FORMULA 1 - 2012

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Grosjean: Good to be back

Romain Grosjean was relishing his return to the cockpit of his E20 in Singapore having been banned for the previous grand prix.

The Frenchman was not allowed to contest the Italian Grand Prix as punishment for causing the first lap carnage at the Belgian GP.

Having stated several times ahead of the weekend that he learnt his lesson, Grosjean had a relatively quiet Friday night in Singapore.

Covering 44 laps in the three hours of running, he finished the night tenth on the timesheets, 1.821s off the pace.

"It feels good to be back on track," Grosjean said.

"Our position on the time sheets in the morning was not what we'd have liked and even after FP2 we know there is more performance to be found.

"The car is basically the same as what we ran in Monaco and Budapest where we were very competitive but we've struggled a bit for grip today.

"The good thing is we understand what we need to do, the team has been working hard to make improvements and I'm sure we'll be stronger tomorrow."

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Austin completes final layer of circuit paving

The Circuit of the Americas has taken another step toward completion with the final layer of asphalt having been completed on Friday.

The racing surface, which is the third and final layer, is a combination of materials sourced from around Texas to meet the strict guidelines set out by the FIA.

Tilke engineers Oliver Liedgens and Frank Both supervised the final paving process, the culmination of four months of work, and were pleased with the results.

"When we came to Austin a little over two years ago, we came to the site for the first time and all we saw was mud and trees. It was really hard to imagine that a track would sit on this piece of land and the only source of imagery that we had was a couple of renders. Today is the first time we get to see the final product and this makes us very happy," they told theCircuit of the Americas website.

Construction around the circuit is also nearing completion as the November deadline approaches. The pit and paddock is almost complete with the final interior fit-out taking place, whilst the final few seats are installed in the main grandstand opposite.

Check out the latest images from the circuit below:

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Force India in 'decent shape' for Sunday

Force India look to have built on their strong form at the Italian Grand Prix after both Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta managed top-ten times during both practice sessions.

Following a double points finish in Monza, the duo are confident of a similar result this weekend after Di Resta managed the sixth quickest time, just a few thousandths ahead of Hulkenberg in seventh.

"I think you always need time to get up to speed on any street circuit so it was useful to have some trouble-free sessions and get the laps under my belt," said the Scot.

"The balance we have with the car is already looking good, but there's always room to improve things overnight. So I think we're in decent shape and the data collected should leave us well prepared for Sunday's race."

Hulkenberg declared himself 'happy' with Friday's running.

"It's been a positive Friday overall and I think we are looking competitive here," insisted the German. "The rain at the start of the first session didn't really have an impact on us and we still had plenty of time to get through the programme.

"I think in terms of race preparation we can be happy because we focussed on long runs and have lots of information going into tomorrow."

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Singapore GP: Ferrari yet to decide on new rear wing after Friday practice

Ferrari says it has not yet decided whether it will keep its new rear wing design on for the rest of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend after inconclusive results in Friday practice.

The new wing features larger flaps and new endplates, and was seen as a key development as Fernando Alonso attempts to hold on to his world championship lead.

But after initial tests on Friday in Singapore, the team reverted to the original wing design.

Ferrari's race operations manager Diego Ioverno said the team was still analysing what to do for the rest of the event.

"It was taken off in the afternoon, after we had done the tests," he told reporters in the Singapore paddock.

"We wanted to do a comparison with the other wing, the one that we could call the baseline.

"The numbers are still under investigation. At the moment I cannot say if we are going to use it or not.

"We finished the session with the other wing, so it may happen that we stay with the baseline one."

Asked if he was worried that this meant another Ferrari development had proved ineffective on track, Ioverno replied: "I think it is quite a common aspect for all the teams.

"We have no possibility to track-test the stuff, we rely on the windtunnel numbers and for everyone when you bring something on the track it might not be working as expected, so obviously it is not a pleasure if it happens.

"It is a bit of a concern also for the future, but it is something that we have to face as everyone has to face because we have this limitation on testing.

"I cannot say that we are happy for sure, but we are not desperate."

Ioverno was still cautiously optimistic about Ferrari's Singapore form, with Alonso third-fastest in practice two using the old wing.

"I think on Friday it is normally very difficult to understand what is going on, because of fuel load and track conditions," Ioverno said.

"I think that we have to understand what everyone has to understand, which is the real life of the tyres. How the drivers look after the tyre?

