Lewis Hamilton headed to Marina Bay with a slender 3 point lead in the drivers' championship over title rival Sebastian Vettel.

Even before qualifying, many had predicted Vettel to come up trumps on a track he was victorious at back in 2015. Victory would have seen the German take back his place at the top of the standings after Hamilton edged ahead after the last race at Monza. Vettel's claims were further strengthened after both he and Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen, as well as the two Red Bulls, were faster than Hamilton in qualifying.

Vettel was to start on pole, with Hamilton back in 5th, it was a the stuff of dreams for the German as he was expected to not only win the race but to open up a decent points advantage over Hamilton. This was certainly the sentiment expressed by pundits, fans and more telling, established sports betting operators like Unibet. In fact, even Hamilton admitted he needed a miracle and it was set to be a race of damage limitation, as his only hope was to make his way up from 5th to reduce the amount of points dropped. Hamilton did indeed need a miracle but he also needed Vettel to make a rare mistake or to have an off day.

Could what happened at the first corner be described as a miracle or a lack of judgement? Or a bit of both? The race started and Kimi Raikkonen quickly accelerated up the inside, which saw he and Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel sandwich Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Vettel had come across on the defensive to prevent both Verstappen and Raikkonen making further progress but in doing so, it caused his Ferrari teammate to collide with Verstappen and then the two Ferraris ended up colliding too. This saw all 3 out of the race and Hamilton had a clear run at securing victory.

For a race that promised so much for Ferrari and Vettel, it was a huge blow to their chances as Hamilton opened up a 28 point lead at the top of the drivers' championship. Hamilton indeed got the miracle he was asking for, especially as he had started way back in 5th. You could also say it was a severe lack of judgement by Vettel as he shifted across quickly to try and see of Verstappen initially. Looking back at what happened, Vettel was outpacing the Belgian and his biggest rival really was Raikkonen who had made headway on the inside. His aggressive defensive move cost not only him but his team dearly, especially as there are only 6 races to go.

It was a great race for Lewis Hamilton, who will be heading to Malaysia in just over a week full of confidence knowing he has a 28 point advantage over Vettel. There is no doubt near all sports betting brands will have Lewis as the favourite to win this GP. The Brit is in great form now having won the last 3 races and will know it's his championship title to lose. Luck certainly seems to be on his side and with only 6 races left, you'd count on Hamilton ending the season victorious.