(Singapore) Dominant so far in 2023, Red Bull cars were left out of the picture in Singapore and Formula 1 was the scene of its most gripping battle for victory this season.
Comfortable leader in the drivers’ standings, Max Verstappen saw his winning streak end at 10 and that of his team interrupted at 15 – both Formula 1 records – following the triumph of Carlos Sainz Jr. at the wheel of his Ferrari during the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.
Red Bull leaders dreamed of winning every race this season, but they had to settle for a fifth place for Verstappen, and an eighth position for Sergio Perez, at the end of a weekend where both drivers experienced difficulties.
Verstappen started from 11th, two places ahead of Perez.
Sainz fils started the race from the leading position and held off his main rivals over the final laps of the track which took place under great tension, and despite very worn tires.
The Spanish driver scored the second victory of his career in Formula 1, and the first by a Ferrari driver since that of Charles Leclerc at the Austrian Grand Prix on July 10, 2022.
“I felt in control. I felt like I could handle (the situation) well and we succeeded. It’s the most beautiful feeling,” said the Ferrari driver after celebrating his feat with his team members, under a sky lit up by fireworks.
Sainz Jr. beat Lando Norris (McLaren) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell crashed into a wall on the final lap when he was in third position, putting Hamilton on the podium.
After the race, Sainz Jr. admitted that he had slowed down to ensure that Norris could stay within the one-second window allowing him to use the Drag Reduction System (DRS) — a device which proved useful in allowing the McLaren colors to stay ahead of the two Mercedes.
“Carlos was very generous in helping me use the DRS. It helped my race and also helped his,” remarked Norris, who has placed second in three of the last six events but is still hoping for a maiden F1 triumph.
“We held off (the Mercedes), we did everything we had to do and more,” added Norris, who earlier in the race hit the wall in the same place as Russell.
Mercedes was in position to allow Russell to finish second before taking a risk by sending both cars to the pits in the hope of winning the race on fresher, faster tires.
Russell slipped to fourth, ahead of Hamilton, and the two teammates managed to overtake Leclerc (Ferrari), but not Norris.
“We rolled the dice this weekend,” Hamilton illustrated.
Leclerc finished fourth ahead of Verstappen.
The two-time reigning world champion had an eventful race after starting from outside the top 10.
Verstappen was briefly second on track behind Sainz Jr., but only because almost every other car had stopped to have new tires fitted.
After his own pit stop, the Dutchman fought to get back into the peloton from 15th place.
Despite his worst result since November 2022, Verstappen increased his lead over Perez at the top of the Drivers’ Championship to 151 points with seven races remaining.
“Everything has to be perfect to win every race in a season. I knew this day was coming, and that’s absolutely correct,” Verstappen said.
In a weekend to forget for the Aston Martin team, Fernando Alonso finished 15th after starting from seventh position.
His teammate Lance Stroll did not participate in the race the day after his violent accident from which he emerged unscathed on Saturday during the first qualifying session.