"We are still analysing the data, but it seems with one of the two compounds we are not in bad shape, but I think the major factor will be how long the tyres will last and we will learn it only on Sunday, I guess."

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Cyril Abiteboul joins Caterham as F1 team CEO

Caterham has announced Cyril Abiteboul will join the Formula 1 team as its CEO, taking over the squad's on and off-track operations.

Abiteboul, currently working as deputy managing director of Renault Sport F1, will be reporting to Caterham Group CEO Riad Asmat and Chairman Tony Fernandes.

Abiteboul will stay in his current post at Renault until January 2013, but will also be working with Caterham from now.

"I am obviously really happy to join this team that is still only in its third year and I would like to thank Tony, Kamarudin and Riad for this fantastic opportunity," he said.

"The vision, enthusiasm and appetite of the shareholders and the whole team will be very precious strengths to help us tackle the many challenges we have ahead as we continue to develop the F1 platform and hopefully make our way up through the grid.

"The multi-cultural character of the group of people in the team, together with the business and industrial project that the F1 activity serves under the Caterham Group umbrella made it an obvious choice for me after 11 great years with Renault to whom I can never be thankful enough for all I have been able to learn and experience throughout my time with them."

Team owner Fernandes said Abiteboul's arrival was a boost for his outfit.

"Cyril's appointment is more good news for our Formula 1 team," Fernandes said. "As CEO he will lead our F1 operation and will work closely with Riad, who can now turn his full attention to the continuing growth of the wider Caterham Group which is already active in the automotive, aerospace and marine industries.

"Cyril will also strengthen the excellent relationship that we have with Renault, particularly as we work towards the introduction of the new engine regulations in 2014 when engines will play an even greater role in overall car performance."

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Kobayashi and Pérez were pretty busy in Friday practice for Singapore GP

The spectacular Singapore street circuit is regarded as less favorable for the Sauber C31-Ferrari, but the development of this year’s car isn’t over yet. The team and both drivers, Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Pérez, were pretty busy in free practice trying different components.

Kamui also had the springs changed on his C31 in the first session, during which it became dark in Singapore. In the second 90 minutes of free practice at night both drivers worked intensively on the set up of their cars and were using both tyre compounds provided by Pirelli – the soft and the supersoft. Neither driver was happy with the balance of their respective car on Friday. Now the data work begins.

Sergio Pérez (C31-Ferrari - FP1 - P10th / 1:52.296 min, 19 laps / FP2 - P15th / 1:51.122 min, 28 laps): “For me it was a difficult day because I was never really happy with the balance of the car. It felt inconsistent and a bit unpredictable. We now have to analyse the data carefully and find a way to improve the car.“

Kamui Kobayashi: (C31-Ferrari - FP1 - P13th / 1:52.839 min, 23 laps / FP2 - P16th / 1:51.450 min, 21 laps): “The first session when we were evaluating parts was quite positive but in general our performance was rather weak today. I had way too much oversteer.

It is great to go racing in Singapore again but it is important that we improve the balance and set-up because you really need confidence in the car here.“

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “Despite the rain affecting the first session and the red flag affecting the second session massively, we were able to complete our programme. However, the problem is that we are significantly too slow.

There seems to be a major problem, but we don’t quite understand what it is. We will certainly have a long night analysing all the data. First we have to understand what’s wrong, and then we will have to find the right measures to cure it.”

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Schumacher tips Alonso to 'protect' points lead

Fernando Alonso is the clear favourite to win the 2012 title.

That is the view of the man who has won more formula one championships than any other in history -- Michael Schumacher.

Spaniard Alonso, who finally ended Schumacher's run of titles in 2005, is currently 37 points ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton with seven races to go.

"The gap is still quite big," German Schumacher, who drives for Mercedes, is quoted in Singapore by the SID news agency.

"Lewis and Sebastian (Vettel) need to go on full attack while Fernando can focus on protecting his points," said the 43-year-old.

"We saw that most recently in Monza, where he drove very cautiously and carefully," said Schumacher.

It is clear, however, that Ferrari is still on the attack.

"After the last two or three races, we can say that McLaren is also the favourite here," said Alonso, a two-time Singapore grand prix winner, "but our goal is to fight for pole position and win the race."

Some reports say the F2012 has been heavily revised for Singapore, after a less competitive performance on the similarly high-downforce Hungaroring in late July.

"There is nothing big. Just some details," a Ferrari spokesman told the Marca newspaper.

