Singapore Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz wins ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton

For this first Grand Prix after the European tour, F1 sets up in Singapore. Located in the midst of the city’s buildings, the [Asian circuit](/f1/actualite/31641-grand-prix-singapour-circuit-urbain-nuit-revisite.html), which is twisty and demanding, both for the machines and the drivers, generally offers thrilling races. This year should be no exception, as for the first time this season, Max Verstappen and Red Bull did not go beyond Q2 in yesterday’s qualifying. The reigning world champion will therefore start from 11th place on the grid, while his teammate starts from 13th place. It is also worth noting that [Lance Stroll, sore after his impressive crash during the first phase of qualifying, will not take part in the race](/f1/actualite/31670-lance-stroll-ne-participera-pas-au-grand-prix-singapour.html).

The Marina Bay circuit stands out in the heart of the Singaporean night, giving it the appearance of a track among the stars. At the lights out, Carlos Sainz retains the lead while Charles Leclerc overtakes George Russell. Hamilton cuts his corner and finds himself in third place, ahead of his teammate and Lando Norris. Although he gives back the position to Russell, he does not let the young McLaren driver pass, who complains about it on the radio. At the same time, Esteban Ocon executes a perfect overtaking maneuver on Kevin Magnussen. Yuki Tsunoda, touched by Sergio Perez, suffers a puncture and has to retire already on the first lap.

In addition to this retirement, the start of the race is rather calm. The pack settles into a steady pace. Max Verstappen begins his comeback and is now in 8th place ahead of the two Haas cars. Pierre Gasly, in 11th place, is attempting to get into the points.

A true game of strategy unfolds at Ferrari. Charles Leclerc is asked to ease off in order to create a gap with his garage neighbor and thus slow down the pace of the race. The Monegasque driver is used as a shield to protect Sainz but then becomes a target for George Russell and Lando Norris. The gaps between the 18 cars on track are very tight.

First safety car

On the 20th lap, Logan Sargeant loses his front wing and triggers a Safety Car. Ferrari performs a double pit stop, and most of the drivers do the same. It’s chaos in the pit lane. Carlos Sainz retains his first position, but Leclerc is trapped in traffic and only comes out in 7th place. Max Verstappen, who didn’t pit, finds himself in second place.

At the halfway point, the Spanish driver from the Scuderia sets a slow pace. The pack is very close together. George Russell is still in second place, ahead of Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc complete the top 5. Just behind, the Red Bulls are splitting the field.

The Alpine cars are in the mix. The Red Bulls make pit stops to change tires, allowing Esteban Ocon to move up to 6th position. Pierre Gasly is in 8th place behind Fernando Alonso, but the Spanish driver still has to serve his five-second penalty for cutting across the pit lane exit line.

Esteban Ocon has a breakdown

Disillusionment. Esteban Ocon’s car is stopped by the side of the road! A breakdown forces him to retire. A virtual safety car is deployed.

On the restart, Sainz, on hard tires, unleashes the horsepower. The two Mercedes, who took advantage of Ocon’s incident to put on medium tires, come out in 4th and 5th positions and set a series of fastest laps. No more defensive strategies, everyone becomes very aggressive. With ten laps to go, George Russell closes in on Charles Leclerc. The worn-out tires of the Ferrari driver do not allow him to defend, and he is also passed by Lewis Hamilton.

As George Russell dangerously closes in on Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz slows down his pace to allow his friend and former teammate to benefit from the DRS and protect himself. The top four are engaged in an epic battle. The end of the race is nail-biting.

George Russell eventually made a mistake and crashed in the last lap. Yet so deserving, the driver sees the podium slip away. The Sainz-Norris alliance pays off. Carlos Sainz is the big winner of this Grand Prix ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

The results table