Singapore Crash 2017 (Report)
A race cannot be won at the start, it can only be lost.
We’ve all been looking forward to the Singapore Grand Prix however none of us would have been able to predict such a start!
Despite a great race by Lewis Hamilton who brought his car home for his 60th race win – the Singapore Grand Prix crash is the talking point of the day.
After seeing the race unfold at the start and then looking through footage at different angles and onboard cameras, it’s clear to see that Verstappen was not at fault for the incident – it was the Ferrari’s.
Race Start – Singapore Crash 2017
The three drivers came together down the straight right before the first turn.
Sebastian Vettel didn’t have the best start whereas his main rival, Verstappen, did and as can be seen through different angles and onboard shots, Vettel steers to the left in a rather aggressive manner, cutting off Verstappen.
Verstappen also had Raikkonen on his left side meaning that he was in a ‘Ferrari Sandwich‘ with no where to go – he was on his racing line and being blocked in by both drivers (Vettel and Raikkonen).
Raikkonen on the other hand had a good start however he is further back and can see what’s happening with his team-mate Vettel, cutting off Verstappen.
Instead of trying to avoid the situation, Raikkonen continues and moves into Verstappen coming into contact with him which then causes a chain-reaction down towards the first turn.
This then results in Raikkonen hitting Verstappen again who then hits Alonso – through no fault of his own.
Vettel makes it round the first corner however due to fluid leaking from his car, he spins and hits the barrier allowing Hamilton to get past, taking the lead whilst his race ends there.
See the video from different angles by clicking here.
Ferrari Social Media – Singapore Crash 2017
Ferrari has also had a lot of criticism following the crash as they took to twitter with their view on things.
Following this, Ferrari spoke to the media saying “even though this was tweeted to official profile during the race, it was not ‘official’ from Ferrari” as it was not their press manager who wrote the tweet but ‘someone’ from in the garage.
There has been no official comment from Ferrari following the stewards meeting as the team boss Maurizio Arrivabene left the paddock early whilst his drivers waited to attend the meeting.
Other Thoughts and Theories – Singapore Crash 2017
Following the crash and the race, there has been a lot of speculation on social media from both commentators and fans who follow the sport.
Some people are suggesting that this could have been ‘planned’ by Ferrari prior to the race, not expecting things to turn out in this way.
People seem to think that the two Ferrari drivers agreed to try and cut off Verstappen on the main straight, to make sure that he wouldn’t get past them during the race with Raikkonen acting as a ‘barrier’ between Vettel and Verstappen – allowing Vettel to get ahead in the race and concentrate on the championship battle.
Singapore Crash 2017
After looking at the footage from different angles, you can see that there was no where for Verstappen to go. He got boxed in by both the Ferrari drivers and was on his racing line – which he’s entitled to.
Unless Verstappen was wearing an invisibly cloak – he was seen by both Vettel and Raikkonen and considering that they are the best drivers in the world, should have been a bit more careful – especially Vettel who already has points on his super-license and is also in World Championship battle.
In regards to if this was ‘planned’ prior to the race – that’s something that I cannot comment on as it’s all speculation.
Stewards Verdict – Singapore Crash 2017
I don’t agree with the stewards on this as they haven’t taken any further action on any driver.
FIA Statement – Singapore Crash 2017
‘The Stewards consider that no driver was found to have been wholly or predominantly to blame for the incident and will therefore take no further action’
‘The Stewards examined video evidence and heard from Sebastian Vettel, the driver of Car 5, Kimi Raikkonen, the driver of Car 7, Max Verstappen, the driver of Car 33 and the team representatives’
‘Driver of Car 7 had a very good start and was able to attempt overtaking the driver of Car 33 on the left hand side . At the same time, Car 5 which had a slower start, moved to the left hand side of the track: Car 33 and Car 7 collided resulting in a chain collision with Car 5 and ultimately Car 14 (Fernando Alonso) at the next turn.’
‘Cars 7, 5 and 33 had to retire immediately as a result of the incident and Car 14 retired some laps thereafter.’
Lots more coming soon including driver and team reaction following the Singapore Grand Prix.
xx
This was an amazing race and what a start! Couldn’t believe it when it happened – downhill for Ferrari since then.
Tom