Singapore Grand Prix: Weekend Recap

Formula 1 returned to Marina Bay for the Singapore Grand Prix before an unusual 3-week mini-break before Austin. The Singapore Grand Prix was the sport's first-ever night race, and the trackside lights would illuminate a few special liveries this time around.

McLaren was running a white and papaya livery, a tribute to the legendary MP-4 days of the 80's. The Mercedes were wearing an extra dash of turquoise to celebrate 50 years of their partnership with Petronas. The other team running a special livery was RB, but they made headlines for an entirely different matter. Sources say there’s a clause in Lawson’s contract that if Red Bull didn’t offer him a race seat for next season (or find him a seat elsewhere) by a certain date, then he would be released. That’s even suggested that the Singapore Grand Prix could be Ricciardo’s last – with Lawson being drafted in early. If it were to be, the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix could be the last we see of the honey badger.

Friday Practice Sessions

The Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix kicked off with intense practice sessions, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris battled for supremacy. Both FP1 and FP2 were characterized by tight margins between the two drivers, with Leclerc leading the first session and Norris responding by topping the second.

In the opening practice session, Charles Leclerc set the pace, beating McLaren’s Lando Norris by a slim 0.076 seconds. Norris had initially set a competitive time of 1m33.199s on the medium compound tires, which stood as the benchmark for several minutes. Ferrari, meanwhile, began FP1 with runs on the harder tire compounds, and Leclerc soon clocked a 1m32.702s to dethrone Norris from the top spot.

Norris then switched to the soft tires and raised the bar, setting a 1m31.839s. While Carlos Sainz came close, missing out by just a thousandth of a second, Leclerc responded with a final effort of 1m31.761s to reclaim the top position. This time stood unbeaten as teams moved to longer runs on harder compounds towards the end of the session.

With Leclerc leading, Norris remained second, and Sainz completed the top three. Yuki Tsunoda took his denim-liveried Red Bull to an impressive fifth place, while Max Verstappen finished fourth, struggling to match the Ferrari pace.

The second practice session saw Lando Norris hit back, posting a 1m30.727s to beat Leclerc by just 0.058 seconds. In the night-time conditions, which are more representative of qualifying and race circumstances, Norris became the first driver to dip below the 1m31s mark, setting a time that went unbeaten.

The session began with drivers experimenting with medium and hard tires as they acclimatized to the evolving track conditions. Leclerc once again led the early phase with a 1m31.665s on medium tires, before Alex Albon briefly topped the charts with a 1m31.650s lap.

As the teams switched to softs for performance runs, Norris put in a blistering 1m30.727s lap. Leclerc got close with a 1m30.785s, but it wasn’t enough to reclaim the top spot. Sainz, over six-tenths behind, slotted into third place, unable to match the pace of his teammate or the McLaren.

The session also saw late drama as George Russell collided with the wall at Turn 8, but he managed to escape without major damage. Norris also reported hitting the wall at one point during his long runs, though he was able to continue without significant consequences.

While Norris and Leclerc set the tone at the front, championship leader Max Verstappen struggled throughout both sessions. The Red Bull driver ended FP2 down in 15th place, 1.3 seconds off the pace, a surprising result given his dominance this season. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton fared slightly better but was visibly uncomfortable with his car, finishing FP2 in 11th.

The tight margins between Leclerc and Norris signal an exciting weekend ahead in Singapore, as both drivers appear closely matched, while Verstappen and Hamilton will be looking to improve before qualifying.

Final Practice

Lando Norris dominated the final free practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix, laying down a 1m29.646s lap to lead by nearly half a second over Mercedes' George Russell. Norris' time, set on the soft tires, was the fastest lap ever recorded at the Marina Bay circuit, firmly establishing McLaren as the team to beat heading into qualifying.

