Lando Norris secured a commanding victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, leading from pole to flag for McLaren at the Marina Bay Circuit. Norris was nearly unbeatable at the front in a race that was somewhat uneventful under the floodlights, despite the 24-year-old narrowly avoiding damage to his car after twice brushing against a wall.
Norris comfortably outpaced Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished second, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri taking third place. Mercedes’ George Russell came in fourth, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fifth, and Lewis Hamilton in sixth. This win for Norris narrows the gap to his championship rival Verstappen to 52 points with six races remaining.
It was another display of dominance from Norris and McLaren, with the British driver crossing the finish line 21 seconds ahead, despite the race being a relatively slow-paced affair on the streets of Singapore, marking the first time the Marina Bay event did not feature a safety car.
Verstappen, though well behind, considered this a positive outcome. Red Bull anticipated struggling with high-downforce corners and bumps. With a car that has been challenging to handle at times, Verstappen’s second-place finish and minimized points loss to Norris exceeded expectations. The team carries optimism into the next round in Austin, hoping for improved performance with new car developments.
Norris’ victory was crucial. His first win in Singapore, his third this season, and his second in four races, keeps the pressure on the world champion. Addressing his season-long issue with poor starts, Norris executed a controlled and composed start, especially considering the short run to turn one in Singapore. This marks McLaren’s first win in Singapore since Hamilton’s victory in 2009.
Norris made a strong start, maintaining his lead as Verstappen and Hamilton held their positions. By lap three, Norris had opened a gap of a second and a half over Verstappen, benefiting from clean air and easing his tyres into the race. With a one-stop strategy expected, the field settled into managing heavy fuel loads without excessively damaging tyres on the hot track.
Norris remained in control, extending his lead to over two seconds by lap eight, demonstrating strong pace with a series of fastest laps. Hamilton, starting third on the grid, was the only leader to start on soft tyres, pitting on lap 18 for hards and rejoining in 13th, quickly passing Kevin Magnussen for 12th but then stuck in traffic.
Russell pitted on lap 28, emerging ahead of Hamilton and Piastri in fourth, and was instructed to push. Norris, however, reported front wing damage after brushing the wall at turn 14 on lap 30. McLaren pitted Norris a lap later but opted not to change the front wing, deeming the issue minor, and he rejoined in the lead.
Piastri stayed out, hoping for a safety car to allow a free stop, but eventually pitted on lap 39. Norris led by 23 seconds from Verstappen, with Russell and Hamilton in third and fourth, and Piastri in fifth. Piastri, with fresher tyres, quickly passed Hamilton for fourth. Russell fell to Piastri on lap 45 as he chased Verstappen, who was 18 seconds ahead, while Norris led with a 24-second gap.
Norris refocused after another wall contact and continued to dominate. Verstappen responded to Piastri’s charge to maintain second place, and Norris closed out the final laps with precision for a well-deserved win. Carlos Sainz finished seventh for Ferrari, Fernando Alonso eighth for Aston Martin, Nico Hülkenberg ninth for Haas, and Sergio Pérez tenth for Red Bull.
