Lando Norris and McLaren pulled away in the Singapore Grand Prix, leaving Helmut Marko concerned, but Ferrari’s presence was missing. The race at the 4.94-kilometre Marina Bay Street Circuit quickly turned into a powerful solo performance by the British driver. Even at the start, typically a weak point for him, Lando Norris maximized the potential of the MCL38 single-seater, pulling away from the field. Before the pit stop, his lead was already over twenty seconds.
Citing a recurring joke in the social media world, one could say that “McLaren’s dominance might bore fans.” In fact, the performance displayed in Singapore is alarming for McLaren’s rivals: Lando Norris took off and disappeared into the distance in a race usually kept tightly controlled by the race leader.
Helmut Marko was shocked, confessing his concerns to OE24: “It’s crazy how [Lando Norris] pulled away, our deficit is alarming. We urgently need performance. Thank God we have four weeks to work on it. There’s a lot to do.” – he admitted.
Red Bull fears McLaren and the MCL38, a car that has already proven to be extremely versatile. It’s possible that what was seen at Marina Bay could happen again in Austin, at COTA. However, in the massive lead that Lando Norris built up by the end of the race (20 seconds, which could have been over 30), the Ferrari factor was missing.
The two SF-24 cars started in the middle of the pack, stuck in frustrating DRS trains. But with just a bit of clean air, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were able to show the car’s potential, even lapping faster than Max Verstappen. Without the disastrous result in Saturday qualifying, it would have been a very different race. And perhaps McLaren’s dominance would have simply been a regular victory.
Source: f1ingenerale
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