As the session approached its final moments and teams geared up for qualifying simulations, Norris unleashed a stunning lap, breaking past Russell's earlier time to set a 1m29.646s. This effort placed him 0.479s ahead of Russell, cementing his place at the top of the timing sheets. His McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, followed in third place, though he trailed Norris by almost 0.8 seconds, signaling a distinctly spread field in FP3.

Ferrari, which showed strong pace during Friday's practice sessions, appeared to struggle in FP3. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both fell behind their competitors, with Leclerc ending the session in fifth and Sainz in sixth. Leclerc reported a lack of grip during his qualifying run, potentially due to tire management issues, as his lap fell almost a full second short of Norris' benchmark.

Meanwhile, Red Bull appeared slightly more competitive than they had been on Friday. Max Verstappen, who had previously struggled to match the front-runners, set a time of 1m31.630s, securing fourth place, but still looked tentative through the slower corners. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda finished just outside the top 10.

The early part of the session was interrupted by an unexpected guest — a monitor lizard that ambled onto the track at Turn 18. The reptile caused a brief red flag as marshals scrambled to clear the creature from the circuit. Amusingly, the lizard briefly "raced" a marshal before leaving the track, allowing the session to resume with about 45 minutes remaining.

Williams continued their impressive form, with Alex Albon and rookie Franco Colapinto placing eighth and ninth, respectively. Both drivers delivered solid performances, ensuring Williams remains a strong contender for points. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10, while Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton finished seventh, struggling to match his teammate's pace.

Norris' commanding performance in FP3 sets him up as the favorite for pole position, though with the unpredictability of Singapore's street circuit and ever-changing conditions, qualifying promises to be an intense battle.

Qualifying

Lando Norris secured pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix in a dramatic qualifying session that saw Max Verstappen come close but ultimately finish second. Ferrari endured a tough day, with Carlos Sainz crashing out in Q3 and Charles Leclerc unable to make a significant impact.

Q1

The first qualifying session saw plenty of drama as drivers fought to avoid elimination. Franco Colapinto, in his Williams, delivered a strong lap to move into the top 10, while several high-profile drivers struggled.

Lance Stroll failed to progress, finishing just outside the top 15, and Pierre Gasly could only manage 19th. His final lap wasn’t enough to make it through, leaving him ahead of Valtteri Bottas in 20th. The Saubers had a particularly difficult session, with Bottas outqualifying teammate Zhou Guanyu by half a second, but both drivers were eliminated.

Daniel Ricciardo, despite a strong final lap in Q1 that briefly put him 12th, was ultimately pushed into the drop zone by Esteban Ocon, eliminating the Australian from further contention.

Q2

In the second session, Alex Albon came agonizingly close to making it into Q3, but he was bumped out of the top 10 by Fernando Alonso in the closing moments. Albon's frustration was evident, particularly with his team’s communication issues regarding tire preparation.

Franco Colapinto, after his strong Q1 performance, was also eliminated in Q2, finishing just 0.007s behind his Williams teammate Albon. Sergio Perez was a surprising name to miss out on Q3, qualifying only 13th. His lap was 0.9 seconds slower than Verstappen’s, continuing Red Bull's struggles in Singapore. Kevin Magnussen and Esteban Ocon also failed to advance, with Ocon edging out Ricciardo in Q1 but unable to maintain pace in Q2.

Q3

The final qualifying session was full of drama, starting with a crash from last year's race winner Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard lost control of his Ferrari at the exit of Turn 17 and crashed into the wall, bringing out a red flag. The incident disrupted the session and forced drivers to halt their runs.

Max Verstappen initially set the fastest time under double-waved yellow flags following Sainz’s crash, but his lap was deleted. This also hindered Norris, who had been on a flying lap with two purple sectors before the session was stopped.

When the session resumed after a 15-minute break, Oscar Piastri was briefly on provisional pole with a 1m29.953s, but his McLaren teammate Norris soon eclipsed this with a stunning 1m29.525s lap. Verstappen came close but could only manage second, with a time of 1m29.728s.

Both Mercedes drivers locked out the second row, with Lewis Hamilton taking third by a slim margin of 0.026s over George Russell. Piastri ended the session in fifth, behind the two Mercedes cars.\

Ferrari's struggles continued as Leclerc had his best lap deleted. Even before that, his time was only good enough for seventh, just behind Nico Hulkenberg, who snatched sixth by a mere four-thousandths of a second. Sainz, due to his crash, ended up in 10th, while Fernando Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda claimed the fourth row in eighth and ninth, respectively.

Norris’ pole sets up an exciting front-row battle with Verstappen, as Ferrari faces an uphill challenge after their disastrous session. The Singapore GP promises to be action-packed, with Norris looking to convert his pole into a crucial victory.

Race

Lando Norris claimed a hard-fought victory at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, delivering a flawless performance through the tight and twisty Marina Bay Circuit. The McLaren driver led the race from start to finish, but it was far from an easy stroll as he encountered multiple close calls with the walls, persistent pressure from his rivals, and the treacherous challenge of tire degradation. Nevertheless, Norris kept his composure to secure his third victory of the season and cement McLaren’s resurgence in Formula 1.

Right from the start, Norris appeared to be in control. He got away with an excellent start, an area of concern for him this year, and was soon out of DRS range of Verstappen. He quickly built a comfortable lead over the field, his McLaren showing blistering pace around the demanding street circuit. By lap 13, Norris had extended his lead to 7 seconds over his closest competitor, Max Verstappen, and was continually setting fastest laps. McLaren's race engineer Will Joseph even cautioned him about his rapid pace, warning of tyre degradation and urging him to be strategic with his speed. Still, Norris continued to pull away, his confidence evident as he masterfully navigated the challenging circuit

The battle behind him was equally intense. Max Verstappen, who started second, struggled with tire degradation early in the race. The Red Bull driver faced difficulties in the first stint, falling further behind Norris as his tires began to wear down quickly. Verstappen later commented, “I tried to do the best I could, tried to manage my pace to the end. The first stint was quite tough for us, quite a bit of tire degradation. The second stint was a bit better, and I was more comfortable.” Despite the challenges, Verstappen remained focused on securing a podium finish.

As the race progressed, Norris encountered moments of tension. On lap 22, he lightly brushed the wall with his front right tire at Turn 5, a risky move that could have ended his race. Fortunately, he escaped without damage, but the incident was a reminder of the razor-thin margin for error in Singapore. Reflecting on his race, Norris said, “It was an amazing race, a few too many close calls. I had a couple of little moments in the middle, but it was well-controlled, I think otherwise. The car was mega, I could push, and we were flying the whole race. At the end, I could really show it.”

Norris wasn’t the only driver having close encounters with the barriers. Mercedes driver George Russell also glanced a wall during the race, although he too managed to avoid significant damage. But another Mercedes-powered car faced great disappointment, as the Williams of Alex Albon encountered suspected power unit issues, causing him to retire.

Meanwhile, Verstappen settled into a rhythm and began to claw back time in the second stint. Red Bull's tire management allowed Verstappen to stabilize his race pace, and by the second half of the race, he had established himself in second place comfortably ahead of the charging Piastri, though he remained over 20 seconds behind Norris. Piastri, in the second McLaren, worked his way up to third place after a strong recovery from a disappointing qualifying session. "It was a good race, a good recovery from qualifying yesterday, which wasn't my greatest afternoon. So to get home like this is a good result," Piastri said after the race.

In the final dozen laps, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen got a puncture following the slightest tap of the wall, dropping him to the back of the pack. Although he did manage to roll along to the pits and put on a fresh set of softs, he ultimately retired from the Grand Prix, becoming the second retiree of the evening.

With six laps to go, Norris's lead had ballooned to a commanding 28 seconds, a full pit-stop difference, but his race was far from over. As he navigated through lapped traffic, including Franco Colapinto, Perez, and Hulkenberg, Norris locked up under braking, narrowly avoiding a costly mistake. Though it was another scare, Norris quickly regained his composure. McLaren's pit wall was calm, advising Norris to “chill out and bring it home,” which he duly did.

