2008 Singapore Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Formula 1’s first night race ended with Fernando Alonso winning for Renault, while Ferrari’s pit-stop disaster transformed the championship contest. The result was later overshadowed by the revelation that Nelson Piquet’s crash had been deliberately arranged to create the safety-car period that helped Fernando Alonso’s strategy.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Pole time	1:44.801
Fastest lap	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:45.599 on lap 14
First	Fernando Alonso	Renault
Second	Nico Rosberg	Williams
Third	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
26 September 2008	Practice 1	19:00
26 September 2008	Practice 2	21:30
27 September 2008	Practice 3	19:00
27 September 2008	Qualifying	22:00
28 September 2008	Race	20:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 15 leading the 2008 F1 World Championship on 78 points, with Felipe Massa on 77. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 134 points.

Race entries

The 10 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Singapore Grand Prix.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton set the pace as Formula 1 explored Singapore’s floodlit streets for the first time. Mark Webber damaged his front suspension against the wall, and Rubens Barrichello also crashed at the final corner. Jarno Trulli spun and was fined after driving the wrong way to reach the pits, illustrating the difficulties of the unfamiliar layout.

Fernando Alonso went fastest with his final lap in FP2, while Timo Glock damaged his front wing against the wall. Giancarlo Fisichella encountered gearbox trouble and Sebastien Bourdais narrowly avoided Nick Heidfeld at the pit exit. The bumpy surface and tight barriers continued to demand attention as drivers built confidence under the lights.

Fernando Alonso remained fastest in final practice, suggesting Renault could challenge for a strong grid position. Giancarlo Fisichella’s car was launched over the Turn 10 kerbs and hit the barrier, damaging its front end. Other drivers also struggled with the bumps, making a clean qualifying lap far from straightforward.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2008 Singapore Grand Prix FP1, 26 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:45.518	20
2	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.080s	23
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.443s	24
4	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.945s	20
5	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.100s	23
6	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.192s	25
7	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.207s	29
8	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.446s	24
9	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.657s	30
10	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.759s	30
11	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+2.052s	28
12	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+2.144s	23
13	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+2.188s	27
14	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+2.579s	16
15	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.999s	23
16	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+3.207s	19
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+3.321s	24
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+3.388s	25
19	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+3.546s	29
20	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+8.185s	4

Free Practice 2 Classification

2008 Singapore Grand Prix FP2, 26 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:45.654	30
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.098s	28
3	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.139s	31
4	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.143s	31
5	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.510s	34
6	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.730s	36
7	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.926s	25
8	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.247s	32
9	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.359s	32
10	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.392s	22
11	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.483s	15
12	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.491s	35
13	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+1.646s	33
14	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.833s	24
15	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.986s	31
16	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+2.106s	36
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.311s	12
18	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.355s	25
19	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+2.405s	28
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.657s	36

Free Practice 3 Classification

2008 Singapore Grand Prix FP3, 27 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:44.506	19
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.613s	13
3	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.740s	16
4	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.743s	18
5	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.880s	17
6	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+0.903s	20
7	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.919s	17
8	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.944s	21
9	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.971s	19
10	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.093s	18
11	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.183s	19
12	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.476s	18
13	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.476s	13
14	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.567s	21
15	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.674s	23
16	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.715s	19
17	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.976s	10
18	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.288s	6
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.660s	14
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+3.221s	19

Qualifying

Felipe Massa delivered an exceptional lap to take pole by more than six tenths from Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Räikkönen qualified third and Robert Kubica fourth, while Lewis Hamilton had only narrowly escaped elimination in Q2 after a mistake.

Fernando Alonso’s promising practice pace came to nothing when a fuel-feed problem stopped his car before he could set a Q2 time. Nick Heidfeld received a grid penalty for impeding Rubens Barrichello, while Giancarlo Fisichella failed to record a qualifying lap after another accident.

Qualifying Classification

2008 Singapore Grand Prix Qualifying, 27 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:44.519	1:44.014	1:44.801	16
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:44.501	1:44.932	1:45.465	14
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:44.282	1:44.232	1:45.617	16
4	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:44.740	1:44.519	1:45.779	18
5	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:44.311	1:44.207	1:45.873	19
6	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:45.548	1:44.520	1:45.964	19
7	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	1:45.042	1:44.261	1:46.244	15
8	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:45.184	1:44.441	1:46.328	21
9	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:45.103	1:44.429	1:46.611	17
10	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:45.127	1:44.826	1:47.547	20
11	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:45.642	1:45.038	—	12
12	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:45.660	1:45.133	—	14
13	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:45.493	1:45.212	—	12
14	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:46.028	1:45.298	—	16
15	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:44.971	No time	—	6
16	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:46.037	—	—	6
17	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:46.389	—	—	6
18	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:46.583	—	—	7
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:47.940	—	—	10
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	No time	—	—	2

Giancarlo Fisichella did not set a time in Q1 after he crashed into barriers at Turn 3 due to a punctured tyre.

