
Believe it, believe it believe it. It is the commandment that Fernando Alonso invites us to believe, despite the fact that the race for the title appears to be super obvious.
"Winning the Singapore Grand Prix is our goal. Of course, many aspects will have to go right: from a good strategy, to a safety car entry that doesn't create problems, to the right car set-up to win a complex race like Singapore".
Adds the Spaniard, who believes both Red Bull and McLaren:
"They won't have a different approach than ours. There will be minimal differences between now and the end of the season and the fight will be very close, even if in the last two or three races they went a little better than us, but the points are equal and therefore we must improve our performance".
Mark Webber admits what no one denies in Formula 1: his teammate at Red Bull Racing, the German Sebastian Vettel, will be World Champion, and at this point the rest of the drivers can only fight for second place.
"Although Vettel is not yet the winner, we are all fighting for second place".
On September 25, 2011, in the Singapore Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel can mathematically become World Champion for the second consecutive year. Sunday's race will be the fourteenth out of nineteen and Vettel arrives with 284 points, 112 more than his closest pursuer, Fernando Alonso. Third is Jenson Button, 117 points behind the German. Webber, fourth, has the same points as Jenson Button. On the eve of the Singapore Grand Prix, an investigation conducted over the months by an independent company, the Dutch Capgemini, on the expenses incurred by the teams registered in the Formula 1 championship, would have led to the discovery of discrepancies in the inclusion of the entries of balance sheet of Red Bull Racing. In essence, the suspicion is that the Anglo-Austrian team would have provided controversial indications regarding its structure, especially in the way in which the staff is formed. A year ago the F1 teams signed an agreement to avoid increasing costs, imposing a budget cap on some items, such as the number of people working on the car, set at 280 in addition to the engineers; some steps were excluded from the agreement, for example the hiring of drivers. Red Bull, like all teams, does not publicly declare its budget, but the most reliable estimates speak of around 150.000.000 euros for the current season.
It is certainly not the biggest spender team - McLaren and Ferrari certainly invest more - but it is definitely the one that has achieved the best results in recent years. This probably created jealousy and even some suspicion. But what now seems to be an important indication of a certain uneasiness on the part of Red Bull Racing is the fact that the team's top management would have tried to stop Capgemini's research, to invalidate it by claiming that some formal offenses had been committed. This is, according to our sources, a kind of invasion of privacy. In the sense that the information regarding the teams is sensitive data and Red Bull Racing would have contested the fact that the Dutch had disclosed it. At this point, the Formula One Team Association wants clarification. This week's meeting could provide it or trigger further controversy. The resource restriction agreement is binding on those teams that have signed it. At the moment there is no talk of sanctions in the event of any offences, but the very fact that the teams have asked Capgemini for help clearly indicates that they want to present themselves with their budgets in order, also from the point of view of the distribution of resources. Does Red Bull Racing risk relegation if they fail to explain the irregularities found in the report? We'll see. Of course, on the threshold of the mathematical conquest of Sebastian Vettel's second world title, and with the team at 451 points in the Constructors' World Championship against 325 points for McLaren and 254 points for Ferrari, this is the worst time to have negative publicity.

And perhaps, on the part of those who may not wish Red Bull Racing well, this moment was not chosen by chance. In any case, already on Sunday in Singapore Sebastian Vettel risks, so to speak, becoming the youngest driver to have won a second world championship. After the records obtained last season, Sebastian Vettel is about to break another record in this special and solitary, it must be underlined, race for the title. This time it is the owner of Red Bull Racing, Dietrich Mateschitz, who had bet on Vettel twelve years ago, who praises the young German champion.
"Sebastian thanks us because we have been together for more than ten years, and not only because we brought him to Formula 1, but also for having provided him with a winning car. And we thank him because he has repaid these efforts, not only with his talent, but also with incredible willpower, professionalism and discipline".
Mateschitz continues:
"Sebastian is unique. We all knew that Sebastian was capable of high performance. But that he maintained it with this continuity is surprising to many. The successes confirm to the team that it is capable of building a winning car and that these triumphs are homemade, with so much friendliness, youth and joy, it is something unsurpassable".
Mateschitz also ensures that the German and the Australian Mark Webber make up a perfect driver pairing for the team.
"You can win with both, even if everyone has their own personality and way of dealing with things. Mark is an ideal partner".
Like last year, Mateschitz will not give team orders that favor one driver or the other. Last year Vettel was the youngest World Championship winner in history. This year there is no possible infighting: the German leads the standings with 284 points, 117 more than Webber who is fourth.
