Thanks to a landslide victory on Sunday at the Singapore Grand Prix, Lando Norris (McLaren) further reduced the gap on F1 world championship leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who nevertheless secured the essential by taking second place.
In the stifling night heat of the Marina Bay street circuit, the Briton beat the Dutchman for the fourth time in a row and he continues, slowly but surely, to close in, even if he is still 52 lengths behind the three-time defending champion.
Already untouchable in qualifying on Saturday, Norris once again demonstrated the superiority of his McLaren, which proved to be the fastest in the race, to pick up his third victory of the season and of his career after Miami (May) and Zandvoort (August).
For the first time in six starts from pole position, Norris managed to hold the lead after the first lap, which paved the way for a relatively easy victory, despite two minor scares, halfway through the race, when he missed a brake and nearly hit a wall, and in the closing laps, when his rear wheel scraped another wall.
But more fear than harm for the 24-year-old Englishman, who will be able to calmly approach the final sprint, which will start in Austin, in the United States, after a break of almost four weeks.
“It was an incredible race, I had some hot and tense moments, but otherwise I controlled the race well. The car was flying today [Sunday]! With Oscar [Piastri] on the podium, it’s a very good day for the team,” Norris said.
A week after taking the lead in the constructors’ championship, McLaren, which has won four of the last six Grands Prix, has doubled its lead at the top and is now 41 points ahead of Red Bull.
Piastri, winner last weekend in Azerbaijan, managed to secure third place after starting fifth, recording his seventh podium of the season.
Verstappen secures the essentials
In difficulty on Friday, Verstappen righted the ship well on Saturday to take second place on the grid, and he ensured the essential on Sunday by retaining this position at the end of a race where he was rather isolated.
“I did my best. The first stint was quite difficult, the second was better, I felt better. After the complicated start to the weekend, being second is a good thing, even if, obviously, we are not happy not to win,” said “Mad Max”.
The three-time world champion can be satisfied with finishing second in the last six Grands Prix and the three remaining sprints to clinch a fourth crown, even if Norris wins the maximum number of points still at stake.
Mercedes, which had secured the second row on the grid, with its British drivers Lewis Hamilton (3rd ) and George Russell (4th ) , failed to play the role of referee.
The seven-time world champion was in fact penalised by his team’s strategy which made him stop in the pits too early and he lost three places to finish sixth, while his team-mate limited the damage by saving his fourth position in extremis despite the attacks of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari).
Only ninth on the grid, the Monegasque made a nice comeback, just like his Spanish teammate, Carlos Sainz, who gained three places to take seventh place.
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