Heartbreak for Ferrari
Hopes were high for the Scuderia coming into the F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2024 race weekend. Last season, Carlos Sainz was the only driver not from Red Bull to win a race after a masterclass performance in Singapore. A mix of bold driving and brilliant individual tactics on his part led to him stepping onto the top step of the podium in Marina Bay in 2023.
On the flip side, Charles Leclerc, Sainz’s teammate, has had a run of wonderful races this season, first winning his home leg in Monaco in emphatic fashion before a glorious victory at Monza – Ferrari’s home race – later in the season.
After an utterly memorable drive last year, with Sainz allowing Lando Norris to catch up to him to block the faster Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the race to preserve his lead, Ferrari fans were hoping for an encore performance. Unfortunately, these hopes were crushed when Sainz, who took pole position in Singapore the previous season, crashed out of qualifying and started 10th on the grid. His teammate Leclerc didn’t fare much better, lining up just one position ahead.
The race itself was a disaster for Ferrari. Poor race strategy and Ferrari’s car’s inability to compete in raw speed next to the McLarens or Mercedes led to a comparatively poor finish compared to last year. In the end, Sainz finished in 7th and Leclerc in 5th, disappointingly low for drivers of this calibre.
Ferrari was left wanting in Singapore, and it remains to be seen if the team and the drivers can find form over the one-month break before the next race in the United States, with the World Driver’s Championship hanging in the balance.
Lando Norris Is The Truth – and a Problem
While many doubted his ability to hang onto the lead after taking pole position in Saturday’s qualifying, Lando Norris stormed to a dominant win. He led Max Verstappen in second place by over twenty seconds, a taste of the latter’s own medicine, who won many races by such wide margins last season.
With the McLaren MCL38 proving once again to be far and away the fastest car on the grid by some distance, Lando Norris was masterful in maintaining and building his lead, almost achieving a Grand Slam – qualifying on pole position, winning the race and getting the fastest lap – but was denied by Daniel Riccardo getting the fastest lap on the final lap of the race.
In the World Driver’s Championship standings, Lando Norris now has 279 points, a mere 52 points off Max Verstappen, who sits at 331 points. With 6 races left in the season, the probability of Lando Norris clinching his first World Driver’s Championship title and McLaren’s first since 2008 seems more and more likely.
Verstappen Isn’t Through Just Yet
While second-best on track at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2024, the defending F1 World Driver’s Champion Max Verstappen’s finish was all the more impressive considering he was hampered by a Red Bull car that is suddenly the third or fourth-fastest on the grid. Defending expertly from Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren for over half the race, his result stands in stark contrast to his teammate Sergio Perez who finished the race in 7th.
Still leading the F1 World Driver’s Championship after a flying start to the 2024 season, a mixture of internal problems at Red Bull and poor car performance has led to speculation — that Verstappen has lost the edge that drove him to one of the most dominant championship-winning performances ever in the 2023 season.
But after his performance in Singapore, it’s clear that ‘Mad Max’ will not go down without a fight this season.
Daniel Ricciardo Goes Out With A Bang
Oh, Danny Ric, where did it all go so wrong? From battling with Max Verstappen and winning races to struggling to keep in the top 10, saying Daniel Ricciardo has had a tumultuous F1 career would be a gross understatement.
He’s been off the grid before – but it is truly lights out for the Australian racing icon this time. His consistently disappointing performances at Visa Cash App Red Bull (VCARB) compared to teammate Yuki Tsunoda have ensured his fate. On 27 September, VCARB announced that Liam Lawson would take Ricciardo’s place on the grid, signalling the end for the beloved Aussie.
But in one last act of service to his team and former teammate Verstappen, the Honey Badger crashed Lando Norris’ moment of grand slam glory by sneakily taking the fastest lap time on the last lap of the race, denying the ascendant McLaren driver total victory.
Despite his controversial exit, Daniel Ricciardo has had a good run in Formula One – multiple-time race winner, Monaco Grand Prix winner and undisputedly the funniest driver Formula One has ever had – and I’m sure all F1 fans wish him the best.
Colapinto Proves He’s Made of Tough Stuff
F1 newcomer Franco Colapinto has acquitted himself beautifully in the few races he’s had, replacing long-suffering American Logan Sargeant as Williams’ second driver behind Alexander Albon. Finishing 12th in his first race and remarkably finishing in the top 10 in his second race, then 11th in Singapore, he’s scored more points for Williams in three races than Sargeant did in his season-and-a-half-long stint at the team.
While Albon retired from the race with cooling issues in his car, Colapinto fought tooth and nail to break into the top 10, chasing down former two-time world champion Fernando Alonso at various points in the race. Albon, a former Red Bull driver, was always markedly the better of the two Williams drivers when Sargeant was in the team, but Colapinto has given him some stiff competition.
Sadly, Colapinto is only filling in for the remainder of the races in the 2024 season, with Carlos Sainz being shunted to Williams in 2025 after a shock announcement from Lewis Hamilton about transferring to Ferrari from Mercedes. But if he can continue to put in strong performances, several smaller teams, such as Haas, Alpine, and Sauber, will undoubtedly have their eye on the young Argentinian talent in the coming years.
Down to the Wire
So, what does this all mean for the season? Put simply, after the one-month break before the United States Grand Prix, it’s going to be a tight race (no pun intended) between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen for the 2024 F1 World Driver’s Championship, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Which will prevail? Norris’ youthful drive and the power of the fastest car on the grid? Or Verstappen’s championship experience and will to fight to the last lap? No one’s sure right now, but we can all be sure of one thing: The final race at Abu Dhabi will be one for the ages. Whether we see Verstappen take his fourth title in a row, a feat that would put him in the company of legends like Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel, or if McLaren will roar forward to take their first title in almost twenty years.
More from the F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2024
If you missed out on watching the race, don’t worry! You can catch the highlights here, and if you’re looking to get a taste of the action next year, early bird tickets for the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix go on sale on 1 October 2024! Make sure to follow Formula One and the Singapore Grand Prix on Instagram to stay updated with the season too!
Photos by Leo Chia of the DANAMIC Team.
