Live Commentary: Singapore Grand Prix - as it happened

Good afternoon. It's just under half an hour until the only night race on the Formula 1 calendar. Only Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have secured wins at this track since it's introduction in 2008. Will we see a new name on the top of the podium today?

Let's start with a quick reminder of the grid for today's race. Vettel is joined by Nico Rosberg of Mercedes on the front row, with Romain Grosjean and Mark Webber just behind. Britain's Lewis Hamilton starts from fifth, while Jenson Button is back in eighth. Paul di Resta was knocked out in Q1, so starts 17th, and Max Chilton is at the back of the grid for Marussia.

Lotus have confirmed that Kimi Raikkonen will be able to take part in today's Grand Prix. The Finn was struggling with back pain as a result of the bumpy road surface in Singapore yesterday, resulting in him qualifying in 13th.

In the five previous runnings of the Singapore Grand Prix at this track, the safety car has been required at least once per year. The street circuit, which is often compared to the track at Monte Carlo, with tight turns, a narrow track and few escape roads, means that there is next to no margin of error for the drivers.

The glamour of the night race attracts a high number of celebrities to the race. Former England footballer David Beckham is a guest of Mercedes today, while popstars Justin Bieber and Rihanna are also reportedly on the grid today.

The drivers describe this race as one of the most physically demanding because of the humid conditions. The teams use various techniques to keep their drivers and the cars cool ahead of the race. Here's a picture, courtesy of the McLaren twitter feed, of Sergio Perez using dry ice to beat to heat.

.@SChecoPerez is pushed into position on the grid, plenty of dry ice at the ready! #SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/s4iJRBnDrZ — McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 22, 2013

WEATHER WATCH! According to the forecast, there's next to no chance of rain this afternoon, which will be welcome news to the drivers. However, the temperatures are expected to remain around 28C throughout the race.

Just a quick note on tyres, the drivers have the medium and super-soft compound Pirelli's available this afternoon. Assuming the weather forecast is correct, the teams will have to use both compounds before the end of the race.

PREDICTION! It's hard to picture anyone stopping Sebastian Vettel this afternoon. The triple world champion has looked fast all weekend, and managed to save tyres during qualifying, so should have an advantage over those around him on the grid towards the end of the race. Barring a mechanical failure, this should be a third consecutive win at Singapore for the German.

The cars head off the grid for the formation lap.

Vettel leads the cars back onto the grid, we're just a few moments from the start of the Singapore Grand Prix.

LIGHTS OUT! Rosberg gets the better start a briefly finds himself ahead of Vettel, but the Red Bull is back in front by the second corner, and Grosjean loses out to Webber.

Alonso has made one of his typically brilliant starts, he's already up to third, having started the race from seventh.

Vettel completed the first lap, and he already has a 1.9 second lead over Rosberg. Hamilton loses a place to Massa, but manages to get back ahead. However, he runs wide, and is instructed to give the place back to the Brazilian for overtaking off the track.

Paul Di Resta has made a strong start. The Scot started from 17th, but is already up to 13th, and battling with Raikkonen for 12th, who is looking for a way past Gutierrez.

Vettel's lead is now up to five seconds. His rivals are going to have to hope for something to go wrong on the German's car this afternoon, because no-one's pace is anywhere close to that of the leading Red Bull. Webber, who currently sits fourth, has been told to manage his tyres while maintaining to gap to Alonso, who is in front of him.

Vettel's race engineer urges him to save his tyres in case there is a safety car. Pirelli has predicted that a three-stop strategy will be fastest today, but if there is a crash, some drivers may be able to pit just twice.

Raikkonen slips past Gutierrez as the Mexican runs wide, and the Lotus driver is quickly on the back of Perez. It certainly looks like the 2007 world champion has shaken his back problem from yesterday.

The gap between second and third is also starting to grow, as Rosberg has better race pace than Alonso. A pack is starting to build up behind the Ferrar, but Webber, who is in fourth, has been told to maintain a two-second gap to Alonso to keep him out of the dirty air, forcing Grosjean, Massa and Hamilton to join the queue.

Raikkonen looks to be in a much faster car than Perez, but the Mexican is defended well to keep the Lotus behind him. Meanwhile, Rosberg has started to slowly reduce the gap to Vettel, but he's still seven seconds behind the Red Bull.

TOP 10! 1. Vettel, 2. Rosberg, 3. Alonso, 4. Webber, 5. Grosjean, 6. Massa, 7. Hamilton, 8. Button, 9. Hulkenberg, 10. Perez

Kimi Raikkonen is the first driver to come into the pits for new tyres. He's spent several laps trying to get past Perez, but it looks like he's destroyed his rear tyres in the process. There had been some talk of Lotus trying a two-stop race, but an early stop means Raikkonen is likely to need three pits stops today.

Gutierrez and Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne, who had been running in 15th also come in for new tyres. Meanwhile, Hamilton locks his tyres and runs wide while continuing to follow Massa around the track, which could possibly show that the Brit is running out of grip in this set of tyres.

