Lando Norris was the biggest winner of them all in Singapore as he converted a sensational pole position into a brilliant Grand Prix victory. But it wasn’t all smiles for everyone. Lawrence Barretto picks out his winners and losers under the lights at Marina Bay...
Lando Norris delivered one of the most commanding drives in recent memory as he lapped the field up to and including eighth-placed Fernando Alonso. His winning margin over title rival Max Verstappen was 20.945s, the second largest of the season. The now three-time winner trails Verstappen by just 52 points with six Grands Prix and three Sprints to go.
Norris secured a dominant victory in Singapore
Right off the bat, Verstappen said during his on-track post-race interview that he had a race “just by myself.” Norris was in a different league on Sunday, building a 20-second gap on the three-time world champion by the race’s end. He had a few close calls, like when he suffered front wing damage (which required a tweak rather than a full change) or later clipped another wall (this time at Turn 10).
“A few too many close calls. I had a couple little moments in the middle, but it was well-controlled, I think, otherwise,” the McLaren driver said. “And the car was mega, so I could push. We were flying the whole race, and at the end, I could just chill.”
His victory never looked in doubt, even with the two close calls. Norris pushed flat out; you could argue he could’ve let up occasionally. Even he admitted, “I was probably pushing a bit too hard.” But it was all “to open up a gap, and at one point, I wanted to try and open up a pit window to give myself an opportunity to maybe box at the end of the race for quickest lap if I needed to try and achieve that.”
Norris’ efforts took seven points out of Verstappen’s championship lead, narrowing the gap to 52 points. Six grands prix and three sprint races remain, meaning there is a chance of a closer title battle. Verstappen finishing second makes that chance much slimmer, and Red Bull is expected to bring upgrades in the coming races.
“I still have a lot of points I’ve got to catch up and it’s not going to be easy to do it. It’s against Red Bull and it’s against Max, the most dominant pairing you’ve ever seen in Formula One, from last year. It’s the same team, and it’s the same driver. So I have some of the toughest competition that Formula One has ever seen in the sport,” Norris said.
“We are doing a better job as a team right now because my car and our car is quicker than theirs. But that’s just credit to the team doing an amazing job and being smarter and doing cooler things and creating mini DRS flaps and stuff. So it’s just because that’s the game, and that’s the people we’re up against, the people who also do it and people who create these things.
“I’m working my heart out; I’m working my butt off to try and make sure that happens.”
Ricciardo's Emotional Farewell
This was the most challenging weekend of Daniel Ricciardo’s career. The Australian arrived in Singapore amid speculation his future in F1 was under threat. A strong showing in Friday practice raised hopes of a points-scoring finish, but he lost his way on Saturday and was booted out of qualifying in the first segment. He struggled to make progress from 16th and while he pitted late on to steal fastest lap (but not the point as he was outside the top-10), it was of little consolation.
It was arguably the toughest weekend of Ricciardo's F1 career - and possibly the last
A decision is expected to be made in the coming days and weeks about Ricciardo’s F1 future. If Singapore was his last time out, he ended his career with the fastest lap — a 1:34.486 at an average speed of 188.218 kph, a lap time that is now a new lap record at Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Ricciardo started P16 on soft tires and spent much of the race out of points contention. The tire choice was to try “to be a bit more aggressive at the start,” given how tricky it is to overtake at the circuit. He said, “Our starts haven’t been great this year, and we’re on the dirty side, so we thought, ‘OK, if we put a hard on, (we’re) probably going to go backwards, so let’s put a soft on and see where it takes us, and if it doesn’t do much for us, we can try and pit early and maybe undercut a few cars.”
The RB driver was the first to pit, coming in on Lap 10. The medium tire appeared to be competitive, but he lost out in the fight with Pierre Gasly as Ricciardo’s tires started to drop off. He pitted again on Lap 46, and then came the call to come in on the penultimate lap. When asked if he knew why he was told to pit, Ricciardo said, “I had an idea, but I also thought they were just letting me have some fun because we were a long way out of the points,” jokingly adding later, he is, “kinda hoping Max wins by a point now as I’ve guaranteed myself a very nice Christmas present, so, sorry Lando!”
The move was curious, given RB is Red Bull’s sister team. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said, “Daniel obviously wanted to finish the race on a high. You’d have to ask VCARB about that.”
Speculation continues to swirl about Ricciardo’s future. If this is his last F1 race, he ended the weekend on a memorable note with that lap.
“I think I’m in a much happier place in the sport now than I was then,” Ricciardo said, referencing his McLaren stint that ended after the 2022 season. “If this was it, then let’s say I have a little bit more peace. I’m proud of the career — I tried to become world champion, I tried to become the best at something in the world. I think it is a tall task that we ask from ourselves. Some achieve it, some don’t.
“In the end, if I came up a little short, I also can’t be too hard on myself. Happy with the effort I put in, and for that, there’s no sadness or feeling or regret or what could have been.”
A Tough Weekend for Others
This was a difficult weekend for Sergio Perez. As team mate Verstappen shone in qualifying with second, Checo could only manage 13th. He battled back to score a point in 10th – but he was frustrated with his slow progress. After his crash in Baku, it means he has scored just a single point in two events. His tally of 13 in the last four Grands Prix is smaller than Verstappen managed in Singapore alone (18).
