Singapore: post-race analysis 2018
A classic the race was
not. There were a few moments of intrigue, but mostly it was a
procession amongst the top six. Said it before, and I’ll say it
again: street circuits like here and Monaco are poor.
However, it bet did
come off (each way), although my daft qualifying tip does make the
weekend overall slightly red.
Off the line Vettel
started well and Verstappen poorly. The Dutchman was aided by the
short run to the first corner, managing to fend off the German
assault until a few corners later when Vettel made an important pass.
In the midfield, Perez
was partying like it was 2017. Ocon drew alongside him and the
Mexican gave his team mate a nudge into the wall, ending the
Frenchman’s race. Ocon was eminently diplomatic about it, and Perez
claimed he didn’t see him.
The spray of carbon
fibre and ruined Force India brought out the safety car (although but
for this entirely avoidable collision there would not have been one,
so the no safety car bet might be worth considering in future if the
race is dry and you can get appropriately long odds).
The safety car went in
and the procession resumed. Hamilton was not driving quickly which
meant the gaps mostly remained small, with the top six gradually
easing away from Perez (then 7th). Vettel boxed first for
ultrasoft tyres, but caught a smidgen of traffic. This actually
enabled Hamilton to extend his lead upon pitting for the soft tyre.
Verstappen was aided by excellent timing from his team to emerge
side-by-side with Vettel, but with the critical inside line. The
German was unable to get past, and thereafter drifted away from the
‘battle’ for the lead.
The top six finished as
they were (Bottas, Raikkonen, and Ricciardo the lower end of that),
but there was some excitement further down the field. Sirotkin was
dragging out a very long stint on his tyres, and Perez was getting
increasingly frustrated at being clearly faster yet unable to pass.
When he did finally overtake, the Russian came back at him. The
Mexican took this poorly, driving into the side of Sirotkin’s
Williams, earning himself a drive-through penalty. Not a good day for
the Force India driver.
Although some gaps were
small, the difficulty overtaking put a premium on track position,
leading everyone who had a choice to pit only once. This then meant
eking out the tyres, leading to slower times and an unwillingness to
take any risk or life out of the tyres. So, like Monaco (although
perhaps not quite as bad) it was a processional trundling rather than
an actual race.
The lower points went
to Alonso, Sainz (nice day for the Spaniards), it is he, Leclerc, and
Hulkenberg (good day for Renault too). Ocon was the only chap to DNF,
though it was hardly his fault.
Drivers’:
Hamilton 281
Vettel 241
As good as over? I
wouldn’t go that far, but Vettel needs a stroke of serious luck
very soon. Even if he wins the next race and Hamilton suffers a DNF,
that’s still a 15 point gap in the Englishman’s favour.
Constructors’:
Mercedes 452
Ferrari 415
Red Bull 274
Renault 91
Haas 76
McLaren 58
Force India 32
Toro Rosso 30
Sauber 21
Williams 7
Having taken great
leaps forward with double points finishes, Force India find
themselves with one driver suffering a DNF and the other being
pointless. Meanwhile, McLaren, whom they seek to overtake, extend
their lead a little. Good day for Renault in their tight battle with
Haas as well. Toro Rosso are probably a shade disappointed not to
score, especially as Leclerc picked up another couple of points.
Bad news. The next race
is in Russia. Slow, tedious, festooned with ninety degree corners. On
the plus side, I hear the cathedral is wonderful.
Morris Dancer
Comments
Post a Comment