Sebastian Vettel ended a 13-month unbeaten streak by leading Ferrari’s 1-2 on Sunday at the Singapore Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton finished fourth but stretched his lead in the standings to 65 points.
The German, whose last victory had been in Belgium in August 2018, overtook his annoying team-mate Charles Leclerc by 2.641 seconds.
“I really want to thank the fans for the last few weeks,” Vettel said, referring to the continued support after the difficult last few months. “I put everything in the car today.
Leclerc, 21, started the race on pole for the third straight race but was furious about the team’s strategy that allowed Vettel, who had started in third place after the Monegasque passed through the pits, to win.
It was Vettel’s fifth victory in Singapore, a four-time Formula 1 world champion, and Ferrari’s third consecutive victory this season. In addition, it is the first time that in this circuit a team stays with the dream 1-2.
“Obviously it’s always difficult to lose a lead like that, but in the end, it’s a one-two for the team and I’m happy about that,” said Leclerc, winner of the two previous Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Dutchman Max Verstappen finished third in a competition that saw the safety car deployed three times.
Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate, and closest chaser finished fifth and now has 231 points against 296 for English.
In the team competition, Mercedes now has 527 points against Ferrari’s 394 with six races to go before the end of the season.
