Analysis of the Singapore Grand Prix, brought to you by Bahrain International Circuit
There were numerous mathematical combinations to work out how McLaren could win their second consecutive Constructors’ World Championship in Singapore.
The easiest way to follow along was that if one McLaren car finished in the top three, then the crown was theirs, irrespective of what would happen to the rest of the field.
On the form of the season so far, that seemed a fairly straightforward challenge, but, as we had seen last time out in Baku, there are no certainties in F1.
Qualifying in Singapore suggested yet again that the top teams were much closer together than much of the earlier part of the season had suggested, not least at Mercedes, where George Russell was looking to build on his second-place finish in Baku.
In the tight and unforgiving streets of Singapore, he placed his car on pole by 0.2 seconds.
Max Verstappen had to settle for second, despite having been there-or-thereabouts on the practice timesheets earlier in the weekend.
The McLaren pair had to settle for third and fifth on the grid, with Piastri starting ahead of Norris, a potentially important factor in their fight for the driver title.
Antonelli continued the Mercedes promise by qualifying fourth, whilst Ferrari’s had to settle for sixth and seventh. Hadjar in the Racing Bull completed the top eight.
As ever on a tight street circuit, track position would be key as overtaking isn’t straight forward.
However, the addition of an extra DRS zone, combined with previous changes in 2023 to add an extra straight has made it slightly earlier on that front.
One thing that wasn’t any easier were the temperatures, with the heat and humidity providing an additional physical challenge for the drivers.
Special measures had been put in place by the FIA under new regulation for races which take place in such conditions to help that challenge, but the physical test for drivers is still there.
When it came to the race, Lando Norris got off to an electric start at lights out, making up two places including his teammate.
However, he clipped Verstappen as part of his move on turn one, which in turn led to contact with Piastri alongside him. It was reviewed by both the stewards and McLaren themselves.
The stewards saw no need for action, whilst McLaren did not feel the need to swap the drivers around. Piastri clearly wasn’t happy, but despite his protestations, Norris continued on.
At the front, Russell got a solid start, keeping Verstappen at bay. By lap ten, his pace looked strong and had grown a lead of over five seconds.
Meanwhile, Leclerc had taken Antonelli at the start to run fifth, with Hamilton maintaining seventh.
Verstappen was the first of their front runners to stop on lap 20. His change to hard tyres was expected to last the rest of the race. Leclerc then came in two laps later, then Hamilton the following lap.
Russell came in on lap 26 with his teammate just behind, leaving the pair of McLaren drivers as the only cars at the front not to stop.
Norris then came in on lap 27, with Piastri the lap after.
After all those stops, the order upfront was unchanged, although Verstappen had closed the gap to Russell at the front to 3 seconds, with Norris 4 seconds behind the Dutchman and Piastri a further 5 seconds back.
As the middle section of the race progressed, Verstappen was clearly having drivability issues with his car, enabling Norris to get within DRS by lap 46.
An overtake was complicated by the fact that it was a period of the race where they were overtaking back markers. Despite his efforts it was not to be as Verstappen held out for second, with Norris settling for third.
Upfront, Russell drove a faultless race for a dominant victory and never looked troubled. It was not only his first win in Singapore, but his first time on the podium.
He described it as his most complete and dominant weekend performance in his career to date.
Further back, Piastri, who sounded frustrated throughout the race, claimed fourth place, followed by Antonelli, Leclerc, Hamilton and Alonso. Bearman and Sainz completed the top ten.
Whilst Russell celebrated an impressive victory, McLaren had done more than enough to clinch an incredible second consecutive Constructors’ Championship.
This was achieved with six races to spare, a dominance that matched Red Bull’s achievement back in 2023.
It was not just done with a car that consistently outperformed the rest of the field, but also by having two high-quality drivers consistently reaching the podium.
Zak Brown was keen to point out the team effort behind the victory, not just by those at the circuit, but the hundreds more back at Woking.
The celebrations will be well-deserved, as will the many plaudits and congratulations from Bahrain and around the world.
With that under their belt, attention now turns to the drivers’ championship, where Norris has reduced the gap to Piastri by three points, putting him 22 points adrift.
Verstappen, meanwhile, improved his outside chances for the title but is still 44 points off the lead.
F1 returns to the USA on October 19 for the next round in Austin.
* Laurence Jones is senior manager, Marketing and Communications, Bahrain International Circuit
l.jones@bic.com.bh
&uuid=(email))