Round 14 of the 2014 Formula 1 season took place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore.
The race weekend kick started the final fly-away leg of the year and was the seventh Singapore Grand Prix to appear on the F1 calendar.
After the drama and action of the Italian Grand Prix at the historic Monza track, the sport reconvened in the paddock for a very different and unique challenge, racing under dark skies and floodlights.
Despite being one of the newest races on the schedule, the race has produced some very memorable moments. Were more made in 2014? Read on to find out.
FP1
F1 returned to the track on Friday morning for first practice at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. It was a busy start, with Max Chilton, Valtteri Bottas and Pastor Maldonado being the first to emerge from the pit lane.
It was a fairly straight-forward session, as day turned to night, despite a few drivers suffering reliability problems.
Fernando Alonso finished at the top of the timesheets with a 1:49.056, with the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg - who pitted early in his first run for repairs following a problem with his right mirror - next up.
Sebastian Vettel - who stopped at the end of a session with an engine issue - was fourth fastest, with Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne completing the top six. Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button, Daniil Kvyat and Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10.
Williams featured further down the order, continuing the trend we have seen at the last few races, with Felipe Massa and Bottas in 13th and 15th. There were plenty of lock-ups during the session, as drivers tackled the street track for the first time in 2014 machinery.
FP2
Hamilton set the pace in second practice at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. After a quiet start, the 90-minute session soon picked up pace.
Practice two was red flagged mid-way through to clear Maldonado's crashed Lotus E22. The Venezuelan lost control at turn 10 and hit the wall heavily. Vettel missed most of the session thanks to an engine change but emerged in the closing stages to complete a handful of laps.
Drivers started second practice on the soft tyre, before switching to the super-soft compound for qualifying simulations. Hamilton put in a 1:47.490, finishing one and a half tenths clear of Ricciardo and Raikkonen.
Vettel was fifth despite a heavily delayed start, with Magnussen, Button, Perez, Hulkenberg and Kvyat completing the top 10. Rosberg finished down in 13th after his option tyre run was ruined by Maldonado's crash.
We saw more driver errors in practice two, as well as a few mechanical issues. Chilton pulled off track with nine minutes of the session remaining with a power-unit turbo issue.
FP3
Saturday evening's practice session got off to a busy start, with the majority of the field completing installation laps early on.
Rosberg topped the timesheets on the soft Pirelli tyre, with the current championship leader being the first to switch to the option compound. He initially extended his advantage, before dropping behind Alonso and Ricciardo.
The Ferrari driver ended the session fastest with a 1:47.299, half a tenth clear of Ricciardo. Rosberg was third, with Vergne, Vettel and Hamilton - who suffered a half-spin at turn five - completing the top six.
Massa and Bottas returned to the top 10, with Raikkonen and Gutierrez next up. Magnussen and Button were 12th and 13th for McLaren, while Maldonado ended practice three down in 18th with a new chassis and a brake problem.
Qualifying
Q1
The first segment of qualifying eliminated the slowest six drivers from the fight for pole position. The session kicked off under dark skies and in dry conditions, with Kvyat, Hulkenberg and Vergne being the first to take to the track.
Kvyat also set the opening lap time, with a 1:52.966. He was quickly displaced by Alonso, Raikkonen and Bottas, who topped the timesheets early on in Q1. The 2014 grid then switched to the super-soft tyres at the end of the session.
Raikkonen set the pace with a 1:46.685, two tenths clear of his team-mate. Hamilton, Button and Bottas completed the top five, with Rosberg, Hulkenberg, Vergne, Vettel and Ricciardo next up.
There were plenty of lock-ups during the session, with several drivers - including Rosberg - taking to the run-off areas. Sutil fell into the drop-zone in the closing stages, joining Maldonado, Bianchi, Kobayashi, Chilton and Ericsson.
Q2
The second session saw 16 drivers battle for a place in the top 10 shoot-out, with Perez and Raikkonen being the first drivers to exit the pit lane.
The two Ferrari drivers held the early lead before Hamilton hit the front on the option Pirelli compound.
With five minutes remaining, the 16 drivers competing in Q2 took to the pit lane. The top four did not return to the track for a final run.
Rosberg jumped to the top spot on his final lap with a 1:45.825, with Hamilton, Alonso, Raikkonen and Massa completing the top five. Ricciardo, Vettel, Bottas, Magnussen and Kvyat also made it through to Q3.
Button just missed out on a spot in the top 10 shoot-out by 0.017 seconds. He was joined in the drop-zone by Vergne, Hulkenberg, Gutierrez, Perez and Grosjean.
Q3
The final qualifying session of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend got off to a busy start, with Massa and Ricciardo being the first drivers to emerge from their pit garages and take to the circuit.
