Mercedes AMG’s Lewis Hamilton is back in the title lead of the 2014 Formula One World Championship, made possible by the retirement of his teammate Nico Rosberg on lap 13 of yesterday's Singapore Grand Prix due to car trouble. Hamilton was the eventual victor in the thrilling race, with Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel crossing the line in second 13.5 seconds back. Third place went to Vettel’s teammate Daniel Ricciardo who finished 14.2 seconds behind the winner.

Rosberg's troubles actually started before the race when he was forced to make a start from the pitlane due to electrical issues that left him unable to complete the formation lap. Once the lights turned green, pole sitter Hamilton got away cleanly in the lead, with the two Red Bull drivers as well as Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso closely behind. The Spaniard would eventually cross the line fourth, 15.3 seconds behind the winner.

Unfortunately for Rosberg, whose car was running but painfully slow (he was up to three seconds adrift of the front runners), additional electrical issues meant that many of his car’s features were malfunctioning. Going back into the pits on lap 13, Rosberg was told he would have to retire.

Rosberg wasn’t the only one who would suffer in Singapore. Midway through the race, Force India's Sergio Perez tangled with the Sauber of Adrian Sutil, and on lap 31 the front wing of the Mexican's car collapsed and was run over. It shattered and sprayed debris across the track, which caused the safety car to be deployed.

This caused strategies across the order began to change, with some teams choosing to pit their drivers early for fresh tires. Hamilton was one of those drivers, and when he returned to the race he was between new leader Vettel and Ricciardo in third. The reigning world champion tried to defend for two laps, but with his aging tires making life difficult, he could not prevent Hamilton getting past and reclaiming the lead, a position he held until the end of the race.

There were few other dramas, with Williams’ Felipe Massa enjoying a relatively uneventful race to take fifth, while Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne crossed the line in sixth. Positions seven, eight and nine went to Sergio Perez, Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen and Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, respectively. McLaren youngster Kevin Magnussen rounded out the top ten.

With Lewis Hamilton’s latest win, the 29th of his career, and 7th this season, the Briton now moves to the top of the points ladder in the 2014 Drivers’ Championship with a total of 241. Nico Rosberg unfortunately gains no points and thus remains on 238, while Daniel Ricciardo sits in third with 181 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes AMG sits  on a massive 479 points, followed by Infiniti Red Bull Racing in second with 305 points and Williams in third with 187 points. The next race on the calendar is the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in a fortnight.

Below are top ten results of the 2014 Formula One Singapore Grand Prix:

1) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG
2) Sebastian Vettel, Infiniti Red Bull Racing
3) Daniel Ricciardo, Infiniti Red Bull Racing
4) Fernando Alonso, Ferrari
5) Felipe Massa, Williams
6) Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso
7) Sergio Perez, Force India
8) Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari
9) Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
10) Kevin Magnussen, McLaren

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