"The teammate is the first rival to beat. We can therefore talk more about competition and personal interests than about teamwork. This is the case of Mark and Sebastian. What happens is right, in the interests of the team, and without giving each other anything".
Mateschitz is not willing to slow down the team's euphoria. It will keep its two drivers and in 2012, a year in which not many technical changes are expected in F1, the team will once again be the favorite to achieve a historic hat-trick.
"Expectations are very high, obviously, and we won't be the ones to lower them".
While waiting to see how things will develop in the future, Tony Fernandes' Lotus team announces that it has guaranteed Renault's motoring support until 2013. The English team (big disappointment in 2011 in terms of results and lack of leap in quality), which will probably change its name next year and become Catheram, has also finalized the extension of the agreement with Red Bull for the development of the Kers, in collaboration with Renault. Returning to talk about the next Singapore Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso says:
"Singapore has many things in common with Monte-Carlo. It is a special event for me, one of the races I like most for the atmosphere and the characteristics of the circuit. The fact of racing at night and the longer length compared to Monaco they make this Grand Prix unique. In the three previous editions I have been on the podium, my goal is the poker".

However, the Spaniard remains with his feet on the ground.
"Being able to win again, like in 2008 and last year, would be fantastic. I know it will be very tough: it's true that we came very close to victory in Monte Carlo but it's equally true that things don't necessarily go the same way. We will give it our all, that's for sure: we have the chance to do well as long as we give everything from all points of view. Tires, set-up, engine, teamwork: everything must be 100%".
Alonso also extinguishes the controversy linked to an alleged disagreement with Vettel.
"Last year there was a wonderful success, between me and Sebastian there was a duel that lasted almost two hours. Winning races of that type is exhilarating, they are very strong emotions. By the way, they told me that somewhere it was written that in Immediately after the race in Monza I would have said a bad word to him, when we discussed the overtaking that took place after the end of the Safety Car: it's incredible how far some people's imagination goes. Not only did I not say anything bad, but we chatted of the episode in a nice way, as everyone could see in the FIA press conference a few minutes later".
The Spaniard dreamed of winning the Italian Grand Prix.
"It's true, the victory we wanted didn't come. However, placing on the podium remains a great emotion: being there with the red tracksuit and the fans shouting my name. I managed to exceed one thousand world championship points, a statistically important goal even if with the change in the scoring system this ranking goes up faster. From tomorrow we start working on the track: we want to repeat the 2010 weekend and give another joy to Ferrari and its fans".
For his part, Felipe Massa finds his smile again ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, a race in which the Brazilian is convinced that the Ferraris can do well.
"The Singapore Grand Prix has some points in common with that of Monaco so, on paper, our package should be quite competitive. But, before talking about the next race in Singapore, I would like to return to the Italian Grand Prix for a moment. I must say that throughout the weekend there was a fantastic atmosphere, especially if you are a Ferrari driver. It's a shame that there don't seem to be many good moments for us this year and this trend was also confirmed in Monza and we It's very disappointing that we weren't able to give our fans the result they wanted".
And he adds:
"Just a little bit of luck isn't enough to be able to win this year. My race in Monza was practically ruined immediately, when Webber touched me, and I spun. Afterwards I managed to recover but I didn’t go beyond sixth place. The car had the pace to fight with the best but once we lost about twenty seconds in the accident there wasn't much left to do. In Monza there are always plenty of commitments for the men in red but it was nice to race in front of our fans".
The Brazilian continues:

"Several years ago, after the Monza event, the season was now in sight of the end. This year it is like that in terms of the fight for the championships but there are still many races to be held. There will be six Grands Prix in ten weeks, including the first in India and our objective will be to try to win some races. After Singapore there will be two consecutive races in Japan and Korea, two different tracks but which require a similar drag".
There are many unknowns ahead of the latest races, but Massa cannot hide his ambition, that of doing well at least in Brazil, in front of his own fans:
"India will be a question mark for everyone, then we go to Abu Dhabi before finishing at my home track, Interlagos. As you can see, a great variety of circuits awaits us and we hope to be able to achieve good results in each of them. Furthermore, we must keep in mind that, at this point of the season, the technical development is now oriented towards the 2012 car so, apart from the components already designed, there will be no further changes on the 150° Italia between now and the end of the championship".
The Singapore Grand Prix takes place at night, with great humidity:
"We've been racing in Singapore for three years now, so we know what to expect from a visibility point of view. The track is well lit. It's the heat that makes this weekend particularly difficult, one of the toughest in the championship. There are high temperatures and there’s a lot of humidity and, even though the race starts at eight in the evening, it's one of the longest and most tiring races: last year we almost reached the two-hour limit. I did particularly intense training to prepare myself in the best way for this weekend. Six races away from Europe also mean many hours on the plane but it's part of the game".
Winning the Formula 1 World Championship is no longer Ferrari's goal. And Fernando Alonso uses a cycling metaphor to photograph the situation of the Maranello team:
"We can win some stages, but we know we can't win the Tour anymore".
Sebastian Vettel, at the wheel of his Red Bull Racing, is heading towards winning the title. Fernando Alonso now feels excluded from the race to win the world title, but in a sporting manner he compliments his rival:
"It went great. He hasn't made a single mistake this season. Red Bull is the best team, with the best package. They deserve to be where they are".
Looking back on last season, Alonso points out that in 2010 Red Bull Racing was less competitive than today:
"Last year we had greater possibilities. Red Bull was also dominant last season, but still had problems in some races. In 2011 they improved further, solved the problems, and fielded an equally fast car. Vettel has always arrived at the finish line; I think he is the only driver to have finished every GP. And, beyond this, he always drove great".
And he continues, saying:

"When you have a car capable of dominating, it's easy to take pole or win a race. But there have been tricky situations, for example in Canada or Silverstone. He was able to put together a perfect lap in qualifying and racing without errors from start to finish. Overall, he was the better driver".
On the Singapore track the Spaniard has triumphed twice in the last three seasons, demonstrating that he has a particular feeling with the Marina Bay circuit:
"Singapore is one of the best opportunities among the remaining races. The circuit has similar characteristics to those of Monte Carlo, where we were quite competitive. We have the Soft and Supersoft tires available, a combination we prefer. It should be a positive weekend, but victory is never within reach when you have to fight with Red Bull and McLaren. It will be tough, but we hope to be closer than what happened at other tracks".
Friday, September 23, 2011, the first practice session was delayed by half an hour to allow for circuit repairs to take place. Competitors in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia support races dislodged plastic kerbing on Republic Boulevard and Esplanade Drive, forcing the Grand Prix practice session to be delayed while the offending parts were removed, and the circuit deemed safe. When the circuit was re-opened, the practice session was shortened to one hour instead of the prescribed ninety minutes. Lewis Hamilton finished the session fastest, four hundredths of a second faster than Sebastian Vettel, who was a second faster than his teammate Mark Webber. Webber had previously had an on-track encounter with Timo Glock that destroyed his front wing and gave Glock a puncture, which ended his session. The session was interrupted several minutes later when Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus T128 caught fire in almost exactly the same place that his car caught alight in 2010. The session was stopped while Kovalainen's car was retrieved, and restarted, only to be stopped again ten minutes from the end of the hour. Felipe Massa had hit a kerb, dislodging it and exposing the bolt that was supposed to secure it in place. The session restarted with three minutes remaining, before the circuit was repaired ahead of the second practice session. Fernando Alonso was fourth, followed by Jenson Button and Massa. Narain Karthikeyan drove the HRT for the first time since Valencia in this session, in preparation for his drive at his home race in India. He finished the session 24th and last, one tenth slower than teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Repairs to the circuit were carried out before the start of the second practice session with kerbing at Turn 13 removed. When the lights went green, the Lotus mechanics were still trying to rebuild Kovalainen's car. Jenson Button's session ended prematurely when he locked his brakes and stopped just before the wall at Turn 14, and was unable to restart the car; however, the time he had recorded until then was fast enough to be tenth overall at the end of the session. Sébastien Buemi's session was also ended early, when he collided with the barriers at Turn 21, going too fast through the corner and damaging his suspension. Teammate Jaime Alguersuari also had little running before a mechanical problem ended his session, while Paul di Resta's session was also shortened after a hydraulic brakes issue limited him to eight laps in the session. Vitaly Petrov had been scheduled to run upgraded bodywork parts on his Renault R31, but the team discovered the car overheated, and were forced to abandon the new parts until Suzuka. Vettel set the quickest time in the session, two tenths quicker than Alonso, with Hamilton, Massa, Webber and Michael Schumacher completing the top six. At the end of the first day of testing, Fernando Alonso says:
"We have to be realistic; Red Bull is the favorite here. The first session was characterized by many interruptions which, together with the short duration, prevented us from lapping as much as we would have liked. We therefore tried to optimize the ninety minutes available in the session as much as possible and, at least on this occasion, everything went smoothly. All in all, I am satisfied with what we were able to see today. Here, as in Monaco, it is very important for a rider to lap in order to find the ideal references to be able to push to the limit but not an inch more because every mistake comes at a very high price".

However, positive sensations for the Spaniard:
"The car is more or less as we expected, and the sensations of this Friday are certainly better than those of Monza and Spa but we have to be realistic and not expect big surprises. Red Bull is the favorite here and also McLaren is very strong. We will try to make the best out of every possible opportunity".
The emotional peak of the day was reached when Mark Webber attacked Joris Fioriti, a journalist from the France Press, shouting at him in the middle of a press conference:
"You dickhead".
The question asked by the imprudent Fioriti, moreover, had a slight provocative component: Mark, how frustrating is it to always finish behind Vettel despite having the same car? However, the Australian's response is judged by the officials of the Austro-British team to be a little too frank and so a short restorative meeting is organized which ends with a photo with a nice dedication:
"To that ugly French dickhead, Mark Webber".
More than the foul language, however, the interesting aspect of the anecdote are the explanations that Webber believes he must give to the journalist:
"I'm sorry for having reacted to your question like this but, you understand, for three months now there has been a line of people who ask me nothing else, Sebastian here, Sebastian there, I can't take it anymore".
A sentence, this, which could be signed by the entire paddock, a colorful community that has been living for some time paradoxically besieged by a single person, Sebastian Vettel, in fact. The truth, in short, in this interminable championship finale, is that they are all extremely frustrated by the undisputed dominance of the German Red Bull Racing driver. And so, having nothing better to think about, it is inevitable that pilots end up getting lost in the most varied occupations. There are those who insult journalists, therefore, and those who bet, like Timo Glock:
"I put some money on Vettel becoming World Champion already on Sunday".
There are those who - more or less sincerely - congratulate the winner (in order: Hamilton, Alonso, Schumacher and Button). And there are those who argue, even at a distance and pretending nothing happened, like the two Ferrari drivers. The theme? The well-known events of Singapore 2008: the Renault that orders Piquet Jr. to crash into a wall, the Safety car that intervenes, the accident that causes Alonso's victory (he was then racing for Briatore's team); and Massa who, a few races later, lost the World Championship by just one point.
"That wasn't an authentic Grand Prix".
Recalls Felipe Massa, adequately instigated by the Italian press. Fernando Alonso responds:

"When someone loses the World Championship with such a small distance from the Champion, then they go and review the races in which they didn't score any points, there's nothing else to say. It happened to me too last year".
Not far away, Sebastian Vettel smiles. Who knows, maybe it was better to ignore it.
"Well, we're in better shape than in Spa and Monza".
Says Felipe Massa, returning to talk about the current Singapore Grand Prix.
"But we have to be realistic: Red Bull is still very far ahead".
Fernando Alonso specifies. In short, optimistic but not too much. Friday's free practice brings to the clock a Red Bull Racing team (Best time by Vettel) which is proceeding unstoppably towards the second consecutive world title and a group of chasers, led by Ferrari (Alonso second, Massa fourth), that are quite motivated.
Saturday, September 24, 2011, the circuit repairs took place overnight in an effort to improve the kerbing and prevent the race weekend from being further disrupted. The kerbs at Turn 3 and Turn 7 were removed entirely, and replaced with painted markings, with the drivers to be briefed on what would be considered an acceptable racing line through the affected corners. The kerb at the entry to Turn 14 was likewise removed, but with no further plans to replace it, while efforts were made to secure the kerbs at Turn 13 and the Singapore Sling chicane. The FIA was unwilling to commit to one definitive plan, instead opting to reassess the situation once the initial work had been completed and again after the third practice session. The drivers expressed indifference towards the changes, with Felipe Massa commenting that it's not a big change having or not having it, though he did point out that several drivers felt the kerbs at Turn 13 were unnecessary and that the FIA should consider the kerbs at Turn 5, which had previously gone unattended. A few hours later, the qualifying was marked by a distinct spread across the grid, with several teams reproducing similar times between their drivers, comfortably separated from other teams. Sebastian Vettel was fastest in the first period, half a second clear of Jenson Button. As the session drew on, it became clear that several teams were in danger of being eliminated. Vitaly Petrov spent most of the session in 18th, and improved on his final run, but teammate Bruno Senna was faster and relegated Petrov on his final lap.
Petrov blamed a small error for compromising his run, briefly losing control of the back end of the car just enough to change his tyre pressures and costing him the tenth of a second he would have needed to advance to Q2. Senna claimed he had been impeded by Jaime Alguersuari on his flying lap, but the incident was not investigated. Heikki Kovalainen qualified ahead of Jarno Trulli, followed by the Virgins of Timo Glock and Jérôme d'Ambrosio and the Hispanias of Daniel Ricciardo out-qualifying Vitantonio Liuzzi for the second race in succession. Liuzzi received a penalty for causing a collision on the first lap of the Italian Grand Prix two weeks previously, but made no effect to his grid position of 24th. The second session was red-flagged when Kamui Kobayashi crashed at the Turn 10 chicane. Missing the first apex, his Sauber C30 was launched into the air by the kerb on the second apex, throwing him into the barriers. Qualifying was halted while the car was retrieved and debris from the crash cleared away. Kobayashi's crash meant that he would fail to set a lap time and would start from seventeenth on the grid. When the session was restarted, Vettel once again led the way. Lewis Hamilton attempted a second flying lap during the session, but was forced to pit almost straight away when he picked up a puncture in his right-rear tyre. Under the sporting regulations, Hamilton would not be allowed to replace the damaged set of tyres with a fresh one, thereby depriving him of a set of option tyres for the race.

Kobayashi's teammate Sergio Pérez was briefly inside the top ten and able to advance to Q3, but was knocked out at the last moment by Paul di Resta; the Mexican driver qualified eleventh ahead of the Williams pair of Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado. Sébastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari were fourteenth and sixteenth for Scuderia Toro Rosso, split by the lone Renault of Bruno Senna. Although, this made it the first time since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix that both Force Indias had made it into Q3. The third session began with four drivers queueing at the end of pit lane, an unusual sight in Formula One, as they would all be running in the dirty air generated by the cars in front. However, with a full lap of the Marina Bay circuit taking almost two minutes to complete, the drivers would have to race to get back to the pits on their in-lap if they intended to make a second run. Jenson Button led Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and Hamilton out of the pits. Hamilton later faced criticism for an aggressive move on Felipe Massa at Turn 19 on the out-lap; Massa later slowed down to let Hamilton through, compromising his flying lap as speed carried into the final corner would translate into a faster lap time. Massa questioned why Hamilton felt the need for such an aggressive move as opposed to slowing on his out-lap to allow for clear running. Force India also received criticism when both their drivers again elected to stay in the pits rather than set a flying lap; Mercedes' Michael Schumacher followed a similar approach, but did leave the pits in order to line up ahead of them. Sebastian Vettel, who had waited in pit for the queue of cars to clear, once again rose to provisional pole. Jenson Button was second until Hamilton and Mark Webber claimed second in succession.
Button took third from Hamilton with his second flying lap, but Hamilton was held in the pits with a fuel problem long enough that he would not have enough time to navigate the circuit and get back to the start line before the chequered flag fell, and he had to settle for fourth. Alonso and Massa were fifth and sixth, with Nico Rosberg the final car to set a lap time in seventh. Vettel attempted to set a second lap time, but made a mistake and aborted the lap; however, his original time was still fast enough for pole position, his eleventh of the season. The end result meant that the Red Bull Racing cars occupied the first row of the grid, the McLarens the second, with both Ferraris on the third row, Mercedes completing the fourth and the Force Indias the fifth row. Yet another pole position from Sebastian Vettel, yet another flop from Felipe Massa, yet another mistake from Lewis Hamilton, yet another driver market rumor. In the end the only real news about this Formula 1 which now repeats itself going from circuit to circuit always the same as an broken vinyl, is not Fernando Alonso's urine. It may have been the post-qualifying stress, it may have been the humid and suffocating equatorial heat, it may have been the fake time zone - in Singapore the pilots keep the European time, have breakfast at two in the afternoon, have dinner at 4:00 a.m. - it must have been all this disruption, the fact is that the Spaniard, after placing his car in fifth place on the grid, stops in front of the Federation test. For hours. First canceling the briefing with the Ferrari engineers, then the press conference. A shame, in reality, more for the missed first meeting than for the second, during which Fernando Alonso would certainly have joked with the journalists, as usual, without explaining anything, without saying anything, without motivating anything. In a twenty-minute interview, in three different languages, with the sponsor's sunglasses despite the Asian night, he would have said what Kimi Raikkonen, in his time, dismissed with three words in English:
"Wait and see".
After all, this Ferrari, surrendered to the will of Red Bull Racing for three races now, has nothing left to do but wait and see how long it will take Sebastian Vettel to bring home this well-deserved second consecutive world championship title. In theory, the event could take place as early as Sunday, in the event that the German wins, Fernando Alonso does not finish in the top three, and Mark Webber and Jenson Button in the top two. An outcome that is not obvious but not that unlikely either. If so, that would still be right. Because such a result would reward the dominance of the best car (second, in the last decade, only to Ferrari in 2004) and the unexpected and dizzying growth of a driver who has transformed from a promising young driver, thanks to a perfect championship, into a star of the highest magnitude. On par with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

And well above Mark Webber and Jenson Button (the latter, it is said, is about to move to Renault as the French company intends to relaunch itself in a big way). No anti-doping ban, however, for Felipe Massa. He appears at the press conference without problems and in the usual twenty minutes and in the usual three languages, first argues with Lewis Hamilton:
"We had three slow cars in front and instead of preparing to do the fast lap he attacked me to overtake me, we risked an accident, once again he didn't think with his head".
And then he explains to everyone why he arrived once again at the tail end of the train of top drivers and a second, let's say a second, behind Fernando Alonso.
"I wasn't able to put together a fast lap, surprised by the unexpected tire wear".
Making us miss Kimi Raikkonen's Baltic oratory. And not only that. On Sunday, September 25, 2011, at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix, Vettel kept his lead into the first corner, while teammate Webber fell to fourth. Hamilton tried to take Webber after a good start for third place, but had to back out and fell to seventh. Button and Alonso's good starts put them into second and third in the race. There was contact between Massa and Rosberg at Turn 1 forcing Rosberg to run straight across Turn 2 and filter in just behind Webber; he conceded the place back to Massa later in the lap. Ricciardo also made contact, forcing him to pit for a new front wing. Hamilton had caught Schumacher on lap 4, repassing him on the run to Turn 7, before passing Rosberg for sixth on the next lap. On Lap 10, Glock crashed at the final turn, and retired with rear suspension damage; whilst on the same lap Webber dived down Alonso's outside into Turn 14, Alonso then ran a bit wide allowing Webber to come down the outside again and take the position from him with a bold move at Turn 16. Alonso pitted on the next lap, switching from the option to the prime tyres. Meanwhile, Hamilton and Massa both pitted on lap 12, Ferrari winning the pit stop battle and with Massa staying in fifth place, and Alonso emerging at Turn 1 just in front of the pair, despite being held up by Barrichello. Alonso would also move back ahead of Webber, when Webber made his pit stop. Hamilton attacked immediately on the out lap and made contact with Massa at turn 7. When Hamilton tried to go around the outside of the corner, he turned in clipping his front wing on Massa's tyre, causing both drivers - Massa with a right rear puncture, dropping him down to nineteenth, and Hamilton for a new front wing - to pit again. Hamilton was later given a drive through penalty for causing an avoidable collision.
Behind Vettel and Button, di Resta had moved into third, after running a different strategy to the majority of his rivals. He kept this place until lap 19, when he conceded it to Alonso at Turn 7. He pitted not long after this, and fell to eighth behind teammate Sutil. Webber closed up behind Alonso and was half a second behind by lap 25, before Alonso pitted for the second time. Rosberg ran wide at the final corner on lap 29, which allowed Pérez and Schumacher to close up on Rosberg. Pérez took the defensive line for Turn 7, and Schumacher attempted to go around the outside. Pérez held the racing line, and Schumacher ran into the back of him, scattering debris across the track. Schumacher later described the incident as a racing incident, and that he had not expected Pérez to brake as early as he did. Schumacher retired while Pérez continued on relatively unscathed. The safety car was deployed while the debris was cleared, with many drivers electing to make pit stops, and as a result Vettel's lead of more than 20 seconds was wiped out. At the restart, Vettel immediately pulled out a 4-second lead over second placed Button, who was stuck behind a train of backmarkers led by Jarno Trulli. Trulli was lapped by Kobayashi at Turn 1 while Button attempted to get past them. Webber passed Alonso down the inside into the Singapore Sling chicane, later describing the manoeuvre as spectacular. Martin Brundle also described the overtake, as opportunistic. Even despite this overtake, Webber was already five seconds behind Button.

Meanwhile, Hamilton began his recovery following his drive through penalty, and was up to sixth place on lap 38, before passing di Resta the following lap. Kobayashi was later given a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags, when Button had been stuck behind for over a lap earlier in the race. Trulli retired with a gearbox failure on lap 46. Webber pitted and changed to the option tyre on lap 48, and was temporarily overtaken by Hamilton. Button pitted the next lap and changed to another set of option tyres. This allowed Vettel to cover Button, and he pitted the next lap. As he exited the pits, the Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen was released into his path but he drove past Kovalainen in the pit lane exit. Alonso also made his stop on the same lap as Vettel, leaving him behind Webber this time. With seven laps to go, Hamilton passed di Resta once again for fifth place, as teammate Button set the race's fastest lap. Massa also managed to get back into the points after his clash with Hamilton, as he passed Barrichello and Pérez to move into ninth. McLaren were still trying to pressure Vettel, and Button closed the gap to under four seconds by the time Vettel had cleared lapped traffic. Unfortunately for him, Button also had to clear this traffic, and just like Vettel, lost around two seconds behind the Williams cars. Alguersuari crashed at turn 18 on the penultimate lap, ending his day, but classified in 21st. Vettel was caught behind the Massa-Pérez scrap for ninth on the final lap as Button backed out of his fight for victory. Massa missed the chance to take eighth from Sutil by having to let Vettel through. Thus, Vettel took his third successive victory, leading from lights-to-flag for the first time since the 2010 European Grand Prix. He was followed over the line by Button, who was only 1.7 seconds behind by the end of the race, and took his fourth podium in a row. Webber completed the podium followed by Alonso and Hamilton. Di Resta scored his best finish in Formula One with sixth place, ahead of Rosberg, Sutil, Massa and Pérez, who rounded out the points. Sebastian Vettel mortifies all his rivals, remains in the lead from start to finish and wins yet again in Singapore. Now the German is just a whisker away from his second world title: he only needs to earn one point in the next five races on Button and he will mathematically be World Champion.
