SINGAPORE – Fernando Alonso’s surge from 15th on the starting grid to taking the checkered flag at Formula One’s first ever night race, became one of the most memorable in the Spanish superstar’s career. In not undermining Alonso’s talent there were mistakes and errors from other drivers that helped Fernando hoist his champagne bottle at the end of the day.
During the initial stages Felipe Massa took a comfortable lead over championship rival Lewis Hamilton, stretching the distance to four seconds. Alonso’s teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. however took an early exit on lap 13 when he planted his R28 into the wall. This prompted the first safety car to make its way onto the track.
The Ferrari team renowned for its excellent team coordination during the Michael Schumacher-Ross Brawn days, saw another blunder this weekend at the pit lane. Felipe Massa exited his first pit stop with the fuel hose still attached to his car. Massa came out at the back of the pack and received a drive-thru penalty for a dangerous exit, unfortunately he would finish 13th.
To gain an early advantage Alonso opted for soft tires and low fuel. The team pulled him in ahead of the safety car which resulted him moving to fourth. Fortunately for Fernando two of the cars ahead of him still needed to make a pit stop while Nico Rosberg was given a stop and go penalty for making a pit stop when the pits were closed.
The strategy worked for Alonso as he inched his way to first, with Nico Rosberg finishing second regardless of the pit lane penalty, while teammate Kazuki Nakajima secured the final point paying position at eighth. Hamilton took the final podium and took home six points. Heikki Kovalainen however finished tenth.
Timo Glock helped Toyota stay within striking distance of Renault for the fourth position in the constructors championship by taking five points as he finished at fourth. Jarno Trulli faced gearbox problems in the later stages of the race and squashed any hopes of additional points.
BMW Sauber along with the three front runner teams faced similar fortune as McLaren Mercedes. Nick Heidfeld salvaged some points at sixth but Kubica’s pit stop penalty gave dropped him down to the eleventh.
Sebastian Vettel gave another strong performance after his victory at the Monza GP finishing fifth and taking four points. Red Bull Racing’s David Coulthard took seventh and gave the Austrian club two additional points. Teammate Mark Webber retired at lap 29.
Honda’s Jenson Button finished ninth while Rubens Barrichello retired at lap 14.
Force India’s Adrian Sutil dropped out at lap 49 but Giancarlo Fisichella had another important finish and was the only driver with a one pit stop strategy.
Kimi Raikkonen extends his point drought to five straight races and though he’s mathematically alive to win the championship, the most Lewis Hamilton could score would be three points in the last three circuits.