Over in Monza, Sebastian Vettel was blessed with another perfect weekend, scoring two 40’s. It puts him 25 less than Ayrton Senna’s career poles, and 28 short of Michael Schumacher, but at just 26 years old, it’s likely just a matter of time for him to match those achievements.
Sebastian Vettel made good use of his pole position, launching off the line flawlessly and employing a one-stop strategy to distance himself from the pack. Despite Fernando Alonso’s best efforts, he couldn’t stop the young German, having to settle for second, just ahead of Red Bull’s Mark Webber. This victory marks the fortieth for the Red Bull team.
Red Bull had to cope with some gearbox problems towards the end of the race, with both drivers being deprived of one of their gears. With help from the pits, they eased their RB9s onto the podium without a hitch. “It was a fantastic race. I’m glad to have beaten the men in red (Monza is Ferrari’s home circuit). Our car was the best this weekend even if we didn’t expect it to be,” said Sebastian Vettel.
The Monza victory marks Vettel’s third straight win in the past 4 races, and the German is eager to take on the Singapore GP on September 22. Vettel has conquered the Singapore circuit since 2011. Meanwhile, Kimi Raikkönen of Team Lotus is expected to claw back up the points. Raikkönen, who set the lap record of 1:45.599 in 2008, finished sixth in last year’s Singapore Grand Prix. Both teams, powered by Total, are ready to take on the 13th race in the Formula One calendar.
About the Singapore Grand Prix
The Singapore GP is the only night race in the Formula One calendar. Covering 5.073 kms, the Marina Bay circuit is on a street which makes it impossible to overtake. The maximum speed is a little over 290kph, but to reach this speed, the driver has to make a perfect exit from the last two turns, which form a single left-hander. On this track, drivers do a total of 61 laps.