Fernando Alonso did not set a time in Q2 due to fuel pump problems.

Nick Heidfeld was penalised three grid positions for impeding Rubens Barrichello during first qualifying session.

What happened in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix?

Felipe Massa led Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen in the opening stint. Fernando Alonso stopped early, then Nelson Piquet crashed and brought out the safety car. The closed-pit-lane rules penalised Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica, who needed fuel, while Ferrari released Felipe Massa with the hose still attached. The delay and an unsafe-release penalty dropped him to the back.

Fernando Alonso’s early stop now placed him in a strong strategic position. He moved into the lead as other drivers stopped and retained it through the later safety-car period. Kimi Räikkönen crashed while chasing Timo Glock, leaving Ferrari without points, and Lewis Hamilton finished third behind Nico Rosberg to extend his championship lead.

Fernando Alonso’s victory remained in the official results, but the following year’s investigation established that Nelson Piquet had crashed deliberately under instructions from Renault management. Renault did not contest the charges and received a suspended disqualification. That later finding is essential to understanding the race, distinct from how the events appeared on the night.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 84 points, followed by Felipe Massa on 77. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 135, with Ferrari on 134.

2008 Singapore Grand Prix race results

The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix was held on 28 September 2008, with a scheduled start of 20:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	61	1:57:16.304	10
2	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	61	+2.957	8
3	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	61	+5.917	6
4	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	61	+8.155	5
5	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	61	+10.268	4
6	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	61	+11.101	3
7	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	61	+16.387	2
8	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	61	+18.489	1
9	16	Jenson Button	Honda	61	+19.885	0
10	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	61	+26.902	0
11	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	61	+27.975	0
12	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	61	+29.432	0
13	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	61	+35.170	0
14	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	61	+43.571	0
15	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	57	Accident	0
Ret	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	50	Hydraulics	0
Ret	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	49	Accident	0
Ret	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	29	Electrics	0
Ret	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	14	Engine	0
Ret	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	13	Crash	0

Giancarlo Fisichella started the race from the pit lane.

2008 Singapore Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	14	1:45.599	172.740
2	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	13	1:45.757	172.482
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	55	1:45.768	172.464
4	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	14	1:46.072	171.969
5	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	39	1:46.454	171.352
6	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	14	1:46.899	170.639
7	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	32	1:46.972	170.523
8	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	50	1:47.044	170.408
9	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	13	1:47.271	170.047
10	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	13	1:47.287	170.022
11	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	14	1:47.306	169.992
12	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	14	1:47.337	169.943
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	41	1:47.562	169.587
14	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	29	1:47.820	169.181
15	16	Jenson Button	Honda	61	1:48.128	168.700
16	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	28	1:49.101	167.195
17	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	13	1:49.183	167.069
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	38	1:49.270	166.936
19	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	13	1:50.320	165.348
20	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	13	1:50.449	165.154

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2008 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

2008 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	84
2	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	77
3	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	64
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	57
5	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	56
6	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	51
7	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	38
8	Sebastian Vettel	German	Toro Rosso	27
9	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	26
10	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	20
11	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	20
12	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	17
13	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	13
14	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	11
15	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	9
16	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	8
17	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	4
18	Jenson Button	British	Honda	3
19	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
20	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
21	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
22	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0

2008 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	135
2	Ferrari	134
3	BMW Sauber	120
4	Renault	51
5	Toyota	46
6	Toro Rosso	31
7	Red Bull Racing	28
8	Williams	26
9	Honda	14
10	Force India	0
11	Super Aguri	0

2008 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2008 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	16 March
2	2008 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	23 March
3	2008 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	6 April
4	2008 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	27 April
5	2008 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	11 May
6	2008 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	25 May
7	2008 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	8 June
8	2008 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	22 June
9	2008 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	6 July
10	2008 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	20 July
11	2008 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	3 August
12	2008 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	24 August
13	2008 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	7 September
14	2008 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	14 September
15	2008 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	28 September
16	2008 Japanese Grand Prix	Fuji Speedway, Oyama	12 October
17	2008 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	19 October
18	2008 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	2 November