The winning streak is over.
Although Red Bull started the year by winning every race, they ultimately finished the Grand Prix watching a podium session and did not participate.
A tough weekend and qualifying session for both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez opened the door, allowing several different teams to crash out in the opening, something F1 fans haven’t seen all season.
New winner.
Here are the winners and losers of the Singapore Grand Prix.
Winner: Carlos Sainz Jr.
Something great needed to happen to end Red Bull’s winning streak.
That’s what we’ve seen from Carlos Sainz Jr. and Ferrari.
The team has been strong all week, but it was Sainz who led the way in Marina Bay on Sunday night. Ferrari were determined to make this a one-stop race and, as Sainz said after the race, Logan Sargent’s early yellow flag forced them to make their pit stop a little earlier than they would have liked. .
That forced Sainz to run the remaining races on faded hard tires in a season where the team has been plagued by degradation issues all year. But he did so by involving Lando Norris and using him as a blocker against the onrushing Mercedes duo.
A strategically brilliant day concludes with the biggest trophy at the end of the night. Great run from Sainz and the team.
Loser: Yuki Tsunoda
Unlike the Italian GP, where Hiroki Tsunoda was unable to start due to trouble with his AT04 during the formation lap, Tsunoda was able to start at the Singapore GP.
But then his day didn’t end that long.
Although Tsunoda made it to Turn 14, he encountered trouble with his car and once again ended his day early.
This is Tsunoda’s second consecutive DNF as speculation increases about the team’s driver lineup for next season. With Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Daniel Ricciardo seemingly competing for just two spots, could Tsunoda be the maverick?
A night like this in Singapore may not solve his case.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton
When Esteban Ocon (more on him later) brought out the safety car late in the race, the door was opened for someone to develop an aggressive strategy.
That team was Mercedes. They brought on both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for fresh medium tyres, giving up track position for potential pace.
It mostly worked out well for both drivers, with Russell gaining back a few positions to move into third and Hamilton into fourth with a few laps left. Unfortunately, Russell slipped off the track and crashed into the barriers towards the end, but this opened the door for Hamilton to take third place and take his fifth podium of the season.
Loser: Esteban Ocon
Alpine’s brutal luck continues.
By lap 43, both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were running in the points.
By lap 44, Ocon withdrew from the Singapore Grand Prix.
The driver pulled the A523 to the side of the track and screamed in frustration at the early end of the night. His night ended with 18 laps to go, a bitter disappointment for him and the team.
replay on F1TV He explained that his A523 got stuck in 6th gear and he lost the car’s driveshaft.
Adding insult to injury, the failure occurred seconds after F1’s social media accounts sent out the following post:
2023 was the ultimate high and bitter low for Alpine. Ocon’s latest failure is just one example of a painful low point for him and the team.
Winner: McLaren
It was a dream finish for McLaren considering how the day started.
Lando Norris started the race in fourth place and pushed his way to a podium finish, crossing the line behind Sainz to finish in second place. Maybe that part was expected.
But McLaren’s other driver, rookie Oscar Piastri, was dealt a cruel blow in Q1 when Lance Stroll’s fiery crash brought out the red flag. The McLaren driver had hoped to do well enough to qualify for Q2 as he was taking his final push laps, but a red flag dashed his dreams and he was forced to start the race in 17th place.
However, Piastri somehow made it into the points and finished seventh.
Loser: Fernando Alonso
A rookie mistake and a botched pitstop ruined Fernando Alonso’s chances for points.
During an early pit stop, Alonso was seen crossing the white line before entering the pit lane and was given a five second penalty.
Alonso then pitted to change tires and serve his penalty after Ocon’s failure. But the pit stop was horribly slow and when he finally returned to the track he lost many places, falling back to 15th. Then, on lap 47, he went off the track and a yellow flag was immediately shown. This mistake cost him several more spots on the track and he was running in 17th place, the last car remaining on the track.
of F1TV His night was described by the commentary team as one of the most uncharacteristic drives of Alonso’s career.
It certainly looked like that.
Loser: Red Bull
Red Bull will win the constructors’ championship next week, securing their second successive title.
However, the team’s dream of sweeping the season ended in Singapore.
The team struggled all weekend in both Friday practice and Saturday qualifying. Both Verstappen and Perez missed out on qualifying for Q3 on Saturday, with Verstappen starting 11th and Perez starting 13th. They were able to fight back into the points and Verstappen moved up to fifth place. But dreams of a perfect season were dashed on Sunday night in Marina Bay.
Winner: F1 Fan
Finally a Grand Prix finish F1 fans have been waiting for his season.
With just a few laps left, Carlos Sainz Jr., Lando Norris, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton were battling it out at the front of the field. The Mercedes drivers were running on fresh medium tires as they had adopted a strategy of pitting during the yellow flag due to Ocon’s failure. Meanwhile, Norris and Sainz were fighting for their lives on the old, hard compound.
However, Sainz developed his own strategy, shaking up the three drivers a bit to keep Norris within DRS, giving the McLaren driver an opportunity to act as a blocker.
The battle between the four proved costly as Russell slid off the track on the final lap and hit the barriers, dropping him from third place. This left Sainz, Norris and Hamilton on the podium, with the Ferrari driver now on the top step.
Considering everything else we’ve seen this season, this finish was everything F1 fans had hoped for.