Despite his comfortable lead, Norris continued to push, setting new fastest laps as the race neared its conclusion. His determination to extend his lead was clear. "I didn't want to have a one-second lead; I wanted to have the biggest lead possible. It was good fun, maximum points, nice to have Oscar here too on the podium," Norris remarked after the race.

At the same time, George Russell found himself in a fight to maintain fourth place. Leclerc was breathing down his neck, with DRS assistance allowing the Ferrari to close the gap in the final laps. However, Russell defended his position valiantly, making his Mercedes as wide as possible and ultimately holding off Leclerc to finish just ahead of him. Leclerc struggled to follow the Mercedes in its dirty air, Singapore proving to be a difficult track to overtake this year.

As Norris crossed the finish line to take the checkered flag, the crowd erupted in celebration of a dominant and well-executed race. Verstappen finished 20.9 seconds behind Norris in second, while Oscar Piastri completed the podium in third, securing a double-podium finish for McLaren. It was a remarkable result for the team, much like Zandvoort, showcasing the strength of their car and driver line-up.

For Max Verstappen, a second-place finish was a decent result, considering the challenges Red Bull faced over the weekend. "On a weekend that we knew we would struggle, to be P2 is a good achievement. Of course, we are not happy with second, but we will try to improve more and more," Verstappen stated after the race. The reigning world champion acknowledged that Red Bull had work to do to regain their dominance but was pleased with his team’s recovery during the race.

Oscar Piastri, who started the race from a less favorable position, was thrilled with his charge to third place. "It was a good race, a good recovery from qualifying yesterday," Piastri said. His podium finish came at the cost of Mercedes's strategic downfalls, both Russell and Hamilton pitting earlier than the McLaren man.

The drama didn’t end at the front, though. In a last-gasp effort, Daniel Ricciardo, driving for AlphaTauri, set the fastest lap of the race, denying Norris a grand slam weekend. "Thank you, Daniel," Verstappen joked over the team radio, acknowledging his former teammate’s contribution of stealing a point from his rival Norris. Ricciardo’s late push secured him the fastest lap on what could be the Australian's last race in the sport, a fitting send-off.

Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, starting in P6 after a brilliant Saturday, held his ground against Ferraris and Red Bull of Perez to ultimately claim P9, ahead of Perez. Besides the inevitability of the Ferraris passing through him, he delivered a flawless race for the American team.

George Russell finished fourth, holding off Leclerc’s charge in the final laps. It was a splendid drive from the Mercedes man, who had faced multiple challenges throughout the race but managed to defend his position with skill. Leclerc, meanwhile, had to settle for fifth place, unable to find a way past Russell in the closing stages but still finishing off a great recovery drive from 9th.

Franco Colapinto drove a brilliant race for the Williams team, making up 3 positions in the first lap with a risky move into turn one, navigating one of the most challenging grand prix on just his 3rd race weekend, and finishing just shy of the points in P11. The 2024 Singapore Grand Prix is the only time there has not been a safety car or yellow flags in the circuit's 15-year history, meaning the drivers did not even get the usual break from the intense heat of Marina Bay, and it was exceptionally impressive of Colapinto to perform at such a high level in these circumstances.

Lando Norris's victory at the Singapore Grand Prix was a masterclass win, proving that McLaren is well in the hunt for regular podiums and wins. With Norris and Piastri both delivering stellar performances back to back, the future looks bright for the British team as they continue to challenge Red Bull at the front of the grid and extend their world championship lead. It seems as though they have already got this constructors title in the bag, but they need to be cautious given Ferrari and Red Bull are right on their tail. As for the drivers championship, Vertsappen's lead has been reduced by 7 points to 52 points, meaning Norris has to outscore Verstappen by 9 points in each of the remaining 6 races to comfortably win the championship. As the season goes on, the tensions over the championship only seems to increase.