Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton came out tops in a crucial, chaotic Singapore Grand Prix to seize control over the Formula One world championship.
His triumph was further fueled after top title rival, Sebastian Vettel crashed out seconds after the race commenced.
Ferrari’s Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen all crashed out shortly after the start of the first race in Singapore.
Hamilton had previously confessed that he needed to “miracle” after struggling during the qualifying stages.
Sebastian Vettel would have been expected to challenge Hamilton with Red Bull having had a clear pace advantage over Mercedes all weekend.
The win puts Hamilton 28 points ahead of Vettel with only six grand Prix left this year.
“Guys what can I say — what a turn-around today! Fantastic job with the team strategy,” Hamilton said over the radio, before leaping out of his car and hugging his engineers.
Red bull’s Mario Ricciardo had to settle for second place, while Hamilton’s team-mate Valteteri Bottas came in third and Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz finished fourth.
Some drivers voiced their concerns about the visibility in the wet race under floodlight.
The race had only just started when it lost three of the first four cars on the grid.