Mat Coch writes:

McLaren chose to gamble on strategy in Singapore with the hope of securing its first podium of the 2014 season.

A mid-race safety car prompted a change in strategy for both Jenson Button and teammate Sergio Perez, leaving both drivers with a 36-lap stint at the end of the race. It proved a strategy neither driver could make work.

"I don't know how we thought we were going to do 35 laps on a set of tyres," said Button after the race. "I suppose Kimi did but for us we were really struggling with traction."

As the race wore on for a time it looked as though McLaren's chance of a podium could materialise as both cars ran high in the points with Button in third. But soon their tyres hit the infamous cliff, losing performance dramatically and making them sitting ducks. On lap 53 Button was third but just five laps later he'd fallen to eighth before being promoted to seventh courtesy of Mark Webber's last lap retirement.

"The last ten laps were mighty painful," Button explained. "I had Kimi behind me for so long, about twenty laps, and I obviously didn't want to let him past.

"It's easy to say it would have been the right thing to do now but when you're racing you don't want to let anyone past, especially Kimi! When he passed and pulled away by three seconds a lap I realised that (the podium) was gone.

"You never really know what's going to happen with the tyres," he added. "If you look at Monaco a couple of years ago with (Vettel) doing most of the race on the prime tyre we thought we'd give it a go.

"It didn't work for us but we finished basically where I think we would have finished had we pitted."

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