But another Ferrari source insisted: "We have a very good car for this track and for Japan."

At the recent Magny Cours young drivers test, Ferrari's Jules Bianchi and Davide Rigon tested a new front wing, and developments at the rear of the car.

Italy's Autosprint said a new diffuser is arriving from Maranello on Friday.

"If it is true that in Hungary we were not very competitive," Alonso is quoted as saying in Singapore, "is a different matter here."

The Mercedes is also sporting some significant updates in Singapore, the main one being a 'Coanda' exhaust.

"We suffered recently because the others had developments," Michael Schumacher. "Now we're getting some new things."

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Alternator supplier hits back at Mateschitz

Magneti Marelli has hit back at Dietrich Mateschitz after the Red Bull mogul urged Renault to dump its Italian supplier of alternators.

Following a persistant reliability problem that is proving difficult for the team's engine supplier to solve, billionaire Mateschitz reportedly urged Renault to simply dump Magneti Marelli.

"This statement has surprised us," the Italian supplier's motor sport boss Roberto Dalla told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I will not comment, because I don't understand it.

"All the analysis that we have done has shown that the part has no problem. It has failed probably because of the exceptional mechanical stress it is exposed to," added Dalla.

During free practice two in Singapore on Friday night, British broadcaster Sky's pitlane pundit Ted Kravitz said he has learned that Renault will not be dumping Magneti Marelli.

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HAMILTON'S LOSS IS VETTELS GAIN IN SINGAPORE:

Sebastian Vettel took his second win in Singapore and the second of this 2012 campaign after pole sitter Lewis Hamilton dropped out at one third distance with a gearbox failure.

The Red Bull driver had jumped Pastor Maldonado at the start and was too fast for Jenson Button in the second McLaren. When Hamilton pulled off the road on lap 23, the way was clear for Vettel to control the race and despite two safety car periods to allow for accident damage to be cleared away, he steered the Red Bull home for the 23rd win of his career. Button finished second with championship leader Fernando Alonso third.

Paul di Resta was a candidate for driver of the day with fourth place in the Force India, just 3.8 seconds behind Alonso at the finish, which came after two hours, rather than 61 laps, due to the delays under the safety cars.

Of the main title contenders, only Vettel gained ground on Alonso, closing the gap to 29 points, while Hamilton fell behind Kimi Raikkonen and now sits 52 points adrift (more than two race wins) of Alonso with six races to go. If Alonso averages third placed finishes in all the remaining races, Hamilton will need to win them all to beat him.

Coming after Button's retirement in Monza, two technical failures in two races is a worrying picture for McLaren.

Hamilton had commanded the race from the start and looked trouble free during the first stint. However his gearbox started to misbehave as he crossed the line at the end of lap 22 and when exiting turn three he found himself with a box of neutrals and was forced to retire.

Vettel's win, his first since Bahrain, plus a tenth place finish for Mark Webber means that Red Bull have extended their lead in the Constructors' Championship to 37 points over McLaren.

"It's great to get the win today," Vettel said on the podium. "I'd like to dedicate it to Professor Sid Watkins. It's thanks to all the work he did to bring safety advancements to the sport that we can race on circuits like this. Looking to the race, Lewis had to retire which is a shame for him. I know how it feels and have been in that position before. I think we could have had a tight battle. I felt very good on the harder tyres and we had a lot of pace."

Following Hamilton's retirement Vettel took control of the race and was only under pressure during the two safety car periods, which caused the race to be cut by two laps at the end. The first safety car was caused by a collision with the barriers for Narain Karthikeyan, whilst the second involved Michael Schumacher missing his braking point and driving over the back of an unfortunate Jean-Eric Vergne. The stewards decided to penalise Schumacher with a 10 place grid penalty at the next race in Japan. They pointed out that Schumacher accepted blame and that this was a second similar offence (he also hit Senna in Spain in a similar way this year), which counted against him.

Prior to the race there had been a lot of debate surrounding whether to make two or three stops, but the safety car periods enabled a two-stop strategy and a sprint finish following the second deployment. In this phase Vettel showed the pace he had in practice and pulled a nine-second lead by the finish.

Button pressured Vettel throughout, but looked to secure his second place finish in the closing laps. The two came very close at one point under the safety car as Button tried to heat his tyres whilst Vettel did the same to his brakes. Button later complained to his team, saying that Vettel was too 'stop-start' under the safety car, but he declined to pick up the thread when the pair were interviewed on the podium after the race and the incident was not investigated.

