Formula 1 News

Hamilton dominates the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix 

First podium in the season for Fernando Alonso

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has won the second edition of the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix after a dominant performance, ahead of Toyota’s Timo Glock and Renault’s Fernando Alonso.

Fourth place for Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, fifth for championship leader Jenson Button, sixth for Rubens Barrichello, seventh for McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen and eighth for BMW’s Robert Kubica.

2009 Singapore Grand Prix, lap by lap highlights:

Formation lap: Lewis Hamilton starts from pole for McLaren Mercedes for the third time in the season. Next to the Briton there’s Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel. Behind the two, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber. Fifth spot on the grid for Renault’s Fernando Alonso ahead of Toyota’s Timo Glock. BMW’s Nick Heidfeld, who had qualified eighth, will take the start from the pit lane after his car was found underweight after qualifying; the team has also changed the German’s gearbox and engine. Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello has been given a five place grid penalty after a gearbox change before qualifying. That moves him back to P9.

Race start: Good start for Hamilton and Rosberg. Vettel in P3, then Alonso and Webber. Button in P10, Barrichello in P7. Webber passes Alonso.

Lap 60/61: Raikkonen in P13, Alguersuari P14, Fisichella P16.

Lap 59/61: Hamilton leading with 1.4 secs on Rosberg. Vettel follows in third, Webber in fourth. Liuzzi pressuring Fisichella for P16.

Lap 58/61: Pit stop for Grosjean. He retires after brake problems.

Lap 57/61: Team radio for Hamilton: looks like the Briton is having issues with the KERS. His engineer tells him to disable it.

Lap 56/61: Fastest lap for Vettel. Webber had to let Glock and Alonso past because he earlier past Alonso by going off track at turn 7.

Lap 55/61: Fastest lap for Hamilton.

Lap 53/61: Hamilton P1, Rosberg P2, Vettel P3, Glock P4, Alonso P5.

Lap 52/61: Sutil pressuring Alguersuari for P14.

Lap 50/61: A mistake from Buemi lets Raikkonen past for P12.

Lap 49/61: Sutil aggressive on Alguersuari for P14. Alguersuari holding up Sutil, Fisichella, Liuzzi.

Lap 48/61: Yellow flags at Turn 6. Glock lost a small piece of wing and landed in the middle of the track, near the racing line.

Lap 46/61: Hamilton P1, 3.1 secs ahead of Rosberg P2, Vettel P3, Glock P4, Alonso P5, Webber P6, Barrichello P7 and Kubica P8.

Lap 44/61: Vettel pits, 8.4 seconds, back in P7. A marshal runs out and retrieves the debris at Turn 6.

Lap 43/61: Rosberg pits. 9.1 secs, he rejoins in 4 but he crossed the white line at the pitlane exit. Looks like he will get a drive through penalty. Webber pits. Liuzzi and Fisichella pit.

Lap 42/61: Barrichello and Glock pit.

Lap 41/61: Hamilton pits. 8.8 secs, he rejoin in P1. Kubica pits. Race Control: Drive through peanlty for Rosberg for crossing the white line at the pitlane exit. Contact between Sutil and Heidfeld. SAFETY CAR deployed.

Lap 40/61: Alonso, Kovalainen, Button, Nakajima all pit. Replays show Sutil spun while passing Alguersuari. The German rejoined but hit Heidfeld. Raikkonen and Buemi pit. Alguersuari pits. The Spaniard tries to leave with the fuel hose still attached knocking over a couple of his mechanics.

Lap 39/61: Safety car still on track. Heidfeld retires after the incident with Sutil. Hamilton still leading followed by Rosberg, Vettel, Glock, Alonso, Barrichello, Kovalainen and Button.

Lap 38/61: Rosberg being told to follow the Safety Car in to take his drive through penalty.

Lap 37/61: Safety car in this lap. Sutil pits but he pulls straight into the garage.

Lap 36/61: Safety car pits. Alonso pressuring Glock for P4.

Lap 35/61: Hamilton P1, Rosberg P2, Vettel P3 then Glock, Alonso and Barrichello. Race control: incident between Sutil and Heidfeld to be investigated after the race.

Lap 34/61: Rosberg takes his drive through penalty. Vettel moves in P2. Rosberg rejoins in P14.

Lap 30/61: Rosberg trying to get past Trulli for P13.

Lap 29/61: Vettel pressuring Hamilton for P1.

Lap 27/61: Rosberg pits. 9.4s, back in P17.

Lap 25/61: Fastest lap for Hamilton.

Lap 24/61: Replays show Vettel loosing his right rear-view mirror. Rosberg passes Alguersuari for P16.

Lap 23/61: Buemi pits.

Lap 22/61: Vettel pits: 8.4s, he rejoins in P7 between Button and Webber. Buemi pits again.

Lap 21/61: Race control: Vettel under investigation for speeding in the pit lane.

Lap 20/61: Race Control: Drive through penalty for Vettel for speeding in the pit lane.

Lap 19/61: Kubica pits.

Lap 18/61: Vettel takes his drive through. He rejoins in P9.

Lap 17/61: Webber pits. Back in P14.

Lap 16/61: Glock pits, he rejoins in in P6. Webber spins after a brake failure at Turn 1 and hits the barriers. Hamilton pits and rejoins in P2.

Lap 15/61: Fisichella and Liuzzi pit.

Lap 14/61: Alonso leading but needs to stop again.

Lap 13/61: Alguersuari and Buemi pit. Both cars are being pushed into the garage.

Lap 11/61: Alonso pits: 5.5s, back in P4.

Lap 10/61: Button pits: 6.4s, back in P5 ahead of Raikkonen and Barrichello.

Lap 9/61: Raikkonen pits, back in P10. Fastest lap for Alonso.

Lap 5/61: Hamilton P1, Glock P2, Alonso P3, Vettel P4, Button P5.

Lap 4/61: Raikkonen pressuring Nakajima for P9.

Last lap: McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton wins the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix ahead of Toyota’s Timo Glock and Renault’s Fernando Alonso – at his first podium in the season. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel finishes fourth, championship leader Jenson Button fifth, team-mate Rubens Barrichello sixth, Heikki Kovalainen seventh and BMW’s Robert Kubica eighth.

2009 Singapore Grand Prix, race results: