
Tuesday, September 9th 2014, two press releases are issued simultaneously to announce what would be a consensual divorce. From Turin and Maranello comes the formal seal that closes the era of Luca Montezemolo in Ferrari and Fiat. For Montezemolo, Ferrari is the most important professional experience, what he loved most, immediately after his family. From Marchionne comes the recognition to Luca for what he has given in these long years to Fiat and Ferrari. It is the exit of scene demanded from Turin, and by now unavoidable after the declarations of the managing director of FCA Sunday to Cernobbio. It is the honor of arms requested by Montezemolo because even in difficult times the tones make the substance and does not close a chapter lasted twenty-three years with a public reprimand on the ranking of single-seaters at the end of a Grand Prix. The consensual separation is the main outcome of the meeting on Monday afternoon in Maranello, in the meeting room of the Scuderia Ferrari management building. A not short face to face with Montezemolo willing to ask for an honourable way out in exchange for resignation. Alternatively, on Monday morning in Maranello, all that remained was the path of the imperial closure of the relationship by Turin with all the consequences of image and legal that this conclusion would entail. In the end, the choice of the agreed conclusion prevailed: Montezemolo resigns and Fiat appreciates his twenty-three years of work in the group. Wednesday afternoon, in Maranello, the handover between the outgoing president and Marchionne should be ratified by the board of directors. A decision that should not be questioned even if it would be useful to convince the independent directors of Ferrari, such as Apple manager Eduardo Humberto Cue, to vote for it. But above all Marchionne will have to convince the Ferrari fans. In the new governance, in addition to Marchionne, other FCA administrators will arrive, while a non-operational assignment to Lapo Elkann is excluded, a hypothesis circulated with insistence. In Monday’s meeting, Sergio Marchionne was worried about closing the game in a short time to prevent the controversy from weighing on the FCA landing in Wall Street. As for the Montezemolo bonus, some calculations speak of a check of 14.000.000 (paid in twenty years), other rumors assume a much higher amount. Step aside to make way to the new phase of the Fiat Chrysler Group and Ferrari:
"The cycle is over".
This is the message launched by Luca Montezemolo in a press conference alongside the CEO of FCA, Sergio Marchionne, to explain the resounding farewell to the Maranello factory. A speech with calm tones, between smiles, memories and pats on the shoulders, that wants to leave a positive image of the outgoing president and his relationship with Agnelli and Marchionne himself, after the controversy exploded in recent weeks. Skirmishes that, minimizing and in playful tones, the protagonists of the scene have described as a constant in the relationship:
"We put up with each other for ten years".
Marchionne’s ironic synthesis of the relationship that has come to an end. Explaining the transition, accelerated after the recent misunderstandings with Marchionne on sports results and brand prospects of Ferrari, Montezemolo says he is proud to know that the company will play an important role at a key moment in the life of the shareholder, that is the listing in Wall Street, in reference to the disembarkation of Fiat Chrysler (FCA) on the American Stock exchange previewed for 13 October 2014.
"I had thought to close my career at the end of next year, but this appointment is fundamental. It is right that a new phase is not opened by a very young president here for twenty-three years, but the CEO of the group".
Montezemolo, who lists Ferrari’s sporting successes, quoting Agnelli several times, in a sort of catalogue to be fixed beyond the controversy over the poor results of recent years, points out that his release represents a great team operation for the future.

Of course, the failure of Alonso’s engine at Monza has not helped in the management of recent misunderstandings, but for the future of the team, Montezemolo is convinced that there are all the conditions to return to win. From Montezemolo comes the confirmation of the latest rumors:
"Amedeo Felisa will remain CEO of Ferrari".
Even after his exit and the rise of Marchionne as president. For Ferrari, from the industrial point of view, a new position in the FCA group is expected as the heart of the luxury hub also formed by Alfa Romeo and Maserati. On this design Marchionne, however, curbs enthusiasm, emphasizing the uniqueness of Ferrari that has a segment for itself and does not need any reference. In any case, you can not think of aggregation until the relaunch of Alfa with the new models of 2015, precisely on June 24th. About the many times ventilated listing of Ferrari, Marchionne says:
"I don’t have a plan on my desk for a Ferrari’s Ipo".
Even on the possible production of a Ferrari SUV, there are no plans. Marchionne points out that the strategic design for the future of Ferrari preserves the strategic and operational autonomy of Maranello, which cannot rest and enter the rest of the Fiat Chrysler system. Answering the questions of the reporters, who ask about the American future of Ferrari, the manager says it’s obscene to think that Ferrari is made in a place other than Maranello:
"It was born and will die Italian".
Montezemolo adds:
"There will soon be a new special model of American’s car, 2.500.000, designed especially for the United States".
Even the CEO of FCA explains that the succession of Montezemolo was already on the table, but was accelerated by the controversy that happened in recent days. The internal brawl on the Turin-Maranello axis was exacerbated after statements by Sergio Marchionne from the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, where it emerged clearly the intolerance of the Italian-Canadian manager for the poor results of Ferrari. Critics of which the manager now does not regret. Finally, Sergio Marchionne will be president of Ferrari from 13 October 2014. Lawyer Montezemolo, what does a change of era mean?
"Objectively, I think a very important cycle is over. And thanks to the strength of our company we can open a new one with the listing of FCA. This fills us with pride".
How did the cycle start?
"In 1973 Enzo Ferrari called me. He said: Dear Montezemolo, I need a young man like you. You know we haven’t won the World Championship since 1964. Eleven years had passed then. Many more than since 2008".
How can you win again?

"We have to thank men like Jean Todt. And an extraordinary driver like Michael Schumacher. We shared very difficult moments with them. We could not win and even then there was no lack of criticism from Turin. Then came the wonderful years of victories".
Which Ferrari does he leave to his successor?
"I leave a company that I hope will close this year with important economic results. I am proud to leave the drawers full of projects and all the basis to relaunch a new cycle in Formula 1".
What did you do wrong on the racing team?
"We underestimated the changes in power units and did not anticipate the consequences of regulations that do not allow you to change the engine system during the season to improve it. With Sergio Marchionne we had misunderstandings close to the weekend. Certainly the breakdown of the only engine in the season with the Alonso stop did not help us to understand each other better".
How important is winning on the track for sales and brand?
"There is no direct relationship between track wins and sales. This is demonstrated by the case of America. On October 13th we will celebrate 60 years of Ferrari’s presence on the American market. In the United States they barely knows what Formula 1 is. Yet for a very long time it was our main market".
Do you fear that in the new FCA Ferrari changes skin, that it becomes American?
"We are really preparing an American Ferrari for the celebrations of sixty years. It is an exclusive model, produced in just ten copies and will cost over 2.000.000 euros".
Do you have any regrets?
"I am proud of the drivers who have been with us and have given us the satisfaction of these years. The regret is not to have paid the necessary attention to the power system in the last period".
What will Luca di Montezemolo do now? Will he switch from single-seaters to Alitalia planes?
"For now it’s important to keep working. Before my last day of school, which will be October 13th, I still have many things to do. At the next Paris show we will present a new special spider. And then I want to focus on family, take my four-year-old to school. These are my priorities today. Alitalia is a possibility. We’ll see".
What will remain of these decades in the Fiat group?
"The pride of having led Ferrari to victory and the honor of having been president of Fiat at a time when the company had its feet in the abyss. And only Sergio and I know how difficult those days were".

A few days already late, the Circus arrives in Singapore for the fourteenth round of the World Championship and everyone’s eyes are on the Mercedes drivers. On the one hand Nico Rosberg, current leader of the World Championship, on the other Lewis Hamilton, World Champion in 2008 and immediate follower of the German driver, just 22 points away and with more experience. But Nico Rosberg doesn’t seem worried:
"This situation does not bother me that much. Experience could help, of course, since he has already experienced similar situations. But that won’t stop me from sleeping. I focus on what I have to do. Lewis is a great rival, he is strong, but first of all I think about me, to do my job with the team and to bring out the best from everyone".
The mistake made at Monza is already forgotten, now the attention of Nico Rosberg is projected on the next Singapore Grand Prix.
"Right now I enjoy having a car that can allow me to get pole, to win. It’s a special feeling and this gives me more confidence. I don’t think about that. At Monza, I didn’t think about doing good qualifying and winning. What happened did not go in my favor, but no drama. I think about Singapore now".
At the same time, we hear the words most awaited by fans after the earthquake in Ferrari:
"I am neither further nor closer to Ferrari. Nothing has changed".
This is what Fernando Alonso says on the eve of the Singapore Grand Prix, commenting on the departure of President Luca Montezemolo, followed by those of Luca Marmorini and Stefano Domenicali. A kind of reassurance for the team, for all those who work with their heads down to get Ferrari back to win, what we needed in short.
"It’s true, there have been many changes and maybe there will be others. Montezemolo was a very successful man but I believe that all changes are to improve and as such I face them".
The good news ends here: as for the chances of his Ferrari for the Singapore race, Alonso is in fact pessimistic, as always:
"Here I have made five podiums in six races, I have won twice, but this year we have more limited potential and we are completely oriented to 2015. In any case we will fight to the maximum".
Fernando Alonso rejects the new rule that prohibits all forms of radio transmission that help drivers to manage the single-seater and driving performance:
"It’s a rule that only creates unnecessary expectations. It is as if a football or basketball coach could not give directions to his players. We use radio communication to correct and improve the car or for safety reasons, not for our driving. But it’s okay, it’s a rule that applies to everyone and things won’t change much".
After speaking about the recent issues, Fernando Alonso loses his patience on Thursday September 18th 2014.

Tired of the rumors related to his future (there are rumors about McLaren or a move to Red Bull in place of Sebastian Vettel), the Ferrari driver, participating in an event related to his sponsor in Singapore, says:
"I’m having a spectacular year, with triple the points of my teammate, maybe together with 2012 it is my best season and yet every race, every Thursday, I have to deny the rumors coming from Italy".
And yet, in a more threatening tone but without indicating a clear target, he adds:
"This is a rare thing, but I have nothing to say. If I have to say something I will do it in a few weeks and someone will not like it. It’s not good at all. I’ve teamed up and I’ve worked side by side with the team over the years, I’m committed to maintaining a good environment, going to dinner with the kids, playing basketball and trying to be constantly close to the whole team to create a group, and then from Italy come all these rumors. But one day I’ll have to talk too".
How will the future of Ferrari be without Luca Montezemolo? Kimi Raikkonen answers:
"Time will tell. Things change, it’s life and often changes are for better results. And Formula 1 is like that. No more radio communications? I don’t talk much on the radio, I just talk about little things, but it could get complicated if there are little problems on the car, but that’s the rule and it will make things more complicated for us, but it’s part of the game and that’s okay".
Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel responds to the voices that would like him involved in a passage to Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso doing the opposite path:
"I have a lot to do here, this year it didn’t go as smoothly and we have to react. Nothing has changed, with this team I have a special relationship since I was twelve years old. I’ve been wearing the Red Bull helmet ever since, and it’s impossible to figure out what’s going to happen, which team I’m going to drive for at some point. It’s impossible to predict the future. Certainly I have been here for a long time and I have a very strong bond with this team, from this point of view nothing has changed and I think nothing should change".
The prerequisites are more than interesting. This Singapore Grand Prix promises to be, for Ferrari, sparkling like the lights that will allow the night of the race. Fernando Alonso had never been seen so charged, and thank goodness the occasion is a direct tribute to him, a sculpture at Clarke Quay Central. But imagine it: the Spaniard starts vividly, without worrying about the consequences of his words.
"But I don’t understand, I’m having a spectacular year, with triple points compared to my teammate, and what happens? That every Thursday I have to shut down the rumors. That come from Italy".
This is the thing that makes him the most crazy: they had assured him that Ferrari is the most protected and sealed team that there is in F1, and therefore he can’t explain himself the rumors. But he understands them perfectly.
"All I do is team up, I play basketball with the kids, I go to dinner. And then this. But when I talk, someone won’t like it. And I will speak in a few weeks".

Vettel in Ferrari, and Alonso in Red Bull: this is the exchange that can’t be done, at least not on these terms.
"Those who spread rumors do not care about Ferrari, I say no more".
No, he thinks about it and shoots the post scriptum, the last message to those who need to understand.
"The picture is this: in April the team principal changed, in summer the head of engines and in September even the president".
He rubs it in: it’s difficult to remember, in recent memory, many changes with the championship still happening.
"I have wished everyone well. I know that Marchionne has changed to improve, so he said. And so I hope too".
Meanwhile, Friday, September 19th 2014 Lewis Hamilton scores the best time during the first day of free practice of the Singapore Grand Prix, the first that the Maranello team will face after the departure of Montezemolo. In the second session, the British Mercedes driver scores a 1'47"490. But Ferrari’s response has been good so far, as Fernando Alonso marks the second half of the day and in the standings he is ahead of Australian Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull. Fourth time for the other Ferrari, that of Kimi Raikkonen, who leaves behind the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel and McLaren of Kevin Magnussen. Only thirteenth time for the leader of the World Championship, Nico Rosberg, who can not fully exploit the Supersoft tires: his lap with the softest tires is compromised by the accident occurred to the Lotus of the Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado and the subsequent exposure of the red flag. But in reality the German is hiding: his teammate uses Supersoft tires to score the best time of the day, while the German continues to use the Soft throughout the afternoon. As scripted on Friday Ferrari looks competitive. Fernando Alonso, the fastest in the morning on Soft tyres, stopped 0.133 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton on Supersoft tyres in the afternoon, while his teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, was fourth at 0.5 seconds. Good news? Maybe. But certainly also on the Marina Bay circuit the cars to beat are always the two W05. The pace of the F14T also looks good in terms of the race, but they will have to watch their backs from the two Red Bulls. Daniel Ricciardo is third, 0.3 seconds from Lewis Hamilton, while Sebastian Vettel is fifth at 0.010 seconds from Kimi Raikkonen’s time. These six cars seem to be the ones that can fight for the best positions both in qualifying and in the race.
Following, in fact, there are the two McLaren of Magnussen and Button and the Force India of Perez and Magnussen, all powered by the Mercedes engine, and to close the top ten the Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat. But the qualifies will clarify things. Perhaps the only certainty is that the pole position will be conquered by a Mercedes driver. The only thing left to decide is the name of the driver. Meanwhile, the FIA meets the demands of the drivers, and softens the ban on radio communications with the pits: the rule will be effective next year. And also for 2015 Ecclestone wants three drivers for each team. On Saturday September 20th 2014, during the third and final free practice session, Fernando Alonso sets the fastest time. The Spaniard precedes Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Rosberg. The Ferrari driver climbed up the ranking switching from Soft tyres to Supersoft tyres; Mercedes instead showed greater competitiveness with Soft tyres. The drivers complained of a drop in track grip, due to a storm that overturned on the track before the start of the session, cleaning the asphalt. But in qualifying it is always Mercedes to shine Lewis Hamilton will start from pole position the Singapore Grand Prix, ahead of his teammate and leader of the World Championship, Nico Rosberg, for just 0.007 seconds. Red Bull instead takes the second row, with Daniel Ricciardo that precedes Sebastian Vettel. A step back for the Ferrari, who had shone in free practice and Q1 and Q2: Fernando Alonso will start in fifth place, Kimi Raikkonen, stopped by an engine problem about a minute and a half from the end of qualifying, in seventh. Between the two red cars the Williams of Felipe Massa. Previously, in Q1, Kimi Räikkönen set the fastest time, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

The big difference between the two tires proposed by Pirelli forced the drivers to use Supersoft tires to try to pass the round. The two Caterhams were eliminated, the two Marussia, Adrian Sutil and Pastor Maldonado. In Q2 the two Mercedes monopolized the first two places of the standing, with Nico Rosberg able, at the last attempt, to snatch the best time from Lewis Hamilton. To achieve this result the German had made two fast attempts, against the single attempt of the other four fastest drivers. The fight to avoid the cut in Q2 had remained heated until the last moments of the session, and the two Force India, Jenson Button, Jean-Éric Vergne, Esteban Gutiérrez and Romain Grosjean, were excluded. In Q3, after the first attempt, Felipe Massa was in the lead, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo, while the Mercedes were in the back of the standing. With the second attempt Daniel Ricciardo was in first position, but Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton managed to score the best times. In particular Nico Rosberg is penalized in the last attempt by the use of a set of used Supersoft tires, due to the extra attempt made in Q2. Even in Singapore, therefore, the script does not change for Ferrari, which does not go beyond the third row. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, celebrates the sixth pole of the season and the second consecutive one after the one in Monza in the Italian Grand Prix.
"I didn’t expect to see the others so fast and close. The Ferraris were very close, but in the end it went well for our team".
Lewis Hamilton says, commenting on the pole position obtained in Singapore for only 0.007 seconds.
"At the start of the last lap I lost some time at turn one but I managed to recover, even though I thought I had lost something. The team did a great job".
But all things considered, Fernando Alonso is also satisfied:
"A super qualifying, we were always very competitive and in the end starting fifth is good".
The Spaniard expects an open race with the podium widely within his reach.
"We are two tenths from pole and if they had told us yesterday I would have signed it. The race is very open and we start from the clean side. The podium is closer than ever".
Satisfied with the performance of his Ferrari, less for the problem that prevented him from the last lap, is also Kimi Raikkonen:
"I don’t know what the problem was, at one point the engine shut down while I was trying to accelerate. Too bad, the car felt good. We needed a better position but we will try to make up for it. We got very close to Mercedes and showed good potential".
Make popcorn, beer or whatever. But do not miss the appointment with the Singapore Grand Prix, which has all the conditions to be the most exciting F1 Grand Prix of the year. What are the basis? Being at night (the only one), and already this is an anomaly. Being a city circuit (but not like Monte-Carlo) where there are many corners and few straights. The fact that the teams are all a little closer, in terms of performance. The risk of a beautiful monsoon shower, which local meteorologists deny, but what if they are wrong (Saturday, five minutes after qualifying, it rains for two hours). Long premisses, it is true, to say that Ferrari could be the protagonist. But be careful when you ì say that this is the first Marchionne effect, because you would be accused of not understanding anything about F1. They would reply more or less like this:

"In China it was Mattiacci’s first Grand Prix, Alonso finished second and everyone said this and that...".
And then we know what the Maranello team has done so far, so it’s better not to talk about new courses. Also because the first to be surprised is Spanish:
"Pleasantly, that’s for sure. If I had been told on Friday that we would be competitive in qualifying, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. And instead this fifth place was a bit different from the usual, because the gap from pole is really minimal".
No need to give him an anti-doping test, there are a few technical reasons:
"In this circuit the driver counts".
It says Pat Fry.
"And I like the Marina Bay track, I think it depends on the characteristics of the track".
Continue the Spanish.
"Now, as for the race, reliability is the first thing we need to keep an eye on. We start from the clean side of the track and the podium and the gaps are not more than seconds, but a few tenths. So, the podium is a reasonable goal".
Then the magic word is pronounced, the one that Alonso told everyone to forget for this 2014:
"Victory? It’s important to make a careful and flawless race. Then we see what others do".
The others would be those two, the challengers, Hamilton and Rosberg. Their back and forth was cinematic, with Rosberg rejoicing at his potential pole position for only ten seconds, because then Hamilton mortified him for only seven thousandths of a second: imagining an arrival at the photo finish, we’re talking about 30 inches.
"God damn it”.
Exclaimed the leader of the standing, adding then:
"I wanted to say c'mon, but it went like this. Lewis did better, fair play. But tomorrow will be a long race".
And so it was the British who gave a gimme five to his team-mate, waiting to fight on track.
"I think it was the most effervescent qualifying of the year, and I also think the race will be quite interesting, especially for fans".
Post scriptum: Kimi Raikkonen.

On the day that he could get out of anonymity, at the moment of qualifying, in the lap where he could have achieved a good result, had to face the problem of the telemetry turning off. Black out, betrayed by the software. One thing you can’t believe, that the Finn has punctually reiterated by his part:
"This is F1, this is sport".
On Sunday, September 21, 2014, the weather at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix is dry and clear, with the air temperature between 28 °C and 30 °C and a track temperature from 33 °C to 37 °C. All drivers started on the super soft compound tyre. Rosberg's car had a faulty steering wheel control due to a wiring loom problem. Although he made the starting grid after a steering wheel change and computer reset, the problem persisted and he began from the pit lane. Kobayashi's car developed an oil pressure issue on the formation lap and pulled off the circuit, preventing him from starting. When the race began at 8:00 p.m.. Hamilton led the field into the first corner. Ricciardo's engine briefly lost power, preventing him from passing teammate Vettel. Alonso attempted to pass the Red Bull cars to their right but entered turn one too quickly, locked his front-left tyre, and drove onto the run-off area, falling to third. Magnussen passed Massa for sixth outside of track limits at turn five but slid sideways at turn seven while holding off teammate Button, dropping to ninth. Button gained four positions by the end of the first lap, while Rosberg fell to 22nd over the same distance. At the end of the first lap, Hamilton led Vettel, Alonso, Ricciardo, Räikkönen, Massa, Button, Bottas, Magnussen and Kvyat. The stewards investigated Alonso's start but took no further action. Rosberg left the pit lane on the second lap but was initially unable to keep up with Chilton's Marussia. Drs was enabled on the third lap as the field spread out. The stewards investigated Magnussen for violating track limits. McLaren teammates Magnussen and Button avoided a collision on lap four and the Williams duo passed them. Vettel kept Hamilton's lead constant, causing the latter to go faster by 0.5 a second while conserving fuel. Rosberg overtook Chilton to move into 20th on lap five, while Kvyat was told by radio to battle Magnussen after lapping 0.3 seconds faster than Magnussen in the first sector on the next lap. Rosberg could not pass Ericsson and was more than 40 seconds behind Hamilton by that lap. It was announced on lap seven that there would be no further action against Magnussen. Magnussen, Kvyat and Vergne were within one second of each other and battled for ninth place.
Vergne encouraged his teammate Kvyat to cede a position to him, but Kvyat insisted he could pass Magnussen. Vergne overtook teammate Kvyat for tenth on lap eight and began gaining on Magnussen. Rosberg was limited to two gears and was five seconds slower than teammate Hamilton. Hamilton led by five seconds by the start of lap ten despite car balance problems over a single lap. Massa ran close behind Räikkönen until his first pit stop at the end of the lap as part of the Williams' team plan to pass the latter through strategy. Räikkönen made his stop on the following lap and emerged behind Massa. Bottas entered the pit lane on lap eleven with Vettel, Alonso and Ricciardo stopping on the next lap. After Kvyat made his stop, he rejoined behind Rosberg but overtook him shortly after. Hamilton made his pit stop from the lead on lap 14, and retained it, narrowly in front of Button. Rosberg was informed by radio that he could not go past 6,500 revolutions per minute in first gear because of a faulty pit lane limiter. He slowly entered the pit lane on lap 14 and purposely stalled his car as his tyres and steering wheel were changed. Mechanics switched Rosberg's car off and he selected multiple buttons on his steering wheel to try and change gear. After almost two minutes, Rosberg's car was pushed into his garage to be retired. Massa overtook Pérez for sixth place on the 15th lap. Vergne incurred a five-second stop-and-go penalty on the following lap after he was deemed to have exceeded track limits. On lap 19 Gutiérrez retired in his garage with an engine electrical problem. Two laps later, Chilton made an unscheduled pit stop after a wheel value punctured his front-right tyre. On lap 23, Räikkönen drew closer to Massa and the Williams team responded by bringing the latter into the pit lane for soft compound tyres for a potential strategic overtake. He rejoined in ninth behind teammate Bottas. Hamilton pulled away from Vettel who was caught by Alonso. By the 24th lap, Alonso had the potential to pass Vettel after the pit stops. That lap, Ferrari brought Alonso into the pit lane for super soft compound tyres.

Vettel made his pit stop on lap 25 for soft compound tyres and emerged in third behind Alonso's faster Ferrari. Massa overtook Hülkenberg on the main straight for eighth on the same lap. Hamilton made his stop for super soft compound tyres on the following lap, giving the lead to Ricciardo; his team used a large time gap to remove rubber debris on his front wing. Ricciardo took his pit stop on lap 27 returning the lead to Hamilton. Grosjean was close behind Pérez but he could not pass him. Pérez attempted an overtake Sutil on the straight on the 30th lap, and Sutil squeezed Pérez into a wall, clipping the left-front nose cone section. It slid under Pérez's wheel, littering the track with debris, and prompting the safety car's deployment, to allow marshals to remove debris from the track. Some drivers elected to make pit stops to switch onto the soft compound tyres; Ferrari brought their drivers in to enable them to reach the end of the race without the need for another pit stop. Hamilton's race engineer Peter Bonnington cautioned him about the debris but Hamilton did not receive the warning in time and drove over shards of wing. He inquired about tyre pressures and was told no issues had been discovered. Sutil incurred a five-second stop-and-go penalty for the collision with Pérez. The safety car was withdrawn at the end of the 37th lap and racing resumed with Hamilton in first. Hamilton set the race's fastest lap of 1 minute and 50.417 seconds on lap 39 to lead Vettel by 5.8 seconds. Sutil's car developed a water leak and retired two laps later to prevent the risk of an engine failure. Hamilton led Vettel by 24 seconds by the next lap and wanted to make a pit stop because he was worried about tyre wear but was advised to further grow his advantage over the next three laps. Hamilton made his final pit stop for the soft compound tyres on lap 52. He rejoined in second behind Vettel and narrowly ahead of Ricciardo. Hamilton quickly caught Vettel, used Drs leaving turn five, and turned right to reclaim the lead two corners later on lap 54. Button stopped at the side of the track to retire with a power box failure on the same lap. His retirement promoted Räikkönen to seventh and Bottas' worn tyres slowed him, enabling Hülkenberg, Vergne and Pérez to run close behind him. Maldonado's aspiration for his first point of 2014 was not realised when Magnussen passed him for tenth place on lap 56. Three laps later, Vergne passed Hülkenberg for eighth place. Vergne overtook Räikkönen for seventh on the left into the first corner and then Bottas for sixth.
Pérez had better traction than teammate Hülkenberg and passed him between turns 17 and 18. Pérez passed Räikkönen into turn 10 and took seventh when Bottas lost all tyre grip and fell from the top ten quickly. Because of the safety car period, the race ended under a two-hour time limit. In the remaining eight laps, Hamilton distanced himself from Vettel and was the first to finish after 60 laps for his seventh victory of the season and the 29th of his career. Vettel finished second in his best result of the season, 13.534 seconds behind, and successfully held off teammate Ricciardo and Alonso in the final laps. Massa finished fifth. Vergne's five-second time penalty did not affect his sixth-place finish. Pérez, Räikkönen, Hülkenberg and Magnussen were seventh through tenth. Bottas, Maldonado, Grosjean, Kvyat and Ericsson, Bianchi and Chilton were the final finishers. There were four lead changes in the race; three drivers reached the front of the field. Hamilton led three times for a total of 58 laps, more than any other driver. There goes the lead. Nico Rosberg retired and Lewis Hamilton immediately took advantage, winning the Singapore Grand Prix and then taking the lead in the World Championship. Hostilities are officially reopened, with the two contenders now practically on the same level. And already because Hamilton, on the seventh win of the season, now flies to 241 points and overtakes his teammate, the German Nico Rosberg, who remains stationary at 238 points because his car did not even start at the start, muted by problems with electronics on the grid. Who imagines, however, that it was an easy race for Hamilton makes a big mistake: Lewis narrowly preceded the Red Bulls of the German Sebastian Vettel and the Australian Daniel Ricciardo escorted by Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari. And already because the trio of phenomenon took the risk of the early pit stop to try to get to the end with only one pit stop: the Red Bulls helped by the entrance of the Safety car, the Ferrari of Alonso with courage. Because Fernando entered the pits when he was second, sacrificing the position to avoid the second stop. In the end, it didn’t work, of course, but it was nice to see someone daring against that kind of rocket disguised as F1 that is the W05 Mercedes. Felipe Massa, Jean-Éric Vergne, Sergio Perez, Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen also scored points. But - despite the good duels - in the end their performance has passed completely quietly, since all eyes were on the leading quartet.

Above all, towards the middle of the race, on Alonso who found a very fast Ferrari that took him suddenly to second place, and that made all fans hope. In the end - a comment dedicated to the latter - the result on track was more or less the usual, but the gap from the first was never so low. In short, there are reasons for hope. And given this year’s results, it is miraculous.
"The safety car cost me the podium, maybe even the second position".
This is the cold analysis of Fernando Alonso, who obviously does not hide his disappointment at the end of the Singapore Grand Prix closed to a miserable fourth place.
"Sometimes the Safety car helps you, sometimes it hurts you. We had started the race very well, before the entrance of the safety car we were laying the foundations to conquer the second position in a harder race than those of previous years. Today, in complicated conditions by heat and humidity, the cars were 3-4 seconds slower than in the past. The start went well, but then I was wrong in the braking and I had to give up the second position".
Lewis Hamilton is obviously happy for the victory in the Singapore Grand Prix, which for him also means overtaking Nico Rosberg in the lead of the World Championship.
"I dreamt about it last night, but another thing is when it really happens... My team has done an incredible job this year, coming here knowing we could fight for the record is an incredible thing. How much pressure for the last pit stop? It wasn’t too bad... I didn’t know what the situation was, I had to return to fight with drivers with very worn tires, I was very comfortable. Things have changed for me. I hope for a weekend like this that wasn’t perfect for the team because Nico didn’t finish the race, there are things to work on as a team but I also have to thank these fans for the support they gave me".
The best result of the season at the circuit where he had won in the last three years: Sebastian Vettel confirms to have a special feeling with Singapore, where he collected an excellent second place behind Hamilton.
"It’s a circuit that I really appreciate. I like the atmosphere, it’s a tough race and today we’ve reached the limit. I started well, I passed Daniel (Ricciardo, ed) and I had a decent race, played a lot on strategy. The Safety car entered in a very difficult moment for us, I was out with the last set of tyres and Daniel and Fernando (Alonso, ed) put me under pressure but I’m happy to be second".
A placement that pays for the effort.
"It’s really a difficult race, it’s very hot, the cars are slipping and you have to stay very focused, it’s a race that we all appreciate because it’s a challenge".
Ricciardo and doubts about the start:
“The start? I should look at the images again. Something did not work; however I tried to recover positions after the difficult start and this podium arrived. Third place is always a joy, especially in front of these wonderful fans".

The Australian driver was praised by fans from the beginning to the end of the race.
"For me running here is almost like racing at home: I’ve seen many of my countrymen these days".
While Sutil rammed Perez, forcing the the safety car that cost (presumably) the podium to Fernando Alonso, in New York and surroundings are more focused on the questions that the Wall Street Journal poses about the Ferrari case and the alternation of Montezemolo. The report summarizes more or less all that was read in the days following the handover Montezemolo-Marchionne, but placing the typical doubts of those who leave the old road for the new, unknown.
"With Montezemolo, Ferrari has won a lot, not all managers are interchangeable".
Surely the article does not escape Marchionne, who will soon answer (with words or with deeds), meanwhile, in the post Grand Prix, it’s up to Marco Mattiacci to talk about the future, with regard to the sports part:
"Alonso stays with us for the moment. There is an ongoing discussion on how to define the relationship. For the rest we come from fifteen days of changes, I know that I have to make changes and give discontinuities to certain areas. This may please some and not others, but we cannot rest on the past and we must have the courage to change. What we want to do, for the rest the group is united in suffering, and we also found a way of self-criticism to improve".
The rest is news, in the sense that Fernando Alonso talks about how the Safety car damaged him, and the risk of Ferrari strategy, in choosing tires that could bring him to the finish line without other pit stops was unfortunately useless against the best aerodynamics of Red Bull.
"The bottom line is that here, this weekend, we were competitive and the improvements worked. Needless to remember the start, the pit stops and the Safety car, now. This was also a street circuit, so Suzuka will tell us where we really are and how close we are".