1:46.007 was the opening time set by Massa in Q3. Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Bottas, Rosberg and Magnussen were all unable to beat the Brazilian's first lap. Alonso went third fastest, with Hamilton only managing sixth - ahead of his team-mate - after a scruffy middle sector.
As Raikkonen prepared for his final run, he reported a problem - which was later revealed to be a software issue - and returned to the pits. Ricciardo jumped up to first with his last lap, but he was displaced by Rosberg.
Hamilton then moved to the front by just 0.007 seconds and secured his sixth pole position of the season. Ricciardo dropped to third, with Vettel and Alonso completing the top five on the grid. Massa, Raikkonen, Bottas, Magnussen and Kvyat rounded out the top 10.
Full qualifying results can be found here.
The Race
Conditions were warm and dry for the start of the 14th round of the 2014 Formula 1 season, under dark skies and bright floodlights in Singapore.
Hamilton secured his sixth pole position of the year on Saturday, just beating Rosberg. Could the German find a way past his team-mate? Could Red Bull or Ferrari challenge? Read on to find out...
A problem for Rosberg meant he was forced to start from the pit lane, while Kobayashi pulled off on the formation lap with an issue. The revs rose, the start lights went out and the Singapore Grand Prix got under way at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Off the line, Hamilton had a strong start while Alonso moved up to second and took to the run-off area at turn two. There were a few lock-ups, but it was a clean first few corners. Vettel then moved up to second, with Alonso seemingly letting the four-time champion through.
The two McLaren drivers battled closely on the opening tour, while Rosberg got going and joined the back of the pack. Hamilton quickly established a strong 1.6 second lead by the start of lap three. Rosberg had only made up one position by lap five.
Vergne displaced his team-mate for 10th on lap eight, with Sutil becoming the first driver to pit for a fresh set of tyres. Massa took to the pit lane at the end of lap 11, while Rosberg dropped behind Hulkenberg - who had previously stopped.
A slight delay for Raikkonen at his first stop caused him to fall behind Massa. Red Bull Racing double-stacked its drivers at the end of lap 12, with Alonso also pitting. The race leader was told to "box" on the following tour.
Following Hamilton's stop, Rosberg pitted. Despite a steering wheel change, he couldn't select first gear and Mercedes decided to retire the car. By lap 18, the race leader had a seven second advantage over Vettel, with Alonso and Ricciardo a few seconds further back.
Gutierrez joined Rosberg and Kobayashi on the sidelines with an electrical problem. Massa was the first to stop for a second time at the end of lap 23, switching to the soft compound tyre. Meanwhile Alonso started to close the gap to Vettel.
The Spaniard pitted on lap 24 and moved on to the super-soft tyre. Vettel took to his pit box on the following tour, switching to the prime compound and emerging behind his rival. Hamilton completed a slow second stop a few laps later, with his Mercedes mechanics removing debris from his front wing.
The safety car was deployed on lap 31 after Perez lost his front wing following contact with Sutil. The majority of the field pitted for fresh tyres. The race resumed at the end of lap 37, with the Mercedes SLS AMG taking to the pit lane.
Hamilton, on the super-soft compound, pulled out a 3.6 second lead on the next lap, with Vettel and Ricciardo moving clear of Alonso. Sauber's disastrous Singapore Grand Prix weekend continued at the end of lap 40 when Sutil retired from the race with a loss of oil pressure.
Bottas, Button and Raikkonen battled hard in the final part of the race. Unlike his rivals, Hamilton needed to pit for a fresh set of soft tyres and did so at the end of lap 52. It was a clean stop and he emerged in second place, behind Vettel and just ahead of Ricciardo.
The 2008 world champion used DRS and re-claimed the lead on lap 54 at turn seven. Meanwhile Button stopped his car with a problem in the second sector. Vettel quickly fell into the clutches of his team-mate and the closing Alonso.
The lap count disappeared and was replaced by a timer in the final minutes, as the full distance would have seen the race exceed the two-hour limit. Hamilton took the chequered flag in first place and moved three points ahead of his team-mate in the drivers' standings.
Hamilton wins the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix
It wasn't an easy race to his second victory in Singapore for Hamilton, as the Brit was forced to push hard before his final pit stop to make his strategy work.
It was a great drive by the Mercedes driver, with Vettel holding on to second place despite coming under pressure from his team-mate.
Ricciardo came home in third place, with Alonso dropping to fourth after initially running as high as second. Massa was fifth for Williams, while Vergne retained sixth despite a five-second penalty being added to his time.
Perez, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg and Magnussen completed the top 10 after a frantic finish. Bottas slipped to 11th after struggling in the final laps, with Maldonado and Grosjean missing out on points yet again.
Kvyat, Bianchi and Ericsson were the final drivers on the lead lap. Chilton completed the results after a disastrous race. Button, Sutil, Gutierrez and Rosberg all retired, while Kobayashi didn't start.
