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  Sports   In Other sports  18 Sep 2017  Lewis Hamilton prevails among chaos, drama

Lewis Hamilton prevails among chaos, drama

AFP
Published : Sep 18, 2017, 1:58 am IST
Updated : Sep 18, 2017, 1:58 am IST

Briton seizes control of c’ship as Ferraris crash out.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay City Circuit on Sunday. (Photo: AP)
 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay City Circuit on Sunday. (Photo: AP)

Singapore: Lewis Hamilton won a chaotic and rain-hit Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday to seize control of the Formula One world championship as his title rival Sebastian Vettel crashed out on the first lap.

Ferrari’s Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen all went out just after the start of the first wet race in Singapore, which saw three safety cars and finished with only 12 drivers.

It all played perfectly into the hands of Mercedes driver Hamilton, who went from fifth on the grid to first and held off Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo to clinch his third win in a row.

With his 60th race victory and seventh this season, Hamilton — who had said he needed a “miracle” after struggling in qualifying — stands 28 points ahead of Vettel with six grands prix left this year.

“Guys what can I say — what a turn-around today! Fantastic job with the team strategy,” Hamilton said over the radio, before leaping out of his car and hugging his engineers. 

Some drivers had expressed concerns about visibility in the wet under floodlights, but the night race had hardly started when it lost three of the first four cars on the grid.

Raikkonen ploughed into Red Bull’s Verstappen on the first corner, taking both cars out of the race and also heavily shunting Fernando Alonso’s McLa-ren. Pole-sitter Vettel, who had been looking to reclaim the world championship lead from Hamilton, spun further ahead and lost his front wing, a crash that also ended his race.

But Hamilton dodged the pile-up and he progressed from fifth on the grid to first, ahead of Ricciardo, as the race finally restarted after a safety car. Alonso lasted just a few laps before the damage sustained forced him to retire.

Tags: lewis hamilton, singapore grand prix