gap ...

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Ricciardo was placed under investigation after the MGU-K unit on his car was found to have delivered more electrical energy than allowed by the rules during the grid-deciding sessions.<br>As a result of the stewards' decision, Ricciardo has lost the eighth-place grid spot he had scored for Sunday's race and is now set to start last as he has been given permission to start from the rear of field by ...

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Leclerc's fifth pole of the season and third in a row surprised himself and Mercedes' lead driver Lewis Hamilton, as Ferrari has struggled in high-downforce trim this year.<br>However, ongoing aerodynamic development has brought extra performance to the car in Singapore, where Sebastian Vettel backed up teammate Leclerc in third.<br>Mercedes team principal Wolff said: "When you look at Charles' ...

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The Australian had qualified eighth at the Marina Bay circuit, as his Enstone-based outfit hopes to continue a run of form that has helped it close in on rivals McLaren in the constructors' championship.<br>But a post-qualifying inspection of his car by the FIA has found that the MGU-K on his car delivered more electrical energy than is allowed under the regulations.<br>A note from F1 technical ...

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Charles Leclerc claimed his third pole position in a row as Ferrari surprised pre-event favourites Mercedes and Red Bull in qualifying, though Hamilton was able to split the two Ferraris in second. <br>Ferrari has brought a significant upgrade to this race, including a revised nose, cape and floor, which appears to have provided the aerodynamic gains needed for the team to be more competitive on ...

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Norris had been seventh after the opening runs in the final stage of qualifying at the Marina Bay track – and had finished sixth in both Q1 and Q2 – before he was shuffled down the order by Renault pair Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg.<br><br>Read Also:<br><br>Singapore GP: Leclerc beats Hamilton to pole by 0.191s<br><br><br>The 19-year-old said that a compromised warm-up lap ahead of his ...

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Leclerc secured his third pole position in a row, and fifth of the season, as Ferrari shocked pre-event favourites Mercedes and Red Bull at the Marina Bay circuit.<br>Sebastian Vettel was on provisional pole after the first run in the final part of qualifying but Leclerc overhauled his teammate at the end, and now has the most poles of any driver this season.<br>Leclerc said: “It was quite a ...

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Amid ongoing discussions between teams and F1 owners Liberty Media about trialling a few reverse grid qualifying races in 2020, the sport's most successful current drivers have hit out at the idea.<br>"I don't really know what to say," said a bemused Hamilton when asked in Singapore for his views on the concept.<br>"The people that proposed that don't really know what they are talking ...

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With Ferrari's aerodynamic upgrades giving it a significant boost in performance around a circuit that even the team expected would not suit it, Sebastian Vettel set the pace on the first runs in Q3.<br>But Vettel's second attempt was scruffy, resulting in him aborting to the pits, leaving the way for Leclerc to claim pole position.<br>After the lap, he claimed over the radio that he lost control ...

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Grosjean has been retained by Haas for 2020, extending his time with the team to a fifth season.<br>Haas opted for Grosjean over signing outgoing Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg and announced the Frenchman's continuation with the team ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.<br>Though Grosjean had made it clear his priority was to stay in F1 with Haas, he had hinted at the previous race in Italy that he ...

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The Racing Point driver clouted the wall at the exit of the final chicane during the final free practice session, hitting the wall with the right-hand side of his car.<br>Following an inspection of his machine in the garage, Racing Point realised that Perez's gearbox could not be used again so a new one is to be fitted. It means he will take a grid drop later on.<br>"After our inspection we found ...

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Albon replaced Pierre Gasly from the Belgian Grand Prix with a view to the team using the second half of the season to evaluate if he had what it takes to secure a seat for next year.<br>And with Albon having scored in his first two outings with the team, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has suggested that the Thai driver is the leading contender.<br>Asked by Motorsport.com if Albon was on ...

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Ferrari was not expected to challenge for honours in Singapore and its lead car was 0.8s off the pace in Friday practice, but Leclerc improved his own fastest time on the opening day by almost two seconds in FP3. <br>A 1m38.192s launched the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix winner to top spot, two tenths clear of Mercedes driver Hamilton. <br>Leclerc spent most of FP3 on top, setting the pace in ...

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