Horner: Lay off Vettel

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has urged Formula One’s boo-boys to stop jeering Sebastian Vettel.

Under the lights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Vettel took to one of his favourite stages and delivered another commanding performance to claim his third successive Singapore Grand Prix victory.

It was also Vettel’s seventh triumph in 13 races this season, and his third in a row following the August break after taking the chequered flag in Belgium and Italy.

But with such crushing supremacy, Vettel’s popularity is rapidly waning, and after taking to the podium, not for the first time this season boos and jeers greeted him.

Following the race, Horner heard and saw those who turned on his driver. With withering condemnation, Horner said: “Standing up on the podium, what you see is a small collective group, and it’s like a pantomime. It ripples off, and it’s unfair and unsporting.

“The boy drove an unbelievable race. What we have witnessed is one of the best drives I’ve seen him produce in terms of raw pace and what he was able to deliver.

“So to see a driver, who has put in a performance like that and to not get the reception he deserves, is not sporting.”

The defining moment of the race came following a five-lap safety car period after Daniel Ricciardo crunched the nose of his Toro Rosso into a barrier on lap 25. Needing to open up a 30-second gap to his rivals, Vettel proceeded to pull out two seconds per lap on those behind, giving him enough time to pit a second time and emerge still in front.

Vettel now has a 60-point cushion to Alonso.

Kimi Raikkonen, driving with a bad back, was third in his Lotus, but is now 98 points down, whilst Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in his Mercedes and is 96 points adrift.

Webber and Alonso both collected reprimands from the stewards post race after the latter collected the former and gave him a lift back to the pits on the side of his Ferrari. s