Sebastian Vettel spots fan on Singaporean Grand Prix track; bags first place
The Singaporean Grand Prix on Sunday was full of incidents and accidents that it forced the safety car to make an appearance twice.
The Daily Mail UK reports that Formula One had a major security and safety threat during the race when a man was seen wandering across the circuit, which prompted the second safety car sighting that night. Ferrari racer Sebastian Vettel was the first to see and report the incident, shouting "There's a man on the track, there's a man on the track!" on his radio. The unidentified man may have been under the influence of alcohol during his crazy stint, but it has definitely caused Vettel the fright of his life.
Fortunately, that didn't stop the German racer from bagging the top spot as he snatches the victory from title lead Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton, who had an unfortunate technical issue, CNN writes. The mysterious engine power out has forced Hamilton to retire for the first time this year, making his team mate Nico Rosberg close in the title gap by 41 points.
Vettel's Singaporean Grand Prix win is his third for this season, making his chances of grabbing his fifth F1 racing championship slim, as there are only six races and 150 points left for this season. However, Vettel states he and his team might make the impossible happen as he continues to bet on that small chance. Although it is clearly unattainable, Vettel may get that second place win if he continues to maintain the same kind of spunk he showed last Sunday, since he is only behind Rosberg by eight points.
The on-track incidents, beginning with the collision of Nico Hulkenberg and Felipe Massa which made the first safety car appear, and the difficult twists of the Marina Bay circuit might have created a "blessing in disguise" for Vettel but he was unquestionably the fastest racer that night from start to finish, BBC writes. He stabilized his lead with a three-second lead on the first lap, increasing it to five seconds by the third lap. Vettel shares that the race could have been one of his best yet and even four-time F1 world champion Alain Prost agrees.
After Vettel, Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen took second and third place, respectively. Hamilton's teammate Nico Rosberg took fourth, while Williams' Valtteri Bottas finished fifth.