The Singapore Grand Prix brought fans to the edge of their seats with a thrilling race filled with drama, masterful driving, and a lot of torque. It ended with a refreshing sight for Formula 1 fans as three drivers from different teams stood on a Red Bull-less podium.
Here are key takeaways from the Singapore Grand Prix courtesy of SBOTOP.
Ferrari’s charge
Ferrari ended Red Bull’s streak as Carlos Sainz won his second Formula One race of his career. The Spaniard showed incredible pace all weekend l. Sainz hasn’t stepped on the breaks since his pole at Monza; he followed it up with yet another front row start, this time in the Singapore Grand Prix.
After letting his pole advantage slip away in the Italian GP two weeks ago, Sainz kept his head held high and made the Singapore GP look like a cake walk. He maintained his lead all throughout the race and bagged Ferrari a cool 25 points over the weekend.
Driving the second car for Ferarri, Charles Leclerc started the race strong. Leclerc qualified third and showed a competitive drive early on in the grand prix. It was a Ferrari one-two start in the first 10 laps.
In true Ferrari fashion, the team opted for a double pit stop behind a safety car after Williams’ Logan Sargeant crashed in the 20th lap. Leclerc entered the pit lane in second place but slid down to sixth after a slow deployment due to traffic issues in the crowded pits.
Leclerc wasn’t able to regain confident pace, and finished the race in fourth place.
A dramatic finish for Mercedes
It was a bittersweet race for the Silver Arrows. After a strong qualifying, George Russell managed to secure the second spot, while Lewis Hamilton settled for fifth. Mercedes were poised to score much-needed points in Singapore, as Ferrari is right on their tail in the Constructors standings.
Both Russell and Hamilton fought hard and looked evenly matched for most parts of the race. Entering the final lap, both Mercs were fighting tooth and nail for a podium finish and to secure points for the team.
Russell got overly eager and made a crucial mistake, which caused him to hit the wall at turn 10, forcing him to retire from the race in the final lap. The Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton gained the position and finished third.
This is a breath of fresh air for Hamilton, as he once again popped Champaign after failing to podium in the last four grand prix. A reassuring result that may influence Hamilton’s future at Mercedes.
Brilliant driving from Norris
Lando Norris wins his third podium finish of the season. The young Brit showed flashes of brilliance and immense potential once again as he qualified for fourth. He was the only one in the top five who was not a driver for Ferrari or Mercedes.
He finished in second place and was very pleased with the performance of the car and scoring points for the team. Many would say Norris is driving well above his car’s potential, and that is a rare sight to see in the sport.
Norris and Ferrari’s Sainz had to drive perfectly for the latter part of the race if they wanted to maintain their positions after Mercedes boxed for fresh tyres in lap 45. Norris expressed his thanks to his former teammate during a post-race interview, stating that Sainz helped him hold off the Silver Arrows to secure his position in the final laps.
“Carlos was very generous trying to help me get DRS. It helped my race and also helped his. We knew it would be tough as soon as Mercedes boxed but we held them off and we’re on the podium, [I’m] super happy.” Norris said to David Coulthard. It was definitely one of the best Formula 1 2023 highlights we’ve witnessed so far.
Even though Norris was elated after his podium finish, he shared his remorse for his fellow British driver George Russell, as both of them share the same experience. Norris stated: “I hit the wall on the same lap, on the same place. I think he copied me and hit it even worse. I feel for him. He was the quickest today, but it helped me a bit, and I could chill during the last couple of corners. We all pushed each other the whole way. It was stressful, but it paid off.”
What’s next?
Formula 1 will be heading to the Suzuka Circuit in Japan for the next Grand Prix on September 24. It was a Red Bull 1-2 finish during last year’s Japanese Grand Prix. With the Formula 1 2023 odds pricing Max Verstappen as the favourite to win in Suzuka, it will be interesting to see if Horner and the rest of the Red Bull team can bounce back after a weekend to forget in Singapore. Red Bull currently sit on top of the Constructors standings with a commanding lead (597 points), while Mercedes (289 points) and Ferrari (265 points) are in a tight battle for second and third.
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