Button was also able to make his first stint last four laps longer than Vettel, and should there have been no safety car he would have had fresher tyres at the end of the second and final stints to pressure Vettel for the win. That was the plan, however it's debatable whether he would have had the pace.

Alonso drove a typically astute race, on a weekend when the Ferrari was not competitive, to claim his 81st career podium. He kept his nose clean behind a sometimes erratic Maldonado, who lost places at the start. Although he made good use of the Safety Car to find himself in third position when the race restarted, it nevertheless didn't come at the best time for him, as he had recently made a stop for tyres and didn't need a new set when the others stopped.

The Ferrari did not have the pace to significantly trouble Red Bull or McLaren this weekend, but Alonso was once again able to extract the full potential from the car and collected another large amount of points. Maldonado was having a good battle with Alonso for third place until he was forced to retire with hydraulic failure.

As last year in Singapore, Paul Di Resta was on fine form, taking a career best fourth place. Like the cars around him he started out with the intention of stopping three times, but was able to make it work with two stops and was helped by the safety car and by Nico Rosberg in fifth holding up cars behind him.

Felipe Massa made a good recovery from a poor qualifying in the second Ferrari after having to make a pit stop on the first lap following a puncture. He was in last position but picked his way through the traffic and had a particularly strong final stint on the option tyre. He came very close to Bruno Senna across the short bridge and it took a spectacular save with opposite lock to remain on track. He ended the race in eighth position.

Not noticed by many, but of vital importance in the battle at the foot of the constructor's championship, Timo Glock finished 12th for Marussia, which puts them in pole position for 10th place, which guarantees prize money and travel benefits and is worth millions to the team which finishes the season there. As neither Marussia, Caterham or HRT has scored a point, this finish, the best of any of the "new teams", who entered F1 in 2010, could swing it Marussia's way and this would be a major blow to Caterham which has invested heavily this year.

SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX, Marina Bay, (2 hours limit reached)

1. Vettel Red Bull 2h00:26.144

2. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 8.959

3. Alonso Ferrari + 15.227

4. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 19.063

5. Rosberg Mercedes + 34.759

6. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 35.700

7. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 36.600

8. Massa Ferrari + 42.800

9. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 45.800

10. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 47.100

11. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 50.600

12. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap

13. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap

14. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap

15. Pic Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap (*)

16. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap

17. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap

18. Senna Williams-Renault + 2 laps

19. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 2 laps

TITLE CONTENDERS

1. Alonso 194

2. Vettel 165

3. Raikkonen 149

4. Hamilton 142

5. Webber 133

6. Button 119

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MICHAEL SCHUMACHER GETS A 10 PLACE GRID PENALTY FOR VERGNE COLLISION:

FIA Race Stewards in Singapore have handed Michael Schumacher a 10 place grid penalty for causing a collision with Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne in the Singapore Grand Prix.

In front of the stewards, Schumacher is reported to have accepted the blame for misjudging the braking distance to Vergne in front and smashing into the back of him on lap 39. Schumacher had just pitted and was fighting Vergne for 10th place. The race had jet restarted after the first safety car period. Vergne’s tyres were 14 laps old, Schumacher’s had done only five laps behind the safety car.

It is the second time this season that he has hit another car under braking, causing it to retire. A similar incident happened in Barcelona with Bruno Senna.

The stewards took this into account when handing down the penalty.

“The driver admitted the collision was his error due to the failure to anticipate the braking performance of the car with lower grip following a safety car period,” said the stewards’ report.

“The penalty takes into account that this is the second similar offence by the driver this season.”

The stewards took no further action over the incident before the restart after the first safety car period, where Jenson Button had complained that he almost hit Sebastian Vettel as he stopped and started while the pair were warming their tyres ready for the restart.

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Not a good night for Caterham at Marina Bay Street Circuit

Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3: "For me that was a good race until the safety cars. We decided to stay out but when we restarted for the second time I'd probably been out too long and the tyres were starting to give up.

I had to stop again and there wasn't enough time to recover from there so that was the end of the race - If it hadn't been for the safety car I'm sure we'd have finished much higher.

Now we need to dig even deeper to find more performance from the car. We'll look at what went wrong this weekend and I'm sure the team will analyse everything and see where we maybe need to make some changes, but we won't stop fighting."

Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: "I had a fantastic start, passed at least two or three cars but then I saw a car to my right make a pretty aggressive move left so I had to move to avoid that.

I was very close to Massa and already into the braking zone so unfortunately we had contact and my front wing was damaged, forcing me into the pits.

Really, that was the end of my race and probably Felipe's and I've already apologised to him as we get on well and it's a shame we both saw our chances to race end so early, especially as the car has felt good all weekend.

"The safety car might have given me a chance to recover but we had a problem with the front left wheel nut and we'll need to have a proper look at what happened.

I think we also need to look at how we were using the tyres as maybe we could have got more out of them, but we have the chance to bounce back in Suzuka and we'll make sure we do that."

Mark Smith, Technical Director: "We opted to start both cars on the supersoft tyres and until the safety car was brought out the plan was working with Heikki.

Vitaly was obviously unlucky in the first lap but he did not let his head drop, he continued to push and was putting in good times on each stint, but he then had a double dose of misfortune when we had a problem on his fourth stop with the front right.

"For Heikki it was a different story. He was running well until the safety cars but on his last stint he had to work very hard to keep the tyre performance in check. His times were where we expected them to be but had his race not been interrupted by the incidents around him I think he could have finished several places higher."

Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: "Not a good day for us. We made a couple of decisions today that cost us, but we will take a very close look at what went wrong and make sure we learn from it. I said yesterday that there are promising signs ahead and I still believe that, but now we need to regroup and fight harder than ever in the remaining races."

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Stewards summon Vettel for Button near-miss

Singapore winner Sebastian Vettel was summoned to the stewards late on Sunday night.

The FIA officials are looking into his incident with Jenson Button during a safety car period, when the McLaren driver almost slammed into the rear of Vettel's Red Bull.

"I almost wiped you out," Button, who ultimately finished 9 seconds behind Vettel, told his German rival before going onto the podium.

And Button told reporters: "I closed my eyes, I didn't know what was going to happen.

"Seb is in control of the pace but when someone accelerates, you don't expect them to brake (immediately). I was very close to him and locked up the front but managed to avoid him."

Button was also summoned to the stewards.

Meanwhile, McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh has hinted Button may succumb to team orders as teammate Lewis Hamilton chases the 2012 title.

"Jenson has had a conversation with me, he initiated it," he told the BBC.

"He's an immensely competitive individual, but he's a team player. Things that happen in the future will come from within him. I'll never ask and I don't want to ask.

"If he chooses to do soemething in the best interest of the team, that's up to him."

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Alonso's title lead sheds 8 points in Singapore

Fernando Alonso's championship lead shed 8 points under the Singapore lights on Sunday night.

Before the two hour-limited race ended, Ferrari's Spaniard Alonso was leading pole sitter Lewis Hamilton by 37 points.

Hamilton controlled the first half of the race but then retired with a gearbox failure, letting Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel win.

McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh said he doubted the failure was caused by Hamilton's brush with the wall in qualifying on Saturday.

But German back-to-back title winner Vettel snatches the Briton's second place in the drivers' championship, leaving Alonso with a 29-point lead now with just 6 races to go.

The situation is reminiscent of 2010, when Vettel took his first title by hunting down Alonso in the dying stages of the season.

"I think Fernando won't be too happy if it happens again," the 25-year-old laughed to former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan on the podium.

On the other hand, Alonso's lead would have been further diminished on Sunday if Hamilton's gearbox had survived.

"For me," Alonso smiled to Jordan, "it's ok if they keep doing that."

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Hamilton: I won't give up

Despite the disappointment of retiring from the lead in Singapore, Lewis Hamilton's fighting spirit was on display as he vowed to "keep pushing to the end".

Having clinched a dominant pole position on Saturday, the McLaren driver was cruising at the front of the pack on Sunday night, maintaining a comfortable 1.5 to two second lead over Sebastian Vettel.

However, disaster struck on lap 23 when Hamilton's MP4-27 suddenly slowed down, forcing him to pull over on the side of the track.

Shaking his head as he climbed out of his car, a dejected and frustrated Hamilton trudged back to the pits while Vettel went on to win the race ahead of Jenson Button and Championship leader Fernando Alonso.

"I'm okay now," Hamilton told reporters. "It was gutting when the car stopped, I was cruising.

"I was managing the gap and could have pushed more, I had the pace. I think today would have been an easy win.

"Nonetheless, that's not the case. The Red Bulls did a good job, Jenson too."

