2017 F1 Round 14, Singapore Grand Prix Race: Hamilton avoids first-lap collision to win as both Ferraris retire

The 2017 Singapore Grand Prix started in the rain, marking the first time an F1 night Grand Prix had been held in wet conditions. Hamilton avoided the first-lap collision and won in 2 hours 03 minutes 23.544 seconds. Ricciardo finished second, 4.507 seconds behind, with Bottas third. The race featured three safety-car periods and ultimately ran for 58 laps.

Vettel started from pole, Räikkönen accelerated on the inside, and Verstappen was between the two Ferraris as the three cars made contact on the approach to Turn 1. Räikkönen and Verstappen retired immediately, while Alonso was also caught up in the incident. Vettel subsequently lost control and damaged the front of his car, leaving both Ferraris and one Red Bull out in the opening stages.

Starting fifth, Hamilton took advantage of the confusion to move into the lead, with Ricciardo close behind. Hamilton began to extend his advantage after the first safety car came in, but Kvyat subsequently hit the wall at Turn 7, bringing another safety car and wiping out the gaps the leaders had built.

As the track gradually dried, teams switched to slick tyres. Ricciardo fitted ultrasofts on lap 28 and Hamilton followed a lap later, with the pair continuing their fight for the lead. Ericsson spun and crashed near Anderson Bridge, prompting another safety-car deployment. The race only settled into a sustained competitive rhythm in its final phase.

After the final restart, Hamilton pulled away from Ricciardo again to claim his 60th Grand Prix victory. Although Bottas was some distance behind the leading pair, he still brought the other Mercedes onto the podium. Ferrari’s double non-score gave this race an impact on the championship that extended beyond the result of a single round.

Sainz secured what was then a career-best fourth place, resisting Pérez’s pursuit throughout the race. Palmer in sixth and Vandoorne in seventh also achieved their best F1 finishing positions to that point. Stroll, Grosjean and Ocon finished eighth to tenth, while Massa and Wehrlein were the other two finishers.

Alonso’s damaged car subsequently retired with a power-related problem. Hülkenberg lost a leading position to a mechanical failure, while Magnussen also retired with an MGU-K problem. Together with the three drivers eliminated on the first lap, Kvyat and Ericsson, these retirements brought the total number of drivers who failed to finish to eight.

Hamilton had led Vettel by just 3 points before the race, but his advantage grew to 28 points with 6 rounds remaining. Ricciardo reached the Singapore podium for the fourth consecutive year. For Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren, the valuable points scored after the early elimination of front-runners were another important outcome of the race.