Lewis Hamilton clearly struggled to process his emotions from what had been a topsy-turvy weekend. On the one hand he knew he had extended his lead in the drivers’ championship to 34 points as he finished second while title rival Sebastian Vettel could only finish fourth.
In Singapore, where the Ferraris were clearly the highlights, it was Vettel’s reckless swerve across the track that took both himself and his team mate Kimi Raikkonen let alone Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Engine gremlins meant the German started from the back of the grid.
It was another gift for Mercedes, who struggled for pace but somehow left with the constructors’ championship all but tied up. The Briton took pole on Saturday with a sensational and quite unexpected lap but he could do nothing about Verstappen the next day.
The Dutch driver, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday, took just four laps to pass Hamilton and never looked back, celebrating his second win in the sport almost 18 months after his first in Barcelona 2016. Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas struggled so badly and finished 20 seconds behind Vettel having started 15 places in front.