The others, from Fernando Alonso to Mark Webber, are now out of the title fight. But it's not just a question of ranking: even if a magical Safety car intervened and erased all the points from the late World Championship and starting from the next race we started racing again from scratch, Vettel would still win the world title. Red Bull Racing really flies and a look at the stopwatch is worth more than a thousand conversations. Vettel basically managed to gain more than a second per lap practically at will. A crazy pace. Suffice it to say that after just six laps he had closed down 7.4 seconds to Button and 22 seconds to the tenth, who was Paul Di Resta. From the pits they read him the gaps several times, an elegant way to encourage calm. The same thing happened after the Safety car entered the track: upon his return to the pits, after just two laps, Vettel was once again 10 seconds ahead of Jenson Button. This is to say that Red Bull Racing is a rocket with Hard tires and soft tyres, with a full tank or an empty tank, with cold tires or with hot ones. In short, a real nightmare for the opponents. Ferrari included, obviously, even if there was a bit of bad luck: first the Safety car entered the track after five laps after Fernando Alonso changed tyres, then Lewis Hamilton's rear-end collision with a punctured tire for Felipe Massa. In any case, in the end the verdict was merciless for Ferrari, with Alonso arriving fourth, but 55 seconds from the first, a true eternity. But once again the stopwatch can help to understand the matter: comparing the fastest laps of Red Bull Racing and McLaren compared to those of the Ferraris reveals that the Maranello car was almost 2 seconds behind in the race. Too many to consider such a car competitive. Having said this, we can only praise the commitment of Alonso, who once again made a rocket start and fought tirelessly to defend third position from Webber. Hamilton's race was also good. But we say beautiful only because it has nothing to do with McLaren: if we were in the shoes of the team manager (or even in those of a mechanic who works all night) a driver like that would be to be scolded as soon as he reappears in the pits. And yes, because the fans and spectators delight in his comebacks and overtaking. But we cannot forget that before all this the aggressive Lewis Hamilton threw the race away by needlessly rear-ending a driver much slower than him (Massa), who could have passed in a thousand ways.

The same goes for Michael Schumacher: the third collision of the season cannot be ignored. Everything is fine, the enthusiasm is fine, the desire to excel again is fine. But risking killing yourself - the car almost overturned - by rear-ending poor Sergio Perez is really too much. But not for someone who has won seven world titles: for any driver who races in F1, even the latest rookie.
"The World Drivers' Championship is lost, the World Constructors' Championship too. Let's focus on next year's car".
Fernando Alonso pulls down the curtain, after all there is nothing left for him to do, insisting would be dysthanasia. Given how Red Bull Racing is doing, it will take a miracle next year too.
"We are looking for a new idea, a philosophy, a direction that can allow us to face the next season with a bit of hope".
In which area?
"Aerodynamics. Is the most important thing. Everything depends on that, the temperature of the tires, the balance of the car, the cornering speed".
And are you working on it profitably?
"In Maranello there is a work group that does nothing else. Even here in Singapore we tested some new things for next season, new brakes…".
But how far ahead is Red Bull Racing?
"We should recover 0.7-0.8 seconds. It is not easy. After all, they have been impressive this year. It’s enough to consider that they achieved fourteen poles out of fourteen races. To which must be added those of last year's finale. I think we will never see such dominance again. Also because it is not enough to have technical supremacy, you must also have everything running in the right direction…".
Let's talk about the Singapore Grand Prix.
"From Friday we understood that we couldn't do much more. Red Bull never gives its all in free practice. We had a perfect weekend. We didn't do anything wrong; we did an excellent lap in qualifying. Then, a good start, a good strategy, excellent pit stops... It couldn't have been more than that".
The podium, however, is very far away.
