LEWIS Hamilton has disastrously crashed out of the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix.

The 25-year-old Formula 1 driver from Herts tried to overtake Mark Webber for third place on lap 36 after the race’s second safety car period.

Hamilton – watched by Pussycat Dolls singer girlfriend and The X Factor guest judge Nicole Scherzinger – got into the Red Bull driver’s slipstream and managed to take Webber on the outside down the long straight to turn seven.

However, Webber, who then had the inside line coming out of the next corner, clipped Hamilton’s rear wheel with the front of his car.

That racing incident forced the title-chasing McLaren Mercedes man off the track and out of the sport’s night race with a rear left puncture.

“I’m not really sure what happened. He was in my blind spot,” said Hamilton afterwards.

Stewards investigated the collision but decided to take no further action against Webber.

Before the crash, the McLaren pit told Hamilton: “Lewis we are currently in P4. Webber in front has 30-lap older tyres than you. You were two seconds faster before the safety car.”

Ferrari’s in-form Fernando Alonso won the Singapore race from pole position – just as he did in Monza – with Sebastian Vettel close behind in second for Red Bull.

Webber took the third step on the podium with Jenson Button, Hamilton’s McLaren team-mate, finishing fourth.

After his crash at Monza in the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month, a second successive DNF (did not finish) has severely dented Hamilton’s hopes of regaining the FIA F1 World Drivers’ Championship.

Aussie Webber still leads the race for the title, with Hamilton now 20 points adrift in third place with four races to go.

Alonso’s back-to-back victories in Italy and Singapore have lifted him into second place in the world championship with 191 points, 11 behind Webber and nine ahead of Hamilton.

Vettel is one point behind Hamilton on 181, with Button four points further back in fifth place.

The F1 circus moves to Suzuka next for the Japanese Grand Prix on October 10.