Full results can be found here.
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| © Octane Photographic |
After the drama and action of the Italian Grand Prix at the historic Monza track, the sport reconvened in the paddock for a very different and unique challenge, racing under dark skies and floodlights.
Despite being one of the newest races on the schedule, the race has produced some very memorable moments. Were more made in 2014? Read on to find out.
FP1
F1 returned to the track on Friday morning for first practice at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. It was a busy start, with Max Chilton, Valtteri Bottas and Pastor Maldonado being the first to emerge from the pit lane.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
It was a fairly straight-forward session, as day turned to night, despite a few drivers suffering reliability problems.
Fernando Alonso finished at the top of the timesheets with a 1:49.056, with the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg - who pitted early in his first run for repairs following a problem with his right mirror - next up.
Sebastian Vettel - who stopped at the end of a session with an engine issue - was fourth fastest, with Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne completing the top six. Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button, Daniil Kvyat and Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10.
Williams featured further down the order, continuing the trend we have seen at the last few races, with Felipe Massa and Bottas in 13th and 15th. There were plenty of lock-ups during the session, as drivers tackled the street track for the first time in 2014 machinery.
FP2
Hamilton set the pace in second practice at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. After a quiet start, the 90-minute session soon picked up pace.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Practice two was red flagged mid-way through to clear Maldonado's crashed Lotus E22. The Venezuelan lost control at turn 10 and hit the wall heavily. Vettel missed most of the session thanks to an engine change but emerged in the closing stages to complete a handful of laps.
Drivers started second practice on the soft tyre, before switching to the super-soft compound for qualifying simulations. Hamilton put in a 1:47.490, finishing one and a half tenths clear of Ricciardo and Raikkonen.
Vettel was fifth despite a heavily delayed start, with Magnussen, Button, Perez, Hulkenberg and Kvyat completing the top 10. Rosberg finished down in 13th after his option tyre run was ruined by Maldonado's crash.
We saw more driver errors in practice two, as well as a few mechanical issues. Chilton pulled off track with nine minutes of the session remaining with a power-unit turbo issue.
FP3
Saturday evening's practice session got off to a busy start, with the majority of the field completing installation laps early on.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Rosberg topped the timesheets on the soft Pirelli tyre, with the current championship leader being the first to switch to the option compound. He initially extended his advantage, before dropping behind Alonso and Ricciardo.
The Ferrari driver ended the session fastest with a 1:47.299, half a tenth clear of Ricciardo. Rosberg was third, with Vergne, Vettel and Hamilton - who suffered a half-spin at turn five - completing the top six.
Massa and Bottas returned to the top 10, with Raikkonen and Gutierrez next up. Magnussen and Button were 12th and 13th for McLaren, while Maldonado ended practice three down in 18th with a new chassis and a brake problem.
Qualifying
Q1
The first segment of qualifying eliminated the slowest six drivers from the fight for pole position. The session kicked off under dark skies and in dry conditions, with Kvyat, Hulkenberg and Vergne being the first to take to the track.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Kvyat also set the opening lap time, with a 1:52.966. He was quickly displaced by Alonso, Raikkonen and Bottas, who topped the timesheets early on in Q1. The 2014 grid then switched to the super-soft tyres at the end of the session.
Raikkonen set the pace with a 1:46.685, two tenths clear of his team-mate. Hamilton, Button and Bottas completed the top five, with Rosberg, Hulkenberg, Vergne, Vettel and Ricciardo next up.
There were plenty of lock-ups during the session, with several drivers - including Rosberg - taking to the run-off areas. Sutil fell into the drop-zone in the closing stages, joining Maldonado, Bianchi, Kobayashi, Chilton and Ericsson.
Q2
The second session saw 16 drivers battle for a place in the top 10 shoot-out, with Perez and Raikkonen being the first drivers to exit the pit lane.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The two Ferrari drivers held the early lead before Hamilton hit the front on the option Pirelli compound.
With five minutes remaining, the 16 drivers competing in Q2 took to the pit lane. The top four did not return to the track for a final run.
Rosberg jumped to the top spot on his final lap with a 1:45.825, with Hamilton, Alonso, Raikkonen and Massa completing the top five. Ricciardo, Vettel, Bottas, Magnussen and Kvyat also made it through to Q3.
Button just missed out on a spot in the top 10 shoot-out by 0.017 seconds. He was joined in the drop-zone by Vergne, Hulkenberg, Gutierrez, Perez and Grosjean.
Q3
The final qualifying session of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend got off to a busy start, with Massa and Ricciardo being the first drivers to emerge from their pit garages and take to the circuit.
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| © Octane Photographic |
1:46.007 was the opening time set by Massa in Q3. Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Bottas, Rosberg and Magnussen were all unable to beat the Brazilian's first lap. Alonso went third fastest, with Hamilton only managing sixth - ahead of his team-mate - after a scruffy middle sector.
