Vettel’s Nightmare
Singapore was meant to mark the comeback. The poleman left empty-handed and is now more than one victory away from the championship lead. A major turning point of the season?
We will inevitably think about it. Without a doubt, an image will emerge from the fireworks in Abu Dhabi at the end of November. And what if the chaotic start in Singapore had been avoided?
The situation was looking good for Sebastian Vettel from his great pole position. Lewis Hamilton, his championship rival, starting four places behind! The dream didn’t last long: exactly thirty seconds.
Unprecedented situation, catastrophic consequence
The rain shuffled the deck. For the first time in Singaporean history, the drivers set off on grooved tires.
Victim of a poor start, Sebastian Vettel had to immediately defend against Max Verstappen and Kimi Räikkönen, who made a lightning-fast start.
« I had an average start: we were on the wrong side of the track. I then had to move significantly to the left to defend, » reported the main person concerned.
Too quickly outside the trajectory, a fatal gear engaged. Sandwiched, the Red Bull #33 bounced off the Ferrari #7, which spun and hit the sister car!
Not very talkative once out of the car, Vettel didn’t have a detailed account of the collision:
« I didn’t see much (of the incident). I only saw Max next to me and Kimi hit me on the side right after.
But the damage was already done. His car was seriously damaged on the left side. The re-acceleration from the first corner was fatal for him.
« Then, I spun out in the third corner; largely because of the damage to my car. The radiator was damaged and I lost all water pressure. »
The retirement comes at a very bad time. Already affected in Monza, the four-time world champion is truly losing ground on Lewis Hamilton. In front of the journalists, the former Red Bull driver still did not want to dramatize.
« Obviously, this result is hard to accept. But there are other races ahead of us, and I am sure there will be more opportunities. »
A decisive twist in the title race…? pic.twitter.com/6SyRlZQuMk
— Formula 1 (@F1) 18 septembre /f1/actualite/22286-singapour-la-fia-ne-designe-aucun-coupable-dans-laccrochage-au-depart.html
Vettel solely at fault?
The question is deliberately simplistic.
The faults of this accident are more complex than that. It is difficult to assign full responsibility for the incident to a pilot, no matter how surprised they may be by the emergence of Räikkönen, perhaps the author of his best start in /f1/actualite/22286-singapour-la-fia-ne-designe-aucun-coupable-dans-laccrochage-au-depart.html.
Some opinions also support this. His own team even let slip the role played by Max Verstappen, who put Kimi out. On its side, the FIA has determined that no major responsibility emerges in this chaos, and none of the three drivers would be penalized.
“VER took #Kimi7 out and then he went to #Seb5 #SingaporeGP”
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) September 17
But the aggressive behavior is striking. Why such a radical change of course?
The leading driver may deviate from their line to protect their position. Was it really necessary now, especially against Max Verstappen, well known for his all-or-nothing driving? There lies the key to the disaster.
For the first time in his career, Sebastian Vettel has penalized himself in the race for the title. In 2010 and 2012, mechanical issues let him down at crucial moments. This year, his Singapore might be the 2016 Sepang for Lewis Hamilton. Worse still, with his 28-point deficit (23 for the Briton against Rosberg after Malaysia), the Scuderia Ferrari driver is now more than a victory behind. Unprecedented in a season that has been very tight at the top so far.
And what about the situation with the constructors? With six races to go, Mercedes has a two-race cushion over Ferrari: a 102-point lead!
