Vettel: Controlled the race from start to finish past year to deliver his third win in Brazil. One minute 21.046 seconds (2004).
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Lewis Hamilton is the obvious danger to Vettel in this race and like the German, he’s won 5 times this season in the Mercedes. Ferrari is Ferrari and our fans are loyal, in good and bad years, no matter the results we have.
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was a bit miffed when team-mate Kimi Raikkonen claimed pole position at Monza. Moss won with Maserati, Vanwall and Cooper.
Sauber struggle: Sauber has had an odd weekend, which started with Marcus Ericsson’s odd DRS issue on Friday. I didn’t realise at the time that I was racing for an Italian team.
“We know as a team we can race but we need to be careful with each other”, said Raikkonen.
And after Ferrari’s dominance at Spa, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted his team have “many deficits” to the rival constructor.
Max Verstappen was fifth for Red Bull, eight-tenths of a second off the pace, ahead of Kevin Magnussen of Haas, Esteban Ocon of Force India, and Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull.
Other drivers: Alonso, again, is a two-time victor here but has not clinched victory in Singapore in seven years, while Ricciardo has collected four successive podiums since 2014.
New Ferrari president Louis Camilleri says he is not ready to confirm Kimi Raikkonen for 2019.
He also knows about the boos, the crowd voicing their disapproval when he triumphed in 2011 and 2013 for the enemy Red Bull. Former champions McLaren and Williams have not won since 2012. Hamilton came into the race with 213 points while Vettel entered with 189. At 38, he also became the oldest pole sitter since Nigel Mansell, aged, 41, took pole for the 1994 Australian Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s birthday is on September 30.
Once back into the lead, Raikkonen could not shake off Hamilton, the Mercedes following about a second behind throughout their first stint. Vettel has 107, Raikkonen 99.
“It is the best place to be, and it went right in the end”, Raikkonen said.
But Vettel, 17 points adrift of Hamilton in the championship, was quickly lamenting a nightmare, furious that Raikkonen’s name, and not his, sat at the top of the time sheets.
The German did, however, stress that he’s maintaining his focus ahead of Ferrari’s home race in Monza and the continuation of the championship battle.
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Unlike many young drivers in Formula One, who may fear saying the wrong thing and risk upsetting backers or partners important to their careers, Raikkonen is more candid.