The 27-year-old's DNF, which came on the back of his third victory of the season at Monza, has dropped him to fourth in the Drivers' Championship, 52 points behind Alonso.

But with 150 still to play for, Hamilton is refusing to give up on this year's Drivers' Championship title.

"We've got six races left and I need to keep wishing.

"I need to win the rest of them.

"I won't give up, I'll keep pushing to the end.

"This makes it a lot harder, but as I said, we've still got six races to go."

Hamilton later took to Twitter, quoting the late Martin Luther King.

""The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy - Martin Luther King. Amen!!"

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Webber loses point after penalty

Mark Webber will leave Singapore empty-handed after he was hit with penalty post race.

The Red Bull driver scored one point at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Sunday after finishing 10th, but he was called before the stewards following the race for an incident involving Kamui Kobayashi.

The two were battling during the closing stages when Webber went off track. He overtook the Sauber while doing it and stewards opted to punish him with a 20-second penalty after the race.

"Car #2 left the track and gained an advantage when he rejoined", said the stewards.

The penalty drops the Australian to 11th while Kobayashi's team-mate Sergio Perez moves up to 10th from 11.

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Schumi: It was unavoidable

Michael Schumacher has apologised for Jean-Eric Vergne after he slammed into the back of him during Sunday's Singapore GP.

For the second year running, Schumacher's night in Singapore came to an abrupt end with the nose of his Mercedes meeting the back of a rival's car.

Last year it was Sauber's Sergio Perez, this year it was Toro Rosso's Vergne.

With the race resuming on lap 39 after a Safety Car period the field was bunched up with Vergne and Perez fighting for position ahead of Schumacher.

But while those two braked for the corner, Schumacher instead locked up and drove into the back of the Toro Rosso at speed, putting both himself and the Frenchman out of the car.

"After the Safety Car I broke a little early, then the car didn't accelerate and then I just went straight on the brakes and it locked up," Schumacher explained to the BBC.

"The accident was unavoidable.

"I feel sorry for Jean-Eric and for his team but we need to find out what happened now."

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Di Resta hails special result

Paul di Resta and the rest of the Force India team had plenty to celebrate about on Sunday evening after the Scot's brilliant display in Singapore.

Having started sixth on the grid, the 26-year-old put in one of his best drivers in his relatively young F1 career to finish a career-best fourth behind race winner Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso.

What was probably even more impressive was the fact that he kept Ferrari driver Alonso honest during the latter stages of the race.

The 12 points he picked up also helped Force India to open a handy 21-point gap over their nearest rivals Williams.

"To get a good start and maintain position and then just at the end to push a Ferrari who's pushing for the Championship is brilliant for us," Di Resta said.

"Our nearest rivals didn't score so it's really special for us and we'll enjoy it tonight. The concentration is the most difficult thing at this race and I try to focus and make sure I'm in the best physical shape to drive my car. This is my own journey but with people's help it could get even better."

The Scot has been linked with a move to Mercedes in recent months, but for now he is just focusing on improving with Force India.

"I've always said I want to win races," he added. "Today's been a great result but I do want to go forward and hopefully we can before the end of the season."

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Pastor already looking to Japan

Pastor Maldonado refused to dwell too much on his disappointing weekend in Singapore as he feels the team will do well in Korea.

After impressing during qualifying with a P2 next to Lewis Hamilton, the Venezuelan put in a solid display during the race and ran fourth for most of the afternoon.

Unfortunately his race came to a premature end on lap 37 with his race engineer telling him: "We've got a hydraulic problem. We have to retire now."

Despite the setback, Maldonado believes he managed to get the best out of the car up until his retirement, and is also upbeat about his chances in Korea in a fortnight.

"It was a very difficult weekend, we were managing quite well," he said.

"We expected to be competitive in the race and then we got a hydraulic problem. The start was okay, but at the first corner on old tyres I ran wide. I was running well. I'm confident for the next race, we definitely have the potential for fighting for the best places."

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Vergne not angry with Schumacher for crash

Jean-Eric Vergne says he's not angry with Michael Schumacher after the seven-time world champion braked a little too late at the restart and ran into the rear of the Toro Rosso.

The resultant crash caused both drivers to retire from the race.

"I was focussing on catching Perez at that point, trying to brake late to catch him, so I am not too sure what happened exactly, but I assume Michael braked a bit too late and could not avoid running in to me," explained the Frenchman.

