After an astonishing Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the teams headed to Marina Bay for the Singapore Grand Prix.
The race marked the second part of a doubleheader of races after last weekend in Azerbaijan. The Marina Bay street circuit is known for its grueling conditions; the bumpy track surface and high speed corners mixed with sharp low speed turns make the track one of the most technical on the Formula 1 (F1) calendar. The track is the most physically demanding circuit on the calendar, with drivers losing around seven pounds of body weight in sweat over the course of the race due to the hot and humid conditions. The track also provides ample room for overtaking and action with its three Drag Reduction System (DRS) zones.
Going into the weekend, teams like McLaren, Mercedes and Visa Cash App RB all sported special liveries for the race. Red Bull was also going to sport a special livery for the race weekend but then canceled, citing that the livery would add unnecessary weight to the car and jeopardize their race pace — a sign of how much the team is struggling with this year’s car, as well as how far they have fallen from their dominant last few seasons.
In more sad news, a source around the paddock leaked that RB driver Daniel Riccardo would likely be replaced by junior driver Liam Lawson following Singapore. Riccardo has had an illustrious career, winning eight Grand Prix races and is one of the most well-liked personalities on the grid. If the leak is true, it would likely mean the end of Riccardo’s career, as he doesn’t currently have a contract set for next season — a sad possibility for fans of the Aussie driver.
The first Free Practice (FP1) session of the weekend was uneventful as the teams tried to adjust their car setups and get a feel for the track. The second Free Practice session went similarly to FP1; however, Mercedes driver George Russell had a moment going into turn eight in which he broke his front wing. That was about the most exciting thing to happen on the first day of the race weekend — a sign for what was to come. In FP3, there was, thankfully, a bit more excitement. To start out the session, a lizard made its way onto the circuit, setting purple sectors and outrunning track marshals for a little while before it was eventually removed from the circuit. Throughout the practice sessions, McLaren driver Lando Norris seemed the clear favorite with the Ferraris keeping things close.
Qualifying is where things seemed to kick off, just as it did last week in Azerbaijan. Q1 saw Riccardo barely miss out on advancing to Q2 in what could be his final Qualifying session of his career. Q2 saw Red Bull driver Sergio Perez have a shocking exit as he only managed to qualify in 13th — a disappointing result for the Mexican driver after he lost out on a podium finish in Azerbaijan due to a late crash with Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.
In Q3, Sainz also had a rough time, as he had a massive spin and crashed just before the start line; this was quite a weird incident. Sainz hadn’t even started his qualifying and timed lap when the incident occurred; he appeared to lose the rear end of his car as he rounded the final corner to start his first lap. His Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc didn’t fare that well in Qualifying either, as he had his lap time deleted in Q3, meaning the two Ferrari drivers would start from P9 and P10 for the race. Norris, capitalizing on the struggles of the Ferraris, took pole position for the fifth time this season. His championship rival, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, qualified just behind him in second.
Heading into the actual race, there was uncertainty in the air. With the chaotic history and notoriously tricky track, I questioned how messy the first few laps would be. My excitement was bubbling as the lights were about to go out. In reality, the race start was quite boring, with Norris maintaining his lead through the first few corners. Norris continued to pull away from Verstappen behind him, meaning that for the first time in his career, he kept his lead from pole for the first lap of a race. Other than Norris maintaining his lead, there were no major moves throughout the pack, as the top five remained the same after the first few laps.
Norris and Verstappen would go on to build a gap between themselves and the rest of the grid, as the two championship rivals surged ahead of the pack. With the Drivers’ Championship fight drawing tighter, the race looked to be a potential deciding factor and major boost for whoever came out on top. One driver would either extend their points gap in the championship or close the gap to the other even further. What became clear a mere 15 laps into the race is which of the two situations would occur. Norris quickly flew ahead of Verstappen, creating a 10 second gap by lap 15 — a gap he further increased to over 20 seconds, a dominant showing from the British driver.
Williams driver Alex Albon was forced to retire from the race after suffering an overheating and power unit issue on lap 15. Aside from Albon’s retirement, the race was unusually uneventful. This track and event has seen 11 safety cars in the past six races, but it was nothing like that this time. Not even a yellow flag was shown more than halfway through the race. Instead it was a dull race throughout. Even with some small fights throughout the pack, McLaren and Norris dominated. Norris had over a 30-second gap to Verstappen at one point, with his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri breaking away from the rest of the grid and settling into third place for most of the race.
As the race drew to a close, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen — who is returning from a one-race ban after accumulating too many penalty points — became the second retiree of the race. After he got too close to the narrow walls of the circuit and damaged his rear left tire, he was forced to pit and retire on lap 57. Riccardo, who struggled for most of the race, seemed to decide to go out with a bang. He pitted with two laps to go, putting on a set of soft tires, appearing to go for a fastest lap attempt as one last hoorah. Riccardo set a new lap record for the circuit and took the fastest lap point away from his former teammate Norris, giving his other former teammate, Verstappen, what could be a crucial point difference for the championship. Riccardo was also voted “Driver of the Day” by the fans, a heartwarming tribute to one of the sport’s most likable and fun drivers.
Norris dominated from start to finish: he won by over 20 seconds and took his third victory of the season, closing the gap between him and Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship fight. Verstappen did, however, take second, minimizing the impact of Norris’ victory, with Piastri rounding out the podium in third place, meaning McLaren extended their gap to Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship.
The race also marked the first time in the circuit’s history that a race finished without a yellow flag or a safety car, an unusual occurrence for what has been a historically chaotic circuit. With the conclusion of the Singapore Grand Prix and the increasingly close championship fights between McLaren and Norris versus Red Bull and Verstappen, the final stretch of the season is sure to be a fascinating finish.
Next, the teams will take a four week break before they head off to Austin, Texas for the United States Grand Prix, which should be an electrifying race.
