McLaren’s Lando Norris powered to a crushing lights-to-flag win in this morning’s Singapore Grand Prix to reduce Max Verstappen’s championship lead to 52 points ahead of the final six races.
Norris was dominant from the pole and led by as much as 30 seconds entering the race’s closing stages before settling into a rhythm following two separate brushes with walls to bring his car home 20 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
A late stop worked wonders for Oscar Piastri, allowing him to easily pass the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to take the final step on the podium.
The same strategy was also beneficial for Charles Leclerc, who started ninth and was held by a staunch defensive effort from Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso through the early stages.
Leclerc stopped late and made successful overtakes on Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton on his return but was kept at bay by Russell over the final laps, with Russell holding onto fourth at the chequered flag.
An early stop proved Hamilton’s undoing, with Mercedes boxing their driver from third on Lao 17 of 62, much to the seven-time world champion’s displeasure. Hamilton was left battling on older tyres through the closing stages on his way to sixth, ahead of Sainz, who was also an early stopper.
Alonso finished eighth, ahead of Hulkenberg, whose resilient defensive drive from sixth on the grid was rewarded with two championship points. The Haas driver kept Sergio Perez at bay to finish ninth and bring the American team within three points of RB in the fight for sixth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Perez had made a good start and looked to move forward into the top ten, only to be thwarted by the same drivers who delayed Leclerc’s rise through the order.
McLaren’s double podium, compared with Verstappen’s runner-up result and Perez’s lowly 10th, sees the team extend their advantage over Red Bull to 36 points in the Constructors’ Championship.
Williams rookie Franco Colapinto also made progress difficult for Perez and kept the Red Bull at bay for an extended period. The Argentine was unlucky to miss out on points, finishing eleventh in another display, showing he is worthy of a full-time seat.
A late stop to switch to softs and attempt the fastest lap for Daniel Ricciardo proved a saving grace for Verstappen and Red Bull. The Australian accomplished his goal and bettered Norris’s best effort on the final lap, stripping the Brit of an additional championship point.
Ricciardo was the final driver to cross the line in what looks to be his final race, with Liam Lawson appearing set to take over from the next round at Circuit of the Americas.
Alex Albon was an early retirement from the race, with the power unit in his Williams overheating. Kevin Magnussen also failed to finish, suffering a late puncture after contact with the wall at Turn 5. The Dane briefly returned to proceedings but retired shortly after.
This year’s race was the first time the Singapore Grand Prix has been completed without a Safety Car intervention.
The United States Grand Prix at CoTA is the next event on the calendar, taking place on October 18-20.
Header Image: McLaren
