Singapore Grand Prix – The Top / Flop of the editorial staff

The TOP 3:

1. Lando Norris imperial

Lando Norris in a state of grace this Sunday in Singapore. The McLaren driver put on a real demonstration starting from the beginning of the weekend, notably securing pole position and of course his new victory. That’s how one could sum up his weekend in Singapore. Nevertheless, he still experienced two moments of fear during the Grand Prix, where the Briton brushed against the walls of the Marina Bay circuit and almost lost his wing. More scare than harm, the British driver secured a comfortable win. In the drivers’ standings, he gained another seven points over Max Verstappen (331 points). On the constructor’s side, his win, combined with Piastri’s third place, gives McLaren a precious lead with 516 points.

“It was an incredible race,” said the British driver after the race. “A few tight moves too many. I had a few little moments of action during the race, but it was well under control, I think. Otherwise, the car was great, so I could push. We dominated throughout the race, and in the end, I could just relax. It was a beautiful race, but I’m a bit out of breath.”

The 24-year-old driver did not fail to explain his few mistakes during the race: « It’s not necessarily that you’re overdoing it, sometimes, it may be that you’re relaxing too much. Maybe it was a bit of both, I don’t know what it is, but it’s delicate. You know, it’s always hard to lock up the tires like I did. Oscar is also on the podium. He drove well today, so a good day for the team as well. »

2. Max Verstappen is still dangerous

Max Verstappen and Red Bull salvage the situation. Although victory once again was not on the cards, Max Verstappen still found reasons to be satisfied. The Dutchman, just as tenacious as ever, knew he couldn’t compete with his rival Lando Norris in normal conditions. « For a weekend where we expected to struggle, it’s a good result », he said after finishing second. Verstappen understood that he was no longer the only one fighting for the title and that his competitors had become serious challengers in the past few races. By the end of the season, the title holder can afford to finish second in all races, including the sprints, to secure a fourth world title. As for his teammate, Sergio Pérez, after being eliminated in Q2 on Saturday, he still managed to secure tenth place and earn a point for the team.

« Trying to do my best, I tried to manage my own pace until the end. I think the first relay was a bit difficult for us, with quite a bit of tire degradation. The second relay was a little better. I was also a bit more comfortable. So yes, I think on a weekend where we knew we were going to struggle, being second is a good achievement. Of course, we are not satisfied with the second place. Now we just have to try to improve more and more and that’s all I’m going to try to do », declared the triple world champion after the race.

3. Ferrari limits the damage

Scuderia Ferrari managed to bounce back after a complicated Saturday. Starting from ninth and tenth positions on the grid, Ferrari drivers were counting on race incidents or a safety car deployment to aim for big points. However, without any intervention from the Safety Car, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had to make their overtakes in a straightforward manner. Leclerc, finishing fifth, narrowly missed overtaking George Russell towards the end of the race. On the other hand, Carlos Sainz, on an alternative strategy, made an early pit stop and managed to hold on until the end, despite heavily worn tires, to secure a solid seventh place.

The FLOP 3:

1. Completely missed opportunity for Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes let go of the podium. On the grid, Lewis Hamilton’s soft tires promised an offensive strategy from the start, exciting the spectators and the entire team. However, the seven-time world champion quickly lost the advantage of his third place and struggled with tire management. The future Ferrari driver quickly expressed his doubts to his engineers, and rightly so. George Russell finally finished fourth, while Lewis Hamilton had to settle for sixth place. From 3rd and 4th, Mercedes dropped to 4th and 6th. On a circuit where overtaking is difficult, the German team lost three positions.

2. Racing Bulls: overwhelmed on all sides

The Racing Bulls race was truly disappointing. Qualified eighth, Yuki Tsunoda finished in a modest twelfth place, beaten by the two Ferrari drivers, Sergio Pérez and promising Williams rookie, Franco Colapinto, who just missed scoring points. Daniel Ricciardo, probably competing in his last Grand Prix with the team, also lost two places, but still managed to secure the point for the fastest lap, which many struggled to understand. Indeed, elected driver of the day by the fans, the Australian deprived Lando Norris of the fastest lap point in the final stages of the race, in favor of his former teammate Max Verstappen, thus providing him with a strategic service and referring to this lap as a “lap for glory”.

3. Sergio Perez still displaying the same flaws

The Red Bull driver, Sergio Pérez, did not hesitate to describe his Singapore Grand Prix as a complete disaster after finishing in tenth place, eight positions behind his teammate Max Verstappen. The Singaporean weekend got off to a bad start for both Red Bull drivers, with both complaining of balance issues on their cars from the first free practice on Friday. However, while Max Verstappen managed to bounce back in qualifying with the second fastest time, the Mexican driver was eliminated in Q2, relegating him to start from thirteenth on the grid, a major handicap on an urban circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult. After a challenging race, marked by difficulties in navigating through traffic, Sergio Pérez crossed the finish line in tenth position. Disappointed by how his weekend unfolded, he described the race as disastrous and regretted the strategic choices: “I think that with the strategy, we probably missed an opportunity to progress further and overtake some guys,” said the Mexican driver after the race.