The stars aligned under the Singaporian floodlights on this day in 2019, when Sebastian Vettel took his first (and only) victory of the 2019 season. The 1-2 at Marina Bay remains the last time, a Ferrari driver has stood on the top step of the podium. 731 days since the last Ferrari win – let’s recap what happened on this day 2 years ago.
The Marina Bay City Circuit first arrived on the F1 horizon in 2008, with the first nighttime race in the history of the sport. In the heart of the city, against the picturesque skyline backdrop, the Singapore Grand Prix has produced some intense race action over the years already.
Sebastian Vettel remains the most victorious driver at the Singapore Grand Prix with a total of 5 wins to his name at the city track. 2019 however was a special, and slightly controversial, win for the 4-time world champion.
Here’s how it happened
The race weekend started strong for Vettel, with the German in Top 3 of all practice sessions, but it was his teammate Charles Leclerc who started from pole on Sunday. After the start, the Monegasque led Lewis Hamilton and managed the pace – and his tyres – at the front of the grid. Multiple contacts in the midfield caused Russell, Hülkenberg and Sainz to pit early on in the race, mixing up the field behind the leading cars. The tyre saving strategy at the front however resulted in a very bunched-up field, and an unusual strategy from Ferrari ultimately changed the running order. Vettel was called into the pit first to protect him from competitors behind. The German managed to undercut his teammate with a flying lap on fresh tyes, much to the disapproval from Leclerc.
“I just wanted to let you know my feelings. To be completely honest, I don’t understand the undercut at all. But we discuss it later.”
Leclerc questioned the pit stop strategy on the radio multiple times, but Ferrari ultimately told him to stay put and denied his request for more power to launch an move on Vettel.
With the help of three Safety Car periods, called for crashes for Russell and Räikkönen, and a DNF for Perez who suffered an oil leak, Vettel was able to preserve his tyres until the end. He crossed the finish line to win his fifth Singapore Grand Prix – the first time he has won five times at any venue. Ferrari’s strategy also secured them their first one-two since the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix and the first time a team ever scored a one-two at the Singapore Grand Prix.
For all us Sebastian Vettel fans out there, this one certainly was a highlight of the Vettel-Ferrari years, and unfortunately also the last time we’ve seen Seb on the top step. He scored another two 2nd places in the 2019 season, and finished the season in 5th place of the Driver Championship. Ferrari managed to finish 2nd behind Mercedes in the 2019 Constructor Championship, but have since struggled to fight consistently and at the top. At the time of writing, the Italian team is in a close battle for 3rd with McLaren and we’re excited to see who comes out on top by the end of the 2021 season.
We’re definitely ready for another Seb win, but also a Ferrari victory. But until then: let’s relive the moment Sebastian Vettel crossed the finish line in 1st back on this day in 2019, courtesy of F1 Twitter.
Career victory number 53 for Seb ?
And that’s 5⃣ under the lights of Singapore!#F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/E0MRSAxqlG
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 22, 2019
Headline Image Credit: formula1.com