Rishika Shahi
Lando Norris showcased an impressive performance at the Singapore Grand Prix, securing a dominant victory over reigning champion Max Verstappen. Starting from pole position, Norris maintained control throughout the race, ultimately finishing 20 seconds ahead of Verstappen. This remarkable win not only boosts Norris’s confidence but also narrows the championship gap, reducing Verstappen’s lead to 52 points. With teammate Oscar Piastri clinching third place, McLaren solidified their position in the constructors’ championship, leaving fans eager for what’s next in the thrilling Formula 1 season.
Verstappen lead in the beginning
With six races left, Verstappen can earn up to 180 points, 52 more than the British driver who finished a distant second in his Red Bull. Daniel Ricciardo, however, denied Norris an additional point after Red Bull’s junior squad RB changed soft tires with one circuit remaining so the Australian could overtake the British driver with the quickest lap on the last tour.Oscar Piastri, Norris’s McLaren teammate, passed both Mercedes drivers on the circuit following a later pit stop to finish third from fifth on the grid.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari appeared to have the potential to follow suit as he battled back from his starting position of eighth, but George Russell managed to hold off the Ferrari as it approached him in the final circuits, taking fourth place from Leclerc and Hamilton. Carlos Sainz of Ferrari finished sixth, while Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin overtook Nico Hulkenberg of Haas during the pit stop to take the lead in “Division Two,” ahead of the German and Sergio Perez of Red Bull.
Norris excellent performance on the track
The season’s most dominant triumph came from Norris. For the first time in five attempts this season, he turned pole position into a lead at the end of the first lap. He then measured his pace in the opening laps to make sure his tires weren’t overworked, and he rattled off a run of the fastest laps to pull away.
Will Joseph, his engineer, informed him that in order to safeguard him during a pit stop, McLaren ideally wanted him to be at least five seconds ahead of Verstappen. After Verstappen made his first pit stop on lap 29, Norris easily closed the distance and kept going, gaining a lead of 25 seconds before the McLaren team caught up to them a lap later.
He brushed the wall once at Turn 14 and again at Turn 8, but other than that frightening moment, he was completely in control and finished his third career triumph. “What a fantastic race. far too many near misses. I had a few moments in the middle, but other than that, I was in complete control,” Norris remarked. “We were flying the entire race because the car was so amazing that I could push.” By the end, I could relax. It remained a challenging race.
Being isolated from everyone else and unable to take action against Norris, Verstappen’s race felt just as alone.In the first few laps, the Dutchman gained ground on the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who were chasing him, and solidified his position in second.
Verstappen stated: “P2 is a good achievement on a weekend where we knew we would struggle.” Naturally, we are not content with second. We will make an effort to improve as much as possible now.”
Piastri and Leclerc gave a tough competition
Piastri, who was fifth on the grid, and Leclerc, who was ninth, were attempting to catch up to the two leaders, but all of the action was behind them. Both achieved this by sprinting to their pit stops. Having started the race fifth behind Hamilton and Russell, Piastri stopped on lap 38 and then restarted to pass both of them in Turn Seven, with Hamilton passing him on lap 40 and Russell following him five circuits later. His podium result increased McLaren’s lead over Red Bull to 42 points in the constructors’ championship.Then, on lap 36, Hamilton was forced to stop and was passed by Leclerc on lap 49, suffering the same fate.
In an attempt to jump Verstappen at the beginning, the British driver had taken the soft tire. However, Hamilton launched an attack at the first corner, but the Dutchman stopped him, and the Red Bull soon started to distance itself. On lap 17, Hamilton stopped early to swap out his soft tires for tougher ones because he thought he might not finish the race. He did, but he was powerless to stop Piastri and Leclerc due to his aging tires.
With the exception of Hamilton, all the other drivers in the top 10 started on medium tires, and Russell continued until lap 27 before pulling off. When the Ferrari caught up to him, his tires were nine circuits older than Leclerc’s, but the Mercedes’s superior traction kept him safe, and Leclerc was unable to close the gap.
In addition to helping Verstappen win the title, Ricciardo’s quickest lap might have been his final lap as the well-liked eight-time winner. Before the upcoming event, the United States Grand Prix, which takes place in Austin, Texas, from October 18–20, there is talk that Ricciardo may be benched in favor of Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson.
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