Bravo Lando Norris. Despite everything. He gritted his teeth, battling with himself after leaving his rivals astonishingly far behind. It was a tough race, even though Lando managed to pull away immediately with a textbook start – his usual weakness – and maintained an incredible pace throughout the race. Two contacts with the walls, from halfway through the race onwards, gave him a wake-up call, as at one point he was almost dozing off (so to speak, of course) in front of a lead over his rivals that was increasing exponentially, perhaps well beyond his expectations. However, in both collisions, he didn’t suffer any damage. In fact, after the second (minor) one, he even set the fastest lap of the race, although it was surpassed on the final lap by Daniel Ricciardo’s sprint.
So, all went well for Lando Norris, and everything went even better for McLaren, which continues to impress on any type of circuit. Looking ahead, they could continue performing like this until the end, with an exciting sprint finish against Verstappen for the championship. There are six races left, Max has a 52-point lead over Lando, and the battle is still open, even though Singapore saw the return of a brilliant and fast Red Bull. Not quite as fast as McLaren, but on the same level as Ferrari and better than Mercedes, something we haven’t seen in a while. This is good news for Max Verstappen, considering that from now on, theoretically, he should find circuits more suited to his car. But the second place in Singapore, 20.9 seconds behind Norris, is crucial: a defeat that nonetheless puts him back in the game.
The third step of the podium went to Oscar Piastri, who was sacrificed by a mediocre qualifying and a cautious race strategy. Then George Russell, in fourth, did an excellent job fending off Charles Leclerc’s attacks in the last five laps of the Singapore Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc in fifth and Carlos Sainz in seventh reflect Ferrari’s situation: placements that are not exactly brilliant, but mistakes have a cost. Charles and Carlos made mistakes in qualifying (tires too cold, how much responsibility does the team bear?), starting ninth and tenth on the grid, not ideal on a track where overtaking is very difficult. Despite everything, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz didn’t let their guard down, and from halfway through the race, the Monegasque kept the same pace as Norris (who eased off in the final laps) and Max Verstappen, based on the lap times. This suggests that second and third place were well within reach. A great opportunity wasted, as Ferrari, after the Monza triumph, was almost certain that a repeat victory would come at Baku and/or Singapore. More hopes postponed, more waiting, more disappointment.
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