Singapore Grand Prix: Norris imperial in the city-state, Verstappen comforts himself

The 20 drivers of the championship delivered a clean night race this Sunday on the Marina Bay circuit. This 2024 edition is the first in which the safety car did not intervene in Singapore. The different drivers did not take any reckless risks to gain positions, preferring to follow the pace of their predecessors, especially at the beginning of the race.

A (almost) faultless performance for Norris

Lando Norris, who was able to set a fast pace after maintaining the advantage of his pole position in the first lap, perfectly managed his race. Completing 62 laps in the lead, the British driver secured the third victory of his Formula 1 career. However, he only gained seven points in the overall standings on Max Verstappen, who reassures himself with a strong second place finish before the end of the season.

VICTOIRE DE LANDO NORRIS À SINGAPOUR 🇸🇬

Domination totale du Britannique qui reprend 7pts à Verstappen ce week-end 👀

Oscar Piastri a réussi à passer les Mercedes et termine sur le podium ! #SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/hsG5WkLTr3

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) September 22, 2024

Papaya number 4 had over 20 seconds advantage over Verstappen at the end of the first stint. However, he had a scare by hitting the wall shortly before entering the pit. Coming out with a similar lead, he was able to manage the second part of the race and pull away towards victory. A weekend completely under control for the McLaren driver, who collected 25 points, with Daniel Ricciardo (Racing Bulls) keeping him from getting the fastest lap point on the last lap.

Singapore gives wings to Verstappen.

In a difficult period in the championship (only one podium in the last five races, editor’s note), Max Verstappen found his smile back at Marina Bay. While he will have to wait to secure his first victory there, the Dutchman can be satisfied with a nice second place. After resisting Lewis Hamilton at the first braking point, the Red Bull driver gradually distanced himself from the rest of the pack behind him.

Read also: Max Verstappen sarcastic against ridiculous FIA sanction

<a href="/f1/actualite/34807-max-verstappen-sanctionne-fia-juron-conference-presse.html" title="Max Verstappen sanctionné par la FIA pour son juron en conférence de presse

Sanctioned for his remarks at the press conference, Max Verstappen kept his cool on the asphalt. The Milton Keynes driver took advantage of a good first stint to maintain his second position. With a McLaren that was working better and better as the laps went by, Oscar Piastri couldn't catch up with number 1. The Australian still secures a second consecutive podium after his victory in Baku.

Note the comeback of Charles Leclerc, who started 9th, up to 5th place at the finish. However, the Monegasque driver faced a challenge against George Russell (4th) in the final moments of the race.

A premature stop for Hamilton

The Briton – who was competing in his 350th career Grand Prix – was the only driver, along with Daniel Ricciardo, to start the race on soft tires. In a two-stop strategy, the Briton fitted hard tires to his car on the 18th lap to finish the race with. 3rd at the time of pitting, the Briton struggled with this set of tires, which were not very efficient for the entire field on Sunday.

His Mercedes teammate, George Russell, took advantage of this to pass him, stopping 10 laps later. Struggling with his tires in the final laps of this Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion saw several drivers overtake him, like Oscar Piastri or Charles Leclerc. Finishing 6th, Hamilton may be frustrated by his team’s race strategy.

No miracle for Alpine.

The 15th place on Esteban Ocon’s grid did not allow the French team to score points in Singapore. 13th at the finish, the Norman still had a good race but the shortcomings of his single-seater did not allow him to hope for better. Pierre Gasly, for his part, finished 17th.

Few changes in the ranking.

With his victory, Lando Norris (279 points) finds himself 52 units behind Max Verstappen (331) in the drivers’ world championship. Oscar Piastri (237) is closing in on Charles Leclerc (247) in the rearview mirrors.

Find here: Driver and Constructor Standings for F1 2024

McLaren is definitely making the right move by pocketing 21 more points than Red Bull in Singapore. It has a 41-point lead at the top of the standings before the last six races of the season.

The final classification of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix F1