Mercedes' Challenging Race
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell may have had a second-row lockout after qualifying, but Mercedes ultimately was the fourth-fastest car on Sunday.
Because of the competitive pace on Saturday, the team opted to start Lewis on the soft tire in hopes of making early gains. Team principal Toto Wolff said it was a joint decision based on previous Singapore GPs “where it’s basically a procession, Monaco-like.” Passing is difficult — but not impossible — at this track, and the opening of the lap is an ideal overtaking opportunity. However, the tires began overheating, and the seven-time world champion had to manage his tires to make them last to an optimal lap so a one-stop strategy could still work.
He pitted on Lap 17, which made him vulnerable to Charles Leclerc, who didn’t pit until Lap 36. Ferrari had both a pace and tire offset, which made the late-race pass easier. Once around Hamilton, Leclerc set his sights on Russell, who managed to keep him at bay.
Wolff said the car struggles at hotter tracks and tough traction, like in Baku last weekend and Singapore. “It’s just at the moment not what we expect from ourselves because if your quickest car is a minute behind the leader, it’s just difficult to accept.”
Singapore’s Heat and Humidity
Singapore is known for its hot temperatures and humidity, and some drivers train differently for this race weekend. Because of the tight confines of the street circuit, a safety car period can usually be expected at Marina Bay Street Circuit. One has happened every season F1 has raced there—until Sunday.
A safety car period allows the drivers to take a breather as lap times slow and offers a respite to the cars. Though a few drivers clipped the wall on Sunday, and Kevin Magnussen limped around the track with a puncture, the 62-lap race went nonstop.
Nico Hülkenberg arrived for his F1 TV interview with hands wrinkled from the sweat, he said. Hamilton and Russell had “borderline heatstroke,” Wolff said, and they missed their post-race media duties. The team confirmed both are well. Norris poured water on himself before his on-track post-race interview, and Colapinto said over the team radio that he didn’t speak much “to save energy.”
“It’s definitely difficult. It’s very, very warm. I was speaking to Esteban (Ocon), while we are driving, we don’t feel it,” Charles Leclerc said to F1 TV. “You don’t really feel tired, you don’t really feel warm. You know it’s going to be a long race. Around mid-race, you’re like, OK, there’s still a half of the race, so it’s going to be tough. But actually, you don’t have time to think about it. The horrible part is when you cool down after the checkered flag. Here, I think, you release the tension, and when you’ve got to get out of the car, it always feels like you’re going to faint.
“It is quite difficult because it’s just a lack of water that is very difficult to manage, but I will say you never really feel it until the tension goes away.”
That comes down to the adrenaline rush and focus needed to nail a lap around the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The drivers are reaching high speeds between the walls. Though hot and humid, this year in Singapore isn’t as bad as the Qatar Grand Prix last year, where concerns were raised as drivers were pushed to their physical limits, Oscar Piastri said. Qatar may be F1’s toughest race.
“It was a tough race, definitely. Not on the same level as what we had in Qatar last year, I would say, but to be honest, it almost gets harder when it gets lonely,” the McLaren driver said. “Once I got past the Mercedes, Max was, I think, 20 seconds ahead, and I knew I was a lot quicker than the Mercedes, so the last 15 laps felt longer than the first 45.
“It was a tough race, definitely. It always is here. But in some ways having the air blowing in your face and stuff like that is almost quite nice. When you stop concentrating so much and you don’t have as much air in your face, it actually can feel worse. So definitely a tough evening, but that’s what we’re paid for.”
Singapore GP: A Recap of the Winners & Losers
The Singapore Grand Prix had a few thrilling moments and close battles, but unlike previous editions, it ran uninterrupted, though a few cars did clip the walls.
Formula One heads into a fall break with three weekends off until the paddock travels to Austin, Texas, for the United States Grand Prix. But before we pack up, here are a few takeaways from round 18 out of 24.
Winners
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Lando Norris: The McLaren driver delivered a masterful performance, securing his third victory of the season with a commanding performance that saw him lapping the field up to and including Fernando Alonso. While he still has a significant gap to close, Norris has shown he’s not going to go down without a fight.
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Oscar Piastri: Continuing his impressive run of form, Piastri secured his fifth podium in six Grands Prix with a strong drive to third place. This consistent performance sees him within reach of third place in the drivers’ standings and has helped McLaren solidify their lead in the constructors’ championship.
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Nico Hülkenberg: The German driver delivered a brilliant performance, converting a sixth-place start into a ninth-place finish, securing Haas their third consecutive points finish.
Losers
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Alex Albon: A suspected power unit/cooling issue forced Albon’s retirement, ending a race that was looking promising for Williams after they brought a new front suspension upgrade to Singapore.
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Sergio Perez: Despite a strong qualifying performance from his teammate Verstappen, Perez struggled in Singapore, only managing a 10th-place finish and scoring a single point.
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Alfa Romeo: The Swiss team had a weekend to forget, failing to get either car out of Q1 and ultimately failing to score any points. Their struggles continue to leave them bottom of the constructors’ standings.
While the Singapore Grand Prix was a thrilling race, it was also a bittersweet moment for Daniel Ricciardo, who may have just raced his last F1 Grand Prix. His emotional farewell was a reminder that this sport is not just about winning; it’s about the stories that unfold, the emotions that are shared, and the legacies that are built. Even as the championship race heats up, there are still plenty of storylines to follow in the remaining races of the season.