As Raikkonen prepared for his final run, he reported a problem - which was later revealed to be a software issue - and returned to the pits. Ricciardo jumped up to first with his last lap, but he was displaced by Rosberg.
Hamilton then moved to the front by just 0.007 seconds and secured his sixth pole position of the season. Ricciardo dropped to third, with Vettel and Alonso completing the top five on the grid. Massa, Raikkonen, Bottas, Magnussen and Kvyat rounded out the top 10.
Full qualifying results can be found here.
The Race
Conditions were warm and dry for the start of the 14th round of the 2014 Formula 1 season, under dark skies and bright floodlights in Singapore.
Hamilton secured his sixth pole position of the year on Saturday, just beating Rosberg. Could the German find a way past his team-mate? Could Red Bull or Ferrari challenge? Read on to find out...
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
A problem for Rosberg meant he was forced to start from the pit lane, while Kobayashi pulled off on the formation lap with an issue. The revs rose, the start lights went out and the Singapore Grand Prix got under way at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Off the line, Hamilton had a strong start while Alonso moved up to second and took to the run-off area at turn two. There were a few lock-ups, but it was a clean first few corners. Vettel then moved up to second, with Alonso seemingly letting the four-time champion through.
The two McLaren drivers battled closely on the opening tour, while Rosberg got going and joined the back of the pack. Hamilton quickly established a strong 1.6 second lead by the start of lap three. Rosberg had only made up one position by lap five.
Vergne displaced his team-mate for 10th on lap eight, with Sutil becoming the first driver to pit for a fresh set of tyres. Massa took to the pit lane at the end of lap 11, while Rosberg dropped behind Hulkenberg - who had previously stopped.
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| © Octane Photographic |
A slight delay for Raikkonen at his first stop caused him to fall behind Massa. Red Bull Racing double-stacked its drivers at the end of lap 12, with Alonso also pitting. The race leader was told to "box" on the following tour.
Following Hamilton's stop, Rosberg pitted. Despite a steering wheel change, he couldn't select first gear and Mercedes decided to retire the car. By lap 18, the race leader had a seven second advantage over Vettel, with Alonso and Ricciardo a few seconds further back.
Gutierrez joined Rosberg and Kobayashi on the sidelines with an electrical problem. Massa was the first to stop for a second time at the end of lap 23, switching to the soft compound tyre. Meanwhile Alonso started to close the gap to Vettel.
The Spaniard pitted on lap 24 and moved on to the super-soft tyre. Vettel took to his pit box on the following tour, switching to the prime compound and emerging behind his rival. Hamilton completed a slow second stop a few laps later, with his Mercedes mechanics removing debris from his front wing.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The safety car was deployed on lap 31 after Perez lost his front wing following contact with Sutil. The majority of the field pitted for fresh tyres. The race resumed at the end of lap 37, with the Mercedes SLS AMG taking to the pit lane.
Hamilton, on the super-soft compound, pulled out a 3.6 second lead on the next lap, with Vettel and Ricciardo moving clear of Alonso. Sauber's disastrous Singapore Grand Prix weekend continued at the end of lap 40 when Sutil retired from the race with a loss of oil pressure.
Bottas, Button and Raikkonen battled hard in the final part of the race. Unlike his rivals, Hamilton needed to pit for a fresh set of soft tyres and did so at the end of lap 52. It was a clean stop and he emerged in second place, behind Vettel and just ahead of Ricciardo.
The 2008 world champion used DRS and re-claimed the lead on lap 54 at turn seven. Meanwhile Button stopped his car with a problem in the second sector. Vettel quickly fell into the clutches of his team-mate and the closing Alonso.
The lap count disappeared and was replaced by a timer in the final minutes, as the full distance would have seen the race exceed the two-hour limit. Hamilton took the chequered flag in first place and moved three points ahead of his team-mate in the drivers' standings.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Hamilton wins the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix
It wasn't an easy race to his second victory in Singapore for Hamilton, as the Brit was forced to push hard before his final pit stop to make his strategy work.
It was a great drive by the Mercedes driver, with Vettel holding on to second place despite coming under pressure from his team-mate.
Ricciardo came home in third place, with Alonso dropping to fourth after initially running as high as second. Massa was fifth for Williams, while Vergne retained sixth despite a five-second penalty being added to his time.
Perez, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg and Magnussen completed the top 10 after a frantic finish. Bottas slipped to 11th after struggling in the final laps, with Maldonado and Grosjean missing out on points yet again.
Kvyat, Bianchi and Ericsson were the final drivers on the lead lap. Chilton completed the results after a disastrous race. Button, Sutil, Gutierrez and Rosberg all retired, while Kobayashi didn't start.
Full results can be found here.
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