Massa also comes in for fresh tyres, and switches onto the medium compound, while Webber complains over his radio that he is having trouble with his rears. Red Bull respond, quickly bringing the Australian in for new tyres.

The majority of the leaders are in for fresh tyres. Alonso comes in first, quickly followed by Hamilton and Rosberg, but Vettel is carrying on for now.

There's a fierce battle building for 11th place, as Maldonado, Hulkenberg and Perez head onto the pit straight three a breast. The battle slows the trio down, allowing Gutierrez to join the fight.

Alonso's pit stop has left him behind Di Resta, who is running third but is yet to pit. Vettel finally pits from the lead. He has a lead of over 30 seconds, so it's a nice relaxed stop for the Red Bull mechanics.

Hamilton is told to close up to Grosjean. Mercedes want him to try to get past the Frenchman in 10 laps time. Di Resta is the only driver yet to pit, but has just set his fastest lap so far.

Alonso is still trying to get past Di Resta, but the narrow track isn't helping the Ferrari driver, who is now over four seconds behind Rosberg, who is in second. Back in the battle for 11th, Hulkenberg thinks that he's past Perez, but race control tells him to give the place back, claiming that he went off the track.

Hamilton switched onto the medium tyre during his pit stop. It doesn't sound like he's happy with the strategy though, as he tells his engineer over his radio "these tyres are terrible." Despite that, he's only two seconds behind Grosjean.

Di Resta finally comes in from third for his first pit stop, releasing Alonso. The Force India's pace has allowed Grosjean to catch up to fourth-placed Webber. Alonso, Webber, Grosjean an Hamilton are all within three seconds on the track.

TOP 10! 1. Vettel, 2. Rosberg, 3. Alonso, 4. Webber, 5. Grosjean, 6. Hamilton, 7. Massa, 8. Button, 9. Raikkonen, 10. Perez

Raikkonen complains that his car doesn't feel right, but his engineer tells him that he can't see anything wrong in the data. Despite that, the Finn is just a second behind Jenson Button, and has set the fastest lap of the race so far.

Vettel has built his lead back up from eight seconds after his pit stop to over 11.

SAFETY CAR! Daniel Ricciardo has parked his Toro Rosso in the barrier at turn 18, bringing the safety car out for the this afternoon.

It looks like the Australian's front wheels locked up as he headed into the turn, sending him straight into the crash barrier. The majority of the front-runners are coming in for new tyres, except for Vettel, Rosberg, Webber and Hamilton, who have all stayed out.

Hopefully it won't be a long safety car period, the only debris is from Ricciardo's front wing, part of which is embedded in the barrier.

TOP 10! 1. Vettel, 2. Rosberg, 3. Webber, 4. Hamilton, 5. Alonso, 6. Grosjean, 7. Di Resta, 8. Massa, 9. Button, 10. Raikkonen

It looks like Paul di Resta could be the big winner from the safety car period. With so many cars pitting in front of him, the Force India driver has jumped up from 13th to seventh.

Vettel is instructed over the radio to start thinking about his restart. The safety car has reduced Vettel's lead from 13 seconds to just a couple of car lengths.

With the safety car slowing the race down for a few laps, this could mean that the race is shortened from 61 laps, as the Grand Prix has to finished within two hours.

The safety car is coming in at the end of this lap. Will Rosberg be able to get past Vettel on the restart?

Vettel has gone, and it looks like he's got a decent start. Alonso looks to have plenty of pace too, he's already eyeing up the back of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes.

Vettel already has a 2.975 second lead over Rosberg, who is less than a second clear of Webber.

Vettel is told to speed up to build up a gap ahead of his second pit stop. Meanwhile, Hamilton asks his engineer about his tyre pressures, clearly still not entirely comfortable with the mediums, but he's told it's all fine.

Grosjean is told to come in because of an air box problem. The lengthy stop drops the Frenchman from sixth to dead last, over half a lap behind Bianchi, ruining the Lotus drivers' afternoon.

Since the restart, Rosberg has been on average two seconds a lap slower than Vettel, allowing the Red Bull driver to open up a lead of 11.9 seconds. Vettel will need to pit again shortly though.

There are less than 10 seconds between Rosberg in second and Gutierrez in 13th, but the Sauber driver runs wide at the same spot that Ricciardo crashed out earlier, but the Mexican manages to keep his car out of the barrier.

Rosberg's next pit stop is likely to take a little longer than usual, as he's told that he has rubber caught in his front wing, costing him downforce. The problem has allowed Webber to catch up to the Mercedes.

OUT! Despite a 40-second pit stop to try to fix an air box problem, Grosjean has to come into the pits again, this time to retire from the race. It's a frustrating end to the day for the Frenchman.

Rosberg catches to inside curb at the chicane, launching the left side of his car. The rubber caught in his tyres is causing him under-street and shredding his tyres, allowing Vettel to move 20 seconds clear of the second-placed driver.

TOP 10 1. Vettel, 2. Rosberg, 3. Webber, 4. Hamilton, 5. Alonso, 6. Di Resta, 7. Massa, 8. Button, 9. Raikkonen, 10. Perez

Webber pits from third place, resulting in Hamilton's race engineers telling him to push. The Brit is up to third, three seconds behind his teammate, who is also about to come in for his pit stop.

