SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton stormed to a floodlit victory in the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday while Jenson Button extended his championship lead to 15 points with three races left.

McLaren Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain drives during the Singapore F1 Grand Prix at the Marina Bay street circuit September 27, 2009. REUTERS/Tim Chong

McLaren’s Formula One world champion drove brilliantly around the 5.067km Marina Bay street circuit to lead from start to finish in the gruelling 61-lap night race, crossing the line 9.6 seconds ahead of Toyota’s Timo Glock.

Last year’s winner Fernando Alonso was third for the embattled Renault team, reeling under a suspended permanent ban imposed for fixing the inaugural night race in 2008.

“It was a very tough race and the conditions did not help,” Hamilton told reporters. “It was fairly straightforward after I made a good start and was able to build a gap over the others as I knew I had more fuel so could stay out longer.

“It was a nicely controlled race so I have to thank my team for a great weekend,” added the Briton.

While Hamilton emerged from the cockpit to kiss pop singer girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and embrace his mechanics, compatriot Button had as much to celebrate after climbing from 11th on the grid to fifth at the finish.

Closest rival and Brawn team mate Rubens Barrichello was sixth after starting in ninth place.

“I just wish I did those (fast) laps in qualifying. It would have made life a lot easier,” Button told reporters.

“I got stuck behind (McLaren’s) Heikki Kovalainen for quite a few laps but when he pitted I was able to get past. It was difficult though as you lose a lot of downforce.

“I’m very happy with the result and I go to Japan next week feeling positive.”

CHANCE SLIPPED

Brawn edged nearer to claiming the constructors’ title in their debut season as rivals Red Bull let slip a great opportunity to narrow the gap between the teams.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel had started alongside Hamilton on the front row but a drive-through penalty for speeding through the pitlane on his second stop ended any hope the German had of winning the race. He had to settle for fourth place.

Vettel’s Australian team mate Mark Webber suffered brake problems and crashed at the end of the finishing straight after 45 laps, allowing Brawn to extend their lead in the constructors’ title to 42.5 points.

There are a maximum of 54 still to be won.

The race emerged as a two-way battle between Hamilton and Vettel after the first set of stops, when Williams’ Nico Rosberg incurred a drive-through penalty for illegally crossing the white line at the pit lane exit while in second place.

The error, just before the safety car was deployed, cost Williams a chance of taking their first win since 2004 with Rosberg rejoining at the back of the field with his race destroyed.

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Vettel kept within a second of Hamilton through their second stints until the stewards penalised the German, whose right wing mirror also fell off with 22 laps to go, for his infraction.

“It’s corner after corner after corner so the focus you need here is as much as you can get,” said Hamilton, who cruised untroubled over the closing laps to his second victory of the season and 11th of his career.

“I came here hoping for a good result after crashing on the last lap in Monza. I did it, we did it and I am very happy.”

The safety car was deployed on the 21st lap after Force India’s Adrian Sutil clipped the Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguersuari and span into an oncoming Nick Heidfeld, knocking the BMW-Sauber out of the race.

Heidfeld’s retirement was his first in 42 starts, a record run of successive finishes for the German.

Sutil and Alguersuari also retired as the bumpy, demanding street circuit took its toll on several of the cars with only 14 running at the chequered flag.