"There is no sense in being angry about it, because these things happen in racing and even the most experienced driver on the grid can make mistakes! He said sorry and that's the end of it."

Meanwhile Schumacher believes a technical issue was the cause of the accident as the German explained he attempted to brake but the car wasn't slowing.

"I mean, first of all, after the Safety Car I braked a little earlier than I normally do at that corner," said Schumacher. "But the car wouldn't decelerated so I got on the brakes very hard and locked up everything, but the accident wasn't avoidable anymore.

"Obviously I feel sorry that Jean-Éric had to retire for that reason but we need to investigate what happened."

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Singapore GP: Senna escaped penalty because he was using normal racing line

Bruno Senna escaped a penalty for his clash with Felipe Massa in the Singapore Grand Prix because he had been taking his normal racing line rather than defending his position.

The Williams driver was investigated by the stewards during the Singapore GP for having banged wheels with Massa on the run from Turn 12 to 13 as they battled for position in the race.

Massa was angry with his compatriot because he felt that he had been unfairly squeezed after pulling alongside him.

However, the stewards believed that Senna had not done anything wrong because he had not appeared to deliberately move across.

An FIA spokesperson told AUTOSPORT: "Examination of video evidence of numerous cars on numerous laps, at the same point on the track, showed that Senna appeared to be taking his normal line on the lap when Massa was drawing alongside him.

"It was concluded that Senna was not 'defending' his position on a straight as reference in document TM/006 - 12 (pre-British GP driving clarification).

"It appeared that as soon as Senna was aware of the presence of Massa on his left, he moved to the right, thereby allowing Massa to overtake him."

Massa was unimpressed, however, that Senna was not punished for what he felt was a breach of the regulations.

"The only thing I know is that I was completely on his side and he pushed me in the wall," said Massa.

"So after everything that happened in Bahrain everything started there, and as I know they changed the rules so if you have a car alongside then you cannot close [the door] which is what happened today."

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Singapore GP: Kimi Raikkonen says top five would've been Lotus's best possible result

Kimi Raikkonen believes he had the pace to finish in fifth position in the Singapore Grand Prix, although he admitted sixth was a good result given Lotus's form.

"After the result in qualifying today's race was not too bad, but I think we had a chance to do a bit better," said Raikkonen, who had qualified in 12th position.

"We weren't quick enough to be fighting for the podium but the first safety car didn't help us and maybe we could have gained an extra place without that.

"We were definitely faster than Michael [schumacher] and Nico [Rosberg] but we ended up stuck behind them for most of the race which was frustrating. It's so hard to overtake here that you have to rely on passing people in the pitstops or on someone making a mistake."

The Finn kept third position in the championship thanks to Lewis Hamilton's retirement, but he is aware that his team will have to get more performance out of its car in order to stay in the fight.

"I'm still third in the drivers' championship but we've got some improvements to make for the next races to be fighting with the cars in front," Raikkonen said. "Hopefully we can make a step forward in Japan and take it from there."

Team-mate Romain Grosjean marked his return to action after his one-race ban with another points finish, crossing the chequered flag right behind Raikkonen.

"It was a tough race but not a bad result in the end," Grosjean said. "Our performance was much better than what we would have expected at the start of the weekend.

"Of course, I dropped a position to Kimi as well; he was quicker than me towards the end of the race and there was no sense in holding him up."

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Singapore GP: Timo Glock optimistic Marussia can now fend off Caterham in championship

Timo Glock is hopeful Marussia will be able to hold on to 10th place in the Formula 1 constructors' championship after what he labelled as an incredible Singapore Grand Prix.

The German and his team put on their strongest performance of the season so far to finish in 12th position, a result that moved Marussia ahead of Caterham in the standings and into a crucial 10th place.

Glock said Sunday's result was a reward for the team's hard work to close in on its rivals after a difficult start to the season.

"An incredible race for us," said Glock. "In general I knew that, with our strategy, we could really do something if we stayed close to [Heikki] Kovalainen in the first stint and that's what I tried to do - to get everything out of the car.

"We do of course need to hold on to 10th place until the end of the season still and I hope we can.

"Over the last four months we have really closed that gap to Caterham and this is a very nice reward to everyone in the team because it has not been easy. We'll enjoy the moment but keep pushing now for the next race and beyond."

Team-mate Charles Pic completed a strong weekend for the team by finishing in 15th position, although the Frenchman dropped to 16th following his practice penalty.

