Paul di Resta finished a career-best sixth while Adrian Sutil ended at eighth as Force India recorded its best result of the Formula One season with the team collecting 12 points at the Singapore Grand Prix here today.
It was only the second double points finish for Force India (46), which consolidated its sixth position in the constructors’ championships, opening up a 12-point gap with Sauber (36).
Before this race, eighth-place finish at the Italian GP was the best result for Resta.
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Red Bull’s reigning champion Sebastian Vettel won the race, starting from pole position and has almost sealed the drivers’ championship.
24-year-old Vettel was followed by McLaren’s Jenson Button and Red Bull teammate Mark Webber.
Vettel is now within a point of becoming the youngest double world champion in Formula One history.
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Resta, who had started ninth on the grid, manoeuvred his way to third place by the lap 17 but the Scot had not taken any pit stop by that time.
Resta held Webber for quite some time but the Red Bull driver eventually succeeded in taking over the Force India car.
Sutil was eighth, up by two places from his grid position. Resta came to the pit lane at the end of lap 19 and then joined the race at eighth position, just behind his team-mate Sutil.
Sutil gained a few places to be fifth by lap 26 but McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton overtook him in lap 37 and then pushed Nico Roseberg and Resta after two laps, using the DRS quite effectively.
In between, Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher suffered a crash in lap 30 and was out of the race.
Hamilton went to pit-lane for the third time in lap 49 and Resta, who opted a two-stop strategy, was yet again in fifth position and Sutil at seventh.
However, the Briton was at his best and yet again left Sutil behind, pushing him the German to eighth and for one final time he overtook Resta with eight laps to go.
Both Resta and Sutil held on to their positions till the end and came out with smiles on their face.