With a nearly perfect start and good handling of the safety car situation, Fernando Alonso took second position from seventh on the grid.

Nico Rosberg, who started on the front row alongside Vettel, was caught out by a failed tyre strategy to finish fourth while British teammate Lewis Hamilton followed him home for 5th place.

[4] Felipe Massa took sixth, over a minute behind the race winner while Jenson Button slipped down the order in the last few laps to finish seventh with Sergio Pérez, Nico Hülkenberg and Adrian Sutil picking up the final points places.

[citation needed] The circuit layout was revised for the 2013 race, with the removal of the "Singapore Sling" chicane at Turn 10.

His teammate Nico Hülkenberg was on pace for a Q3 appearance as well, but the German suffered a DRS issue during his final flying lap, resulting in a Q2 exit.

As a result, the defending world champion elected to stay in the pits, while the others all went on track, either for a first or a second flying lap, except Esteban Gutiérrez, who opted to save his tyres for the race.

After the first few laps Vettel led from Rosberg, Alonso, Webber, Grosjean, Massa, Hamilton, Button, Hülkenberg and Pérez.

Shortly after the safety car came in, Grosjean had pneumatic problems in his engine and have to retire after a failed rescuing repair attempt.

Crucially, Webber earned his third reprimand of the season, thus triggering an automatic 10-place grid penalty at the next race in Korea.

[7] A controversy developed after some spectators booed at Sebastian Vettel during the podium ceremony, prompting the TV interviewer Martin Brundle to break off and tell the jeering crowd to be quiet politely.

[8][9] The crowd's behaviour, which was not the first such incident directed at Vettel during the 2013 season, drew condemnation from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, fellow driver Lewis Hamilton and former world champion Niki Lauda, among others.