SINGAPORE – It seems like, finally, Lando Norris can finish strong just as he starts.
The McLaren driver got rid of old mistakes on Sunday night’s Singapore Grand Prix, turning what many thought would be yet another squandered pole position into a commanding lights-to-flag victory on the streets of Marina Bay.
Unfortunately, the 24-year-old Brit has had a sorry case of losing all his career first-place grid advantage to a different driver right after the first lap as he did in Sochi (2021), São Paulo (2023), and in Shanghai, Barcelona, Hungary, Netherlands, and Italy this year.
But this time, it seems like Team Papaya’s lead driver can finish strong just as he starts, clocking 1:40:52.571 to greet the checkered flag without much pressure from the 20-driver competition.
“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,” said Norris after collecting his third career win in his professional Formula One campaign.
The victory now puts Norris in a much stronger position to challenge three-time world champion Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, with only 52 points separating the two in a tight race so distant compared to last year’s tally.
Verstappen, who admitted to not having his best driving weekend, crossed the line 20.945 seconds behind Norris to secure a second-place finish in the grueling 62-lap circuit. It also marked his return to the podium after two consecutive races outside the top three.
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri secured third after an adrenaline-fueled drive marked by successful overtakes on Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, following a gamble on pit strategy during the 38th lap.
Russell finished fourth, 61.040 seconds behind, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took fifth at 62.430 seconds. Hamilton crossed the checkered flag in sixth, 85.248 seconds behind.
Last year’s Singapore GP star Carlos Sainz stormed back from a disappointing qualifying run for Ferrari to finish seventh at 96.039 seconds behind.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finished eighth, followed by Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg in ninth, and Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing rounded out the top ten, all one lap down.
Meanwhile, VCARB’s Daniel Ricciardo concluded what many suspect to be his last drive on the grid by setting the circuit’s fastest lap of the circuit which spoiled what could have been Norris’ first grand slam in F1.
The Formula One season will take a three-week break before moving to Austin, Texas, on October 18-20 for the campaign’s 19th affair this year.
Article by Patrick Joseph Dincol