Rosberg comes out from his pits stop behind Webber, having spent 0.6 seconds longer in the pits than the Australian. Once everyone else has completed their pit stops, than should promote Webber to second.

Di Resta and Massa pit at the same time. It looks like Ferrari complete the quicker stop as they look to get their driver back out in front of the Scot, but Force India get the new tyres on just in time.

Rosberg isn't happy that his pit stop has dropped him down to 10th. Hamilton follows his teammate in for fresh rubber, and is quickly followed in by Vettel, who will finish the race on the super soft tyres. He comes back out well ahead of Alonso, who moves up into second following the Mercedes pit stops.

Following his pit stop, Vettel is now five seconds clear of Alonso. It's possible that the Spaniard may be able to reach the end of the race on his current set of tyres. Perez, who is running fifth, has also been told that he won't need another pit stop.

TOP 10! 1. Vettel, 2, Alonso, 3. Button, 4. Raikkonen, 5. Perez, 6. Hulkenberg, 7. Gutierrez, 8. Webber, 9. Rosberg, 10. Hamilton

Vettel is told to look after his brakes, being warned of vibrations by his race engineer. His lead is up to almost 10 seconds, so he should be able to manage the problem without losing the lead, but it may just provide a little hope to Alonso.

Rosberg and Hamilton have both been told that they need to pass Webber. The Red Bull driver tries to pass Gutierrez on the entrance to the stadium, but he can't complete the move, leaving the Mercedes duo right on his rear wing.

Webber passes the Sauber down Raffles Boulevard, and Rosberg follows at turn nine, before Hamilton eases past a corner later. The trio, who are all on fresh tyres, are already closing to Hulkenberg.

With the lap times having come down, it looks like there will be enough time for the full race distance to be completed. It's getting worse for Gutierrez, as Di Resta and Massa both manage to slip past the Mexican.

Sauber are responding to Gutierrez's plight, as they get ready to bring him in for new tyres. His drop back through the field will serve as a warning to the likes of Alonso and Button, who stopped around the same time as Gutierrez.

Webber is told that he is eight seconds off the podium, and that the cars ahead are struggling. Meanwhile, Hamilton is closing on teammate Rosberg, but the Brit locks his tyres, easing the pressure on the German.

Raikkonen is just 0.314 seconds behind Button, and tries to get in the McLaren's slip stream in a bid to move into the podium places. Webber passes Hulkenberg to move into sixth. The battle for the last place on the podium should go down to the wire.

Button and Raikkonen head onto Raffles side-by-side. Button has the racing line, forcing the Finn wide, but the Lotus just holds on to move into third. Webber is now right behind Perez as he looks to continue his charge towards the top three.

CRASH! Di Resta goes into the barrier at the same turn that Ricciardo went off earlier. The Scot tries to back the car out but he can't get it moving. He's nearing the run-off area than Ricciardo was, so it looks like the safety car won't be needed.

Webber is still pushing for the podium, as he clears both McLarens in the space of half a lap to jump up to fourth. He's six seconds behind Raikkonen.

The marshals have managed to clear Di Resta's car under yellow flags, so there's no overtaking in the last sector at the moment, but there's no need for the safety car. Meanwhile, Hamilton tries to pass Rosberg, but just runs out of room. The German responds, forcing his way past Perez.

Hamilton tries to follows Rosberg past Perez, but finds Massa right behind him, so he has to defend against the Ferrari as well. Rosberg manages to overtake Button. Both McLarens seem to have nothing left in their tyres.

Webber is told to short shift to make sure his gearbox makes it to the end of the race. That should help Raikkonen secure his place on the podium.

Massa also benefits from the McLarens' worn tyres, moving up to seventh. Meanwhile Webber is told to focus on getting the car to the finish.

Back at the front, Vettel has a 28 second lead over Alonso with just two laps remaining.

Rosberg manages to get back ahead of Webber, and Hamilton quickly follows, the Australian is simply nursing the car to the chequered flag now.

Webber starts his final lap, reporting over the radio that the car is on it's last legs.

Webber has to pull over as he engine bursts into flames. Alonso and Raikkonen cross the line to complete the podium.

TOP 10 & POINTS! 1. Vettel (25pts), 2. Alonso (18pts), 3. Raikkonen (15pts), 4. Rosberg (12pts), 5. Hamilton (10pts), 6. Massa (8ts), 7. Button (6pts), 8. Perez (4pts), 9. Hulkenberg (2pts), 10. Sutil (1pt)

Having jumped out of his on fire Red Bull, Webber hitches a lift back to the pits on Alonso's Ferrari. Despite their tyre problems, Button and Perez managed to hold on to ensure that both McLarens finished in the points, while Sutil benefitted from Webber's retirement to secure the final spot in the points.

That's all from Marina Bay this afternoon, but stick around for reaction to the race, and join us again in two weeks for the Korean Grand Prix. Until then, thanks for joining me this afternoon, goodbye.