Renault’s Fernando Alonso captured the Singapore Grand Prix after starting 15th on the grid Sunday in Formula One’s first night race, while McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead. Alonso won for the 20th time in his career, his first victory since last year’s Italian Grand Prix.
Williams’ Nico Rosberg was second, his best Grand Prix finish, and Hamilton was third. Alonso was way back on the grid after a fuel pump failure in qualifying.
On Sunday, the Spaniard benefited from an early safety car period that turned the race around. Hamilton extended his championship lead to seven points because of a pit-lane accident that cost title rival Felipe Massa of Ferrari any points.
The Brazilian led early on from the pole, but his race was ruined when he pitted after the end of a safety car period at the start of the 20th lap. Massa pulled away from his stop prematurely, taking the fuel rig and hose with him up the pit lane.
He knocked over one of his mechanics, who needed medical treatment, and almost collided with another car. By the time the Ferrari crew was able to sprint the length of pit lane and wrestle the rig out of the car, Massa had dropped from the lead to 18th and last.
He then incurred a drive-through penalty for an “unsafe release from a pit stop.” Massa finished in 13th place.
It was a dismal night for Ferrari, with reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen crashing out on the 58th of 61 laps while running fifth. The Italian team’s pointless finish and Hamilton’s third place lifted McLaren atop the constructors’ standings by one point.
Toyota’s Timo Glock was fourth and Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel took fifth. In sixth was BMW’s Nick Heidfeld, ahead of Red Bull’s David Coulthard and Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima.
Interviewed following Saturday’s qualifying, a disconsolate Alonso said the fuel pump failure had ruined what appeared a promising weekend after impressive showings in practice. But his decision to have a short first stint of 12 laps before pitting proved to be an accidentally brilliant strategy.
As the only driver to have pitted before the initial safety car period, he was able to tack onto the back of the train of cars and was thrust into the lead when everyone pitted after the safety car came in. “Yesterday, we were unlucky in qualifying.
(Today, we were) very lucky in the race,” Alonso said. “Without the safety car, I was finishing in the same position, 14th or 15th.
“After qualifying, our hopes were gone already. It was nearly over, but it shows that Formula One is unpredictable on Sunday.
” The Spaniard has been considering a move away from Renault during what was, until Sunday, a very disappointing year. Asked if the Singapore win would keep him with the French outfit, Alonso said: “No, I didn’t say that.
It’s not changing the decision about next year. Renault will be my first priority because I feel at home in this team.
” Hamilton showed little inclination in the closing laps to challenge Rosberg, because of the danger inherent in overtaking on the circuit as well as knowing that his championship lead was already bolstered. “I had no need to take any risks, both Ferraris were out of the points,” Hamilton said.
“(Leading by) seven points, I’m quite happy with (that). “Moving forward, we approach (coming races) the same way as this weekend.
We don’t get ahead of ourselves because, as you see, anything can happen.” Massa appeared not to be at fault for the pit-lane accident.
The light suspended from a gantry above the pit signaled he was clear to leave, even though the fuel rig was attached. After the race, the Brazilian sought out the person responsible for giving the green light, but to encourage rather than scold him.
“We could have finished first and second, and things could have been different,” Massa said. “We are all human beings, everybody can make mistakes.
I am not the kind of guy who goes to the guy and fights with him. “I go to the guy and gave him even more motivation, because we need him and we need everybody together for the last races of the season.
” With only races in Japan, China and Brazil to come, Massa is now the outsider in the title showdown. “Seven points is seven points but we have 30 in front of us and we have a quick car.
That’s the most important thing,” Massa said. Rosberg led the race after the first set of stops and safety car period.
But he was subsequently penalized with a stop-go penalty for pitting under safety car conditions before clearance was given. Rosberg delayed taking the stop-go penalty for as long as possible so he could benefit from racing in clear air in front of the field.
Even after his penalty, the German emerged only just behind Alonso. The safety car was deployed again on lap 52 after Force India’s Adrian Sutil crashed.
That stacked the whole field together, negating the 23.5-second lead that Alonso had built. However, the Spaniard immediately sprinted away from the field upon resumption of racing and was untroubled in winning by 2.9 seconds.