"But we didn't miss him by long. There are three reasons: the pace of the car was slow, Webber would have made me suffer sooner or later; the safety car helped Mark recover the six second lead I had managed to gain; the dubbing, in particular that of Alguersuari who had his mind elsewhere. The truth is that our current position is fifth. Then if someone in front makes a mistake we climb down. Here Hamilton made a mistake and we finished fourth".

Now there's Japan and Korea. With what spirit will the next races be tackled?
"The championship had already been lost for some time. The math doesn't change anything. We are not competitive and therefore we must work to try to improve the balance of the car and to learn as many things as we can, useful information for next year".
And what personal motivations will you try to give yourself from here on out?
"The difference between us and the others in the constructors' championship is enormous, so let's say that if I manage to bring home second place in the drivers' championship, I would say that it is a result that can be considered enormous. It wouldn't be of any use but it would be a good satisfaction".
Stefano Domenicali agrees with Alonso:
"We were not up to the task in terms of performance and the position occupied reflects today's position. At the beginning we paid for the temperature problems we had with the brakes, as well as those with the Supersofts, so it was difficult to do better than that".
Alonso, fourth today, is still fighting for second place in the Drivers' World Championship standings, where he is third, just one point behind Jenson Button.
"We continue to push because we have the obligation to do our best".
Sebastian Vettel, however, describes his solo race in Singapore like this.
"I'm very happy with the result, the car has always been fantastic, and I've always managed to push well and take a good lead, then the entry of the safety car made me lose the advantage but I had a good restart and with the cars that were between Jenson and me, I managed to regain a good margin. This is a track where there is always a lot of traffic and if you find yourself having to overtake you can't keep up and so in the end there wasn't a big margin at the finish but it was everything under control".
Thanks to his ninth success of the season, and with still five races to go, the Red Bull World Champion is just one point away from his reconfirmation.
"I will have another chance in the next race".
Nothing to complain about for Jenson Button, splendidly second at the finish line:
"I made the most of the car, but we weren't fast enough to win, we have something to exploit for the next race. I can understand that it is difficult to move around this track, built on a street circuit. But we should respect those who come from behind to lap. I lost time to overtake Kobayashi and then also the two Williams".
Mark Webber sees the positive side of the race, after taking third place on the city track of Marina Bay, certainly not one of his favourites.

"As often this season I found myself starting badly. I have to review and improve my starts because it is frustrating and difficult to recover and regain positions on the track even with the DRS not working. But in the end I only lost one position and today Sebastian it was fantastic. This is a difficult track and even if we race everything to win it's important just to finish the race. The car went well, everyone worked well even if I'm not extremely fast on this track".
As regards the fate of the Formula 1 World Championship, there is very little to say but Fernando Alonso maintains his optimism in view of the season finale and a 2012 to be experienced, in the hopes of the Spanish driver and Ferrari, as protagonists:
"When you see that everyone in the team is giving their all and maybe even more then you can only be satisfied. Naturally we hoped to do better, but I have great confidence in the work we are doing. We were convinced that we could make a leap in quality after the summer break but it wasn't like that while our opponents took another step forward. This doesn't mean that we won't be able to continue fighting in the next races: it will be tough but I feel in the team a great desire for redemption and to demonstrate our value".
This disappointing 2011 does not erase Alonso's conviction, who still believes in the Ferrari project:
"It's things like these that, last spring, convinced me to extend my relationship with Ferrari at least until the end of 2016. If I didn't believe in the quality and determination of the people and in the potential in terms of structures and resources I wouldn't have made a similar choice. Now we have to close ranks after a difficult weekend and prepare as best we can for the Suzuka race, one of the most fascinating tracks of the entire World Championship".
Felipe Massa also hopes to do better, holding on to memories: in Suzuka, the next stop in the Formula 1 circus, the Brazilian won pole position in 2006.
"I'm very sorry for the way things went: Singapore definitely doesn't bring me luck, given that one always happens to me. As for Hamilton and his behavior on and off the track, I've already told him everything and I haven't changed my opinion one day. comma, but I consider the matter closed. Better to think about the next races, to finish a difficult season well and to prepare ourselves in the best way for the next one".
Meanwhile, Stefano Domenicali returns to Maranello, where he will meet with technicians and engineers to evaluate the reasons for the disappointing performance at Marina Bay, which also highlighted somewhat unexpected problems such as the high degradation of the Supersoft tyres. Ferrari still believes in the possibility of giving Fernando Alonso second place in the World Championship but, at the same time, work is underway for the 2012 season. Some aerodynamic updates will already be brought to Suzuka, and some other technical innovations are also expected in Korea.