This weekend was a historic one in F1 racing, as it was both the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix and the first night race in Formula 1 history.  Holding on to a slight lead over Ferrari's Felipe Massa in the driver's rankings, it was also a vital race for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.   So how did Lewis and the rest of the team fare?  As usual, if you missed the race but have it TIVO'd, then read no further; otherwise, keep scrolling for the full details of what transpired.

In qualifying, things got off to a relatively smooth start for the team, with Hamilton capturing the second starting spot on the grid and teammate Heikki Kovalainen starting the race three rows back in fifth.  When the race began, Lewis maintained his second position through the end of the opening lap, while Kovalainen fared a bit more poorly, making contact with BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica and dropping back two spots into seventh.

On lap 14, the Safety Car was deployed following an accident of Nelson Piquet (Renault).  Three laps later, the pit lane was opened, and both McLaren Mercedes made their first stops of the day (with Kovalainen being forced to wait behind his teammate).  When the race resumed on lap 20, Lewis held the race's eighth position, while Heikki had dropped back to 14th.

On lap 27, Kubica was issued a stop-and-go penalty, allowing Hamilton to move into seventh. One lap later, Hamilton then passed Red Bull Renault's Mark Webber, placing him in sixth. Heikki, meanwhile, had moved up two spots as well, with the Finn now holding 12th.

On lap 30, Lewis had worked his way up to the fifth position, but his overtaking progress was then temporarily impeded by Red Bull Renault's David Coulthard.  Following the pit stop of Toyota's Jarno Trulli, Lewis moved up an additional spot into fourth.

On lap 34, Heikki made his second stop of the day, rejoining the race in 13th. Lewis made his second stop on lap 42, resuming the race in seventh.

Following the pit stops of all drivers by lap 50, Lewis had moved into third trailing Renault's Fernando Alonso and Williams-Toyota's Nico Rosberg. Heikki, meanwhile, had moved into 11th. On lap 51, an accident by Force India Ferrari's Adrian Sutil resulted in a second Safety Car deployment, and on lap 54, the race was re-started.

Seven laps later, after a grand total of 61 laps, it would be the same trio of Alonso, Rosberg and Hamilton that would take the top three race positions, with Heikki wrapping up the race in tenth.

As a result of the finish, Hamilton managed to extend his lead in the driver's standings, with the Brit now holding a seven point lead over Felipe Massa with 84 points. The result also helped propel McLaren Mercedes to a lead in the Constructor's Championship, with the team edging out Ferrari by one point with 135 points.

To read more about how the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team fared at the Singapore Grand Prix complete with both driver and team interviews, keep scrolling for the official press release.

Enjoy.



































OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


F1 Singapore: Lewis Hamilton Extends Championship Lead with Third Place

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finished the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, the first night race in Formula 1 history, in third place. After 61 eventful laps (309.087km) with two Safety Car periods, Lewis came home 5.9sec behind winner Fernando Alonso (Renault). Heikki Kovalainen ended up 10th. After 15 out of 18 races, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes took the lead in the Constructors’ Championship with 135 points ahead of Ferrari with 134 points. Lewis extended his lead in the drivers’ ranking to 84 points ahead of Felipe Massa (77 points) who did not score today. Heikki is sixth with 51 points.

The start:  Lewis was second on the grid and second after the opening lap. Heikki had qualified fifth and attacked Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) at the first corner, but he was touched by Kubica at the second corner and lost two positions; he was seventh after lap one.

The race, lap 10: Lewis was second with 3.3sec behind Massa; Heikki followed in seventh place.

Lap 14: The Safety Car was deployed, following an accident of Nelson Piquet (Renault).

Lap 17: The pit lane was opened and both Vodafone McLaren Mercedes pitted; Lewis was stationary for 11.5sec and Heikki 12.0sec. One lap later, Lewis was ninth and Heikki 15th.

Lap 20: Re-start. Lewis was eighth and Heikki 14th.

Lap 27: Stop-and-Go penalty for Kubica; Lewis was seventh. One lap later, he passed Mark Webber (Red Bull Renault) and improved to sixth. Heikki was 12th.

Lap 30: Lewis moved up to fifth place, but got stuck behind David Coulthard (Red Bull Renault). Heikki got stuck behind Jenson Button (Honda) and was 11th.

Lap 33: Jarno Trulli (Toyota) was the last driver to pit and Lewis was now fourth.

Lap 34: Heikki came in for his second stop (8.4sec) and rejoined the race in 13th place.

Lap 40: After the pitstop of Nico Rosberg (Williams Toyota) Lewis was third, one lap later he overtook Coulthard and improved to second. Heikki was 12th.

Lap 42: Lewis pitted for the second time (7.7sec) and was now seventh.

Lap 50: All drivers had completed their pit stops; Lewis was now third and Heikki 11th.

Lap 51: The accident of Adrian Sutil (Force India Ferrari) caused a second Safety Car period.

Lap 54: Re-start.

Finish (61 laps): Lewis ended up third; Heikki was 10th.


COMMENTS


Lewis Hamilton
"A positive end to a difficult weekend at this fantastic new venue. I started well, but then my rear tyres faded and, although we had good pace, I wasn’t in a position to challenge Felipe ahead of me. During my first pit stop I lost a bit of time because everybody came in due to the Safety Car period. After that I was unfortunately stuck behind David and although I was clearly faster it was really difficult to overtake him. After the second re-start, I tried to stay as close as possible behind Nico; however, I didn't want to take chances – particularly as the Ferraris were outside the points. Also, this is not a track where overtaking is easy. The first night race in Formula 1 history was great fun, and I now look forward to the forthcoming double-header in Japan and China."

Heikki Kovalainen
"I made a good start and was going to pass Kubica round the outside at the first two corners. Unfortunately he touched me and almost spun me around. My underfloor was slightly damaged as a result. I lost momentum and two cars overtook me. When the Safety Car came out and the pitlane was opened a couple of laps later, Lewis and I came in and I had to wait behind him until it was my turn. It then was a strange race and most of the time I was in traffic with no overtaking chances. Halfway through the race I had brake problems and had to conserve them until the finish. I’m happy for Lewis and the team now that he has extended the championship lead and we are on top of the Constructors’ rankings. I will now go for it in the next races and help to make sure that we stay ahead in both championships.”

Ron Dennis
"Today's race was a very exciting one, full of incidents, triggering Safety Car interventions that had a significant influence on the final outcome. In the last few laps, having seen Kimi's accident, we advised Lewis not to attempt to overtake Nico but instead to settle for third place and the seven-point lead in the Drivers' Championship that the resulting six points netted him. Heikki's race was spoiled by having to queue in the pits. Overall, then, the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix was a hugely successful event, and we're delighted to have emerged from it with the lead in both the Drivers' and the Constructors' Championships."

Norbert Haug
"A great Formula 1 premiere at night. Lewis extended his championship lead with third place which is a good result. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes leads now in the Constructors' rankings as well which is also not bad.  Thank you to the organisers and Bernie and his team for their efforts – this spectacular event will create a big response."

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