Lewis Hamilton wins the 2018 Singapore GP

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has won the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, while championship rival Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) had to settle for third.

Hamilton started from pole with Verstappen alongside him. Vettel started from the second row and was able to pass the Red Bull driver on the first lap. Meanwhile, in the mid-pack Force India's Esteban Ocon crashed into the wall, which brought out the safety car. After the restart, the front runners maintained their position up until Ferrari called Vettel into the pits for a set of fresh tyres. But, the attempted under-cut on Hamilton backfired as Verstappen overtook the Ferrari after his pit stop.

Apart from the first lap incident involving the Force Indias, it was an uneventful race. Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas finished in fourth ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, while Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) came sixth. McLaren's Fernando Alonso started in 11th place and went on to secure seventh ahead of Renault's Carlos Sainz. Charles Leclerc in the Sauber came ninth ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in the Renault.

With back-to-back victories, Lewis Hamilton has extended his lead over Vettel in the driver's world championship standings to 40 points. The next race will be held in Russia on September 30, 2018.

World Drivers' Championship standings:

Lewis Hamilton - 281

Sebastian Vettel - 241

Kimi Raikkonen - 174

World Constructors' Championship standings:

Mercedes - 452

Ferrari - 415

Red Bull - 274