Singapore Grand Prix – The editor’s Top/Flop
The Singapore Grand Prix ended after two hours of racing, with Sergio Perez taking the victory, amidst numerous retirements and driver errors on a slippery track. Here is the Top/Flop according to the editorial team after this weekend at Marina Bay.
The highlights of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix.
Sergio Pérez solidly in the lead of the race.
After a very good start that immediately gave him the advantage over Charles Leclerc, Sergio Pérez completely mastered his race, without making any mistakes despite a track that was sometimes wet, sometimes dryer. He resisted the pressure from the Monegasque and was able to preserve his tires for about ten laps as the gap was closing. However, his mistake during the safety car intervention resulted in a 5-second penalty. But the Mexican was able to take advantage of a comfortable lead towards the end of the race after an error from the Ferrari driver. Sergio Pérez deserves the title of driver of the day!
The good points of McLaren… By default?
Lando Norris in 4th position and Daniel Ricciardo just behind, bringing a total of 22 points, it had been a long time since this had last happened. McLaren managed to hold their ground against the mistakes (technical or piloting) of other drivers, which allowed them to surpass Alpine in the constructors’ standings. While the team was naturally very pleased with these results, one may wonder whether they are a direct consequence of the performance of the two drivers or rather the “misfortune of others.” The fans of the papaya team will probably not care and will celebrate these precious points that have become scarce.
The successful operation of Aston Martin.
Both Aston Martins finished in the points in Singapore, with Lance Stroll in 6th position ahead of Max Verstappen, and Sebastian Vettel behind the latter in 8th position. It was a great achievement that earned Lawrence Stroll’s team 12 points, while his son achieved his best result of the season. By keeping their cars under control despite challenging track conditions, both drivers allowed their team to surpass AlphaTauri and Haas in the constructors’ standings.
The flops of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc unable to overtake.
Once again, the Monegasque was unable to convert his pole position into a victory. Overtaken from the start by Sergio Pérez, Charles Leclerc was never able to regain his position. And just as the gap was closing in during the final laps, the Ferrari driver made a mistake, preventing him from finishing within 5 seconds of the Mexican. Furthermore, Charles Leclerc was a victim of a slow pit stop by his team, taking 5.3 seconds.
The (un)reliability of Alpine.
It was a weekend to forget for the French team. Already out of the points at Monza, Alpine leaves empty-handed again, and this time can only blame itself. Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon were indeed victims of “power unit problems that seem similar,” said Otmar Szafnauer after the race. With this zero score due to a cruel lack of reliability, Alpine is being overtaken in the constructors’ championship by McLaren, who moves into 4th position.”
Nicholas Latifi, again.
Already in our Flop at Monza, Nicholas Latifi repeats after a poor race in Singapore, which ended prematurely due to a driver error. The Williams driver collided with Guanyu Zhou, damaging both cars and forcing them to retire. Deemed responsible for the accident, Nicholas Latifi received a five-place grid penalty for the next race in Suzuka, as well as two penalty points added to his super license. A difficult end to the season – and possibly his career in F1 – for the Canadian.