"Today's team result is very important for everyone and it is a very nice reward for all the incredible hard work at the track and back at the factory this year," said Pic.

"Overall, it has been a strong weekend and I am pleased with my performance from FP1 to qualifying at what has perhaps been the more challenging of the new tracks I have tackled for the first time this season. And there are a few more yet to come!

"Overall though, racing here in Singapore has been an incredible experience and one I look forward to repeating."

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Singapore GP: Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn says car upgrades having a positive effect

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn has described progress with its major exhaust upgrade as "positive" so far.

Brawn said that the package, which was tried out for the first time in last week's young driver test at Magny-Cours, has already proved its worth even though there is still more to come from it.

"Here is our first time using them in anger and it took a little while to sort them out," said Brawn. "We weren't in the best shape on Friday but we changed the setup to use the strengths.

"We do know that when other people have made the transitions to these exhausts, it has taken a couple of races to understand how to use it and to get everything correct.

"But it looks pretty positive."

Brawn admitted that there are further tweaks in the pipeline for the system.

These are expected to be introduced in the coming races as the team continues to optimise its car around the exhaust.

"We have some upgrades to it," said Brawn when asked by AUTOSPORT when he expects the system to be at working at its full potential.

"We will be in better shape in the next race and better shape the race after that as both drivers gain experience in how to use the system and [through] our ability to get the best out of it."

Schumacher and Rosberg qualified ninth and 10 for Sunday's race, and the seven-time world champion was also happy with progress, having admitted before the weekend that the package would take time to optimise.

"We have definitely seen an improvement with the package that we have," he said. "It's a step forward.

"Now, we are learning how to operate and set up the car with all of those characteristic changes."

It is hoped that Mercedes will show a lesser rate of tyre degradation in the race, which is expected to take its toll on the Pirelli rubber.

As neither driver set a time in Q3, both could start on the soft compound in the hope of gaining a strategic advantage by not being locked in to running used supersofts.

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Pirelli wants to make available more compounds

Pirelli would like to be able to make available more than just four different compounds of F1 tyres as it makes its selections for grands prix.

Currently, the sport's sole tyre supplier selects two compounds per race from a pool of just four choices — hard, medium, soft and super-soft.

But more compounds for Pirelli to choose from would make the racing even more exciting, Paul Hembery told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"The teams eventually learn and adjust their strategies accordingly, which is not in our hands," said the Pirelli motor sport director.

"We would of course like seven or eight different compounds. With four, the teams will always eventually figure out what they need to do.

"At the moment there are 20 races and four different tyres."

So why can't Pirelli simply make more compounds?

"That's just the rules," answered Hembery. "And we all know how long it takes to make a change."

Auto Motor und Sport said the earliest the change could occur is 2014.

One definite change for 2013 will be Pirelli's sidewall colour markings.

"The colours will change," said Hembery. "Our marketing department is not fully satisfied, but I don't want to give too much away."

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RED BULL OFFERING FANS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH WINGS FOR LIFE CHARITY INITIATIVES:

Red Bull’s official charity, Wings for Life, has revealed details of its latest two initiatives to raise money for its research into spinal injuries – one of which reflects the unique nature of this season’s Formula 1 grid.

First of all the charity is offering fans who sign up to run for the charity in the Silverstone half marathon next March two special money-can’t-buy experiences with the world championship-winning team.

Runners who run for Wings for Life, and commit to raising at least £300 for the cause, will be invited to the Red Bull Racing gym for a training session with the team that help Mark Webber stay in shape before the event on Sunday 3rd March 2013, and then a tour of the team’s Milton Keynes factory on completion of the challenge.

Places for the this year’s half marathon, which featured Red Bull chiefs Christian Horner and Adrian Newey, sold out last October and a similar scenario is expected this time round so Wings for Life is advising interested applicants to get in touch as soon as possible via [email protected].

Meanwhile, in celebration of the record six world champions that are on the F1 grid this year, the charity has also organised a very special auction which will take place following the end of the season.

Wings for Life has managed to get each active title winner – Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Red Bull’s very own Sebastian Vettel – to donate worn and signed race suits which will be sold off to the highest bidder in the auction at Mercedes-Benz World Brooklands on December 3.

Signing racing gloves and other photographic prints will also be among the lots to be auctioned off by famous auction house Bonhams with all proceeds raised to go directly to Wings for Life’s work around the world. Buyers will be able to bid online, over the phone or in person at the event.