Lando Norris has achieved significant results in recent races, including 8 points gained in Budapest and 8 in Zandvoort, while only losing 2 points at Spa. He also outperformed Max Verstappen in other races: 8 points at Monza, 3 at Baku, and 7 at Singapore. After a dominant win in Singapore, Norris has reduced the gap in the overall standings, though the margin remains substantial. After Budapest, the gap was 76 points, but now it has shrunk to 52, with six Grand Prix races left, offering a maximum of 150 points still up for grabs.
The McLaren-Mercedes continues to be the car to beat, and Norris' victory over Verstappen echoed his performance at Zandvoort: a perfect start from pole and a gradual increase in his lead, reaching a 30-second gap by the end. Despite some improvements from Red Bull since Baku and Monza, Verstappen couldn't close the gap. His qualifying performance was excellent, possibly even surpassing the true potential of the car.
On the street circuit of Singapore, it was a solo race for both Norris and Verstappen, while the two Mercedes cars, starting from the second row, quickly faded from the podium fight. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell attempted a different strategy, with Hamilton on soft tires and Russell on mediums, but the plan to attack Verstappen early didn't work out. Hamilton tried to pass on the first corner but couldn’t make it happen, and Mercedes didn’t have the pace to match Red Bull. Hamilton’s soft tires wore out quickly, forcing him to switch strategy by the 18th lap, which ultimately compromised his race. His sixth-place finish was disappointing, considering he started third. Russell, on the other hand, battled oversteer and understeer, managing to hold on to fourth place despite Oscar Piastri's charge, who finished third after a brilliant performance.
For Ferrari, the weekend was a missed opportunity. Despite having the pace to at least compete for second place, poor qualifying sessions from Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz dashed their hopes. Leclerc, stuck behind Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg in the middle stages of the race, gained positions after the pit stops but couldn’t overtake Russell. Sainz, after a slow start and an early pit stop, struggled to work his way back up, eventually finishing seventh.
Fernando Alonso finished eighth with Aston Martin-Mercedes, once again demonstrating his skill, while Nico Hulkenberg completed a great weekend for Haas-Ferrari, qualifying sixth and finishing ninth. On the contrary, Sergio Perez had a disastrous weekend with Red Bull, failing to match Verstappen’s pace and even finishing behind Hulkenberg.
It was unfortunate for Franco Colapinto, who came close to scoring points with Williams-Mercedes. After an impressive start, moving from 12th to 9th, he slipped out of the points due to race strategies, finishing 11th. However, he showed great potential, and with Sainz joining the team next season, Alexander Albon’s hastily renewed contract might come under scrutiny.
Among others, Yuki Tsunoda brought Racing Bulls-Honda to 12th place, ahead of Esteban Ocon, who did what he could with the limitations of his Alpine-Renault. Pierre Gasly also tried an alternative strategy, starting on hard tires, but it didn’t work out. At Racing Bulls, Daniel Ricciardo struggled, and his disappointing end to the season could mean he won’t be on the grid in Austin. The same might be true for Lance Stroll, whose underwhelming performances over the past few years should have already seen him out of F1, but his father’s ownership of Aston Martin has kept him in the sport.
© Cavalieri Garage & Co.
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