Singapore
Lewis Hamilton dominates the Singtel Singapore Grand Prix from start to finish.
Timo Glock with an outstanding drive brings his Toyota home in second.
Fernando Alonso giving Renault F1 some joy with a podium.
Don’t be afraid of the dark. The second Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix takes place on Sunday at the Marina Bay street circuit. The night race made history for all the wrong reasons almost a year after the inaugural event in 2008. Renault racer Nelson Piquet Jnr. revealed – conveniently after being released from the team following the Hungarian Grand Prix – that his crash was deliberate per the wishes of team principal Flavio Briatore and director of engineering Pat Symonds.
All three are (not) missing in action in Singapore. Flavio, gone indefinitely from the paddock and the sport. Symonds, barred for five years after a distinguished career in which he worked with Senna, Schumacher and Alonso before any of these now legendary names ever won a race.
Piquet, given immunity for his courtesy driving of the Greyhound over the careers of Briatore and Symonds, will need father’s fortune to have another chance in Formula 1. He will be well advised to “leave the driving to others”.
Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s race from pole position in his McLaren-Mercedes, third pole of the season for Pussy Cat Doll’s Ken. Sharing the front row will be Sebastian Vettel in his Red Bull-Renault, still in running for the championship with the Brawn Boys.
Nico Rosberg in a Williams-Toyota, who finished second last year in Singapore, is sharing the second row with Mark Webber’s Red Bull-Renault.
Both championship leader Jenson Button and his nearest challenger Rubens Barrichello have their work cut out for them as they are starting 12th and 10th on the grid respectively. The Brazilian not only crashed from his fifth qualifying spot but had to add five grid penalty for gearbox change.
The New Felipe Baby! Felipe Nasr of Brazil, recently crowned as Formula BMW Europe Champion in his first year of single seater racing, took victory in race one of Formula BMW Asia support race in Singapore from pole position, and starts Sunday’s race two also from pole.
This is the next Brazilian racing sensation. The Samba beat goes on.
— Nasir Hameed
Greetings from California.
Lewis Hamilton has pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix.
Rubens Barrichello crashes out ending the qualifying session.
Vettel keeps his title hopes alive as he joines Hamilton on the front row.
Rosberg with the session stopped had to settle for third equaling his career-best.
Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:46.977 1:46.657 1:47.891
2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:47.541 1:46.362 1:48.204
3. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:47.390 1:46.197 1:48.348
4. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:47.646 1:46.328 1:48.722
5. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:47.397 1:46.787 1:48.828
6. Alonso Renault (B) 1:47.757 1:46.767 1:49.054
7. Glock Toyota (B) 1:47.770 1:46.707 1:49.180
8. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:47.347 1:46.832 1:49.307
9. Kubica BMW-Sauber (B) 1:47.615 1:46.813 1:49.514
10. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:47.542 1:46.842 1:49.778
11. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:47.637 1:47.013
12. Button Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:47.180 1:47.141
13. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:47.293 1:47.177
14. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:47.677 1:47.369
15. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:47.690 1:47.413
16. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:48.231
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:48.340
18. Fisichella Ferrari (B) 1:48.350
19. Grosjean Renault (B) 1:48.544
20. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:48.792