Lewis Hamilton stormed to an emphatic victory at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday to wrest the championship lead from Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg after the German retired with steering wheel problems. The Briton overcame an extended safety car period midway through the race, as well as the twin Red Bull challenge of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, to move three points clear of Rosberg with five races remaining.
"I had a dream this would happen last night... I just want to say huge thanks to my team," Hamilton said in a podium interview. "I was so excited, I was looking for a clean weekend (without mechanical problems), and I had it. We always strive to get both cars one-two that was our goal, so things still to work on."
Fernando Alonso ended a good weekend for Ferrari with a solid fourth place finish on a hazy Singapore night with Brazilian Felipe Massa rounding out the top five in his Williams.
For Hamilton, the race could not have gone any better after he arrived in Singapore trailing Rosberg by 22 points and in desperate need of a strong finish to ensure he maintained his bid for a second world title after his 2008 triumph. He saved his best for last in qualifying on Saturday to claim pole position from his team mate and when Rosberg was unable to get his Mercedes moving at the start of the formation lap, the writing was on the wall for the German.