Norris dominates Singapore GP to slash Verstappen’s title lead

Lando Norris eased to victory on the streets of Singapore, finishing over 20 seconds clear of Max Verstappen. With this win, the McLaren driver has cut Verstappen’s championship lead to 52 points, with six races and three sprints remaining.

Oscar Piastri finished third for McLaren, giving the team another boost in the constructors’ championship as well.

1.     Norris wins, finishing 20.945secs ahead of Verstappen

2.     Piastri completes podium

3.     Ricciardo sets fastest lap

Norris wins Singapore GP in dominant fashion

Starting from pole, Norris held on to the lead at the end of Lap 1. From there on, it was simply a matter of pulling clear out at the front. And he did so despite a few close brushes with the walls. However, he was denied a bonus point for setting the fastest lap, with Daniel Ricciardo taking the honours after a late switch to soft tyres.

"It was an amazing race. [There were] a few too many close calls and a couple of little moments in the middle, but otherwise it was well controlled, I think,” said Norris. “The car was mega. I could push, we were flying the whole race, and at the end, I could just chill. So it was a nice race, but still tough. I’m a bit out of breath. A very fun one!”

Verstappen, Piastri on podium

Verstappen had to settle for second place. While he made it clear that he and Red Bull were not happy about the result, he did call it a “good achievement” given Red Bull’s recent struggles.

Piastri extended his first stint and used the fresher rubber to overtake Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to finish third. Leclerc tried the same strategy and successfully passed Hamilton, but couldn’t make it past Russell.

After crashing out in qualifying, Carlos Sainz recovered from P10 to finish P7 in the race. Fernando Alonso finished P8, followed by Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.

2024 F1 championship standings

Norris is now 52 points behind Verstappen in the championship. But with just six rounds to go, the McLaren driver is running out of time. McLaren, meanwhile, has extended its lead in the constructors’ championship to 41 points – thanks to a double podium finish, as well as Perez’ poor result.

The next stop on the F1 calendar is the United States GP at the Circuit of the Americas on October 18-20.

2024 Singapore GP results

Also see:

Piastri defeats Leclerc to win Azerbaijan GP