By Joe Murphy
Sergio Perez made sure it was indeed a Red Bull that ended Max Verstappen’s streak of five consecutive wins as the Dutchman’s title celebrations were put on hold, at least for another week. At a wet Marina Bay, there were winners and losers up and down the paddock. So, who came away from Singapore smiling and who couldn’t wait to sling out of there? Let’s find out.
Checo makes it double delight in the rain…
Despite Safety Car controversy and distractions, Mexican Sergio Perez claimed his second victory of the season, comfortably holding off Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in their Ferrari’s behind to close the gap to teammate Max Verstappen. In doing so, the Dutchman (who endured a nightmare weekend crossing the line in seventh), will have to wait for his title celebrations until at least next Sunday as F1 heads to Japan for its next installation. Checo drove expertly and showcased all of his experience and mastery in guiding his car home for a solid points haul that not only helps his individual cause, but also boosts Red Bull’s hopes for a first Constructor’s Championship in around a decade. Checo now sits narrowly behind Leclerc in the drivers standings as he hopes to achieve at least second, come December’s final standings.
Misery for Mercedes…
Fans of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were extremely optimistic heading it to this weekend. A podium wasn’t just a wish, it was a distinct possibility. However, a couple of uncharacteristic errors from the elder Mercedes driver saw all hopes of a first win of the campaign fade as he had to settle for a couple of points from a venue he has been hugely successful at over previous years. This weekend has led to many debates as to whether Lewis Hamilton’s best days are behind him. He will, of course, be looking to yet again prove doubters wrong in Japan in a matter of days time. As for George, he produced the worst performance in a Mercedes of his short career so far so cross the line below the points. A poorly timed pre-race penalty didn’t help, but he was still very much off his game. The young Brit has been Mr Consistent so far, but looked a shadow of himself around the streets of Singapore.
But delight for Danny and Lando…
In contrast, McLaren saw both their drivers claim strong points to give the team something to cheer shout in a season that has certainly felt inferior to the previous few. Lando has been producing some excellent performances as of late whilst Danny Ricc recovered from his shock Q1 elimination to add further to the Orange Team’s tally. In what has been a miserbale time for the Australian, Singapore offered some solace and reminded fans just what the Australian is capable of behind the wheel of the Formula 1 car. Let’s hope that bosses of Haas or Alpine were also watching on closely.
Aston Martin claim best result of the season…
It is this writers personal opinion that the Driver of the Day was either the aforementioned Perez or either one of the Aston pair. Lance Stroll performed excellently all weekend as he out-qualified his more experienced teammate and scored solid points in sixth place. However, a special shout out also has to go to his teammate, the departing Sebastian Vettel who drove arguably one of his best ever drives for Aston Martin as he took the flag in P8. A double ppints finish is a welcome one for Aston as they look to remain ahead of Williams in the standings whilst also keeping one eye ahead at the faltering teams just ahead.
Agony for Alonso’s Alpine…
In contrast, the man replacing the German driver at the end of next season suffered a nightmare Sunday afternoon that made all his superb efforts on Saturday, completely redundant. Fernando Alonso was genuinely in the hunt for Pole Position, even going first with a minute left in Q3. Eventually, he finished less than half a second off Leclerc’s Ferrari but still had potential. Alpine had pinned their hopes on the Spaniard after Estaban Ocon never truly got pace out of his blue and pink car. However, a complete failure ended all dreams the French constructor would have had and capped a torrid time the team has experienced at the circuit. Japan couldn’t come soon enough for all invoked at Alpine, that’s for sure.
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