F1: Singapore's 2010 race delivers ever more excitement

The race began with something that has never happened before: the top five drivers in the championship filled the top five places on the grid - and in terms of points, there was only one race win between first and fifth.

From the off, the race was frantic, with multiple strategies being played out over tyres. Those who chose very early stops saw their tyre wear kill their late-race pace. Kubica, having saved a set of tyres by his single run in Q3 yesterday, was able to make a second tyre stop and although that did not give him much ultimate pace, it did give him grip in buckets - enough to be pulling off audacious overtaking right up until the last lap as other cars, despite not being much slower, could not compete in the corners.

Hamilton and Webber, battling it out as they passed a back marker, came together wrecking Hamilton's suspension; Webber had no problem.

Alonso won by just two tenths of a second from Vettel. Both Red Bulls had to conserve brakes throughout the race but still they pushed. Webber, who pitted early for tyres, had some frustrations as other cars hampered his practice. Again, McLaren appear to have cost Button a place by delaying a tyre decision: they kept both cars out when they were losing more than one second per lap for several laps. Button finished just over one second behind Webber. Although there are other variables, it does look as if, had Button come in four or five laps sooner, he would have been clearly ahead of Webber.

Contact happened all through the race. Since his despicable behaviour at Hockenheim, Michael Schumacher has become something of a target. Aware that he is in effect under probation, other drivers now lean on him and in some cases actually bash him. Surely it is only a matter of time before the stewards are forced to protect him. But, similarly, he is not accorded any respect now: he has to fight for every single place. No one allows him to intimidate them. As a result, he spent much of the race either defending or in long-term attacks.

The Championship remains open: Webber's 202 points is still just one race win clear of Button in fifth place with 177.

Red Bull now appear relatively comfortable with 383 points to McLaren's 359. But it's not at all done and dusted. Ferrari are creeping up and from a distant third are now not far behind on 316.

But the most spectacular aspect of the race was also one of the most unfortunate. With less than a lap to go, Heikki was booted into a spin by Buemi. As he prepared to turn the car back around flashes appeared around the rear of the car. By the time he got it moving the whole of the back of the car was on fire. Calmly, he drove to the pits, but instead of going into the pits, parked by the pit wall, choosing a place next to marshals. He climbed out, kept hold of his steering wheel, leaned through the fence and asked for an extinguisher. He put the fire out, checked carefully that it was out and then put the wheel back on. Then a marshal arrived with a larger extinguisher - rather too late to do anything.

At the end of an extraordinarily hot race, the cool displayed by the Lotus driver was remarkable.