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The Scuderia is celebrating again for the first time since July 2022. For Max Verstappen, Singapore remains a complicated matter.
The podium
- 1. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari)
- 2. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren) + 0.812 seconds
- 3. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) + 1.269 s
When Charles Leclerc was happy about victory at the Austrian GP on July 10, 2022, Ferrari could not have imagined how long the next success would be waiting. Over a year later, Carlos Sainz finally made the Scuderia celebrate again in Singapore. The Spanish pole-sitter defended his place at the top and narrowly but ultimately confidently prevailed ahead of Lando Norris in the McLaren and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
For Sainz it is the first win of the season and the second of his career. In 2022 he triumphed at Silverstone. The downer for the Italians: Leclerc fell from 3rd to 4th in the second Ferrari and missed the podium.
The clever series
This means that for the first time this season and after 15 races in a row, victory does not go to Red Bull. The last 10 races alone were the prey of Max Verstappen – both records. The dream of the perfect season has shattered. The World Cup title, although only a matter of time, will now have to wait a little longer. Verstappen and Singapore – it remains complicated. The Dutchman has never won in the Asian city state.
The World Championship leader summed up qualifying after finishing 11th as “an absolutely shocking experience”. For the first time in 102 races, both Red Bull cars failed before Q3. It became clear quite early on on the street circuit in Singapore that Verstappen and Sergio Perez were not in a position to launch the big race to catch up. The Marina Bay Circuit, which had a lot of slow, tight corners, didn’t offer enough options. In the end, the duo ended up in 5th and 8th place.
The record
Fernando Alonso experienced a race to forget. The Spaniard in the Aston Martin also ended up at the back of the field due to a 5-second penalty and problems in the pits. At least the 42-year-old can console himself with the fact that he has broken a historic mark. He was the first Formula 1 driver to complete 100,000 kilometers of racing.
The pointless ones
After Valtteri Bottas’ points win in Monza, Alfa Romeo had no chance of getting any more points this time. The Finn had to park his car on the 51st of 62 laps due to a defect. Guanyu Zhou (CHN) finished 13th.
This is how it continues
The Formula 1 entourage remains in Asia. The next stop is Japan, where the 15th GP of the season will take place next Sunday at the Suzuka International Racing Course.