It is necessary to give these young men praise. Again, in a race this complex, dominated above all by extreme humidity, the safety car remained in the pits. Despite having a significant advantage over Max Verstappen, Norris was the only one to “give” us a few seconds of suspense by tapping the battier.
As anticipated, Lando Norris drove a very tactical race in a superb McLaren, about twenty-one seconds behind the world champion. It was undoubtedly a significant void. Verstappen, nevertheless, came in second position and maintained his lead with a 52-point margin.
The aggregate of the results from qualifying and the race determines the overall outcome of the weekend, and Ferrari paid a heavy price for a terrible Saturday. Fifth place, just a few tenths of a second behind George Russell in fourth, is undoubtedly a good result; however, given Leclerc’s pace on the track and his smart strategy—changing tires after the 37th lap—Ferrari must take some responsibility, in addition to the winner’s physical struggles. It’s possible that we witnessed a Baku-2 with its two drivers in close proximity. However, this is a race.
Another thing that stood out from the final positions was that, out of the seven drivers who completed a full lap, Carlos Sainz was the first to finish without completing a lap. a consequence of his qualifying error, in addition to having a flawless start and a distinct approach from that of his partner. After just fourteen laps of the sixty-two, the Spaniard was among the first to pit, switching to the whites.
Even while competition is usually fierce, there is currently a clear separation between the top four teams (McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes) and the remainder of the field. Drivers who haven’t been seen in a while—like Fernando Alonso in an Aston Martin—lap as a result.
Red Bull and Racing Bulls played as a team, and at the finish, Ricciardo was sent back to the pits to set the fastest lap and deny Lando Norris the additional point. But Racing Bull leaves Singapore with zero points, taking into account the two points that Haas’s direct competitors (9th Hulkenberg, ahead of Perez) scored in the battle for sixth place on the constructors’ title.
Six more grand prix remain. The appointment is set for October 18–20 in Austin.