McLaren’s Lando Norris delivered a stunning performance at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, forcing Red Bull to rethink its strategy. Not only did the McLaren driver secure pole position, but he dominated the race from start to finish, causing significant concern for Red Bull as the season approaches its climax. Former F1 champion Nico Rosberg, who hosted Sky Sports F1 this weekend, analyzed the impact of McLaren’s performance on Red Bull.
The 2016 F1 champion commented:
“More than victory – today it’s about performance and speed.”
“That will scare Red Bull because at this pace until the end of the year it is quite realistic that Lando can win all the races until the end of the year. And for Max it seems so difficult to finish second.”
Rosberg made the statement after witnessing Norris’ flawless drive, which revived hopes of a dramatic end to the championship. He concluded:
“The World Cup is still taking place.”
From the first lap, Norris retained his pole position and prevailed against strong competition from Verstappen. By lap 2, Norris had already built up a lead of 1.1 seconds, which he systematically increased over the course of the race.
Despite a slight front wing damage on lap 33, Norris did not let this deter him, giving him his third F1 Grand Prix victory. Jamie Chadwick commented on Norris’ drive as follows:
“A very important victory.
“He always won, even though there were a few moments when he didn’t. A very, very impressive ride.”
The significant improvement in performance from McLaren and Norris ensures an exciting end to the 2024 championship. The Woking-based team has already taken the lead in the constructors’ championship and Norris is closing the gap to Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship.
In a live interview with David Coulthard after the race, Norris looked back on his victory:
“It was an incredible race.
“A few too many near misses – I had a few little moments in between – but other than that it was well controlled, I think.
“The car was great. I was able to push, we flew the whole race and were able to just chill at the end. So it was a nice race, tough, I’m a bit out of breath, but it was fun.”
1. Lando Norris
2. Max Verstappen
3. Oscar Piastri
4. George Russell
5. Charles Leclerc
6. Lewis Hamilton
7. Carlos Sainz
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Nico Hulkenberg
10. Sergio Perez
11. Franco Colapinto
12. Yuki Tsunoda
13. Esteban Ocon
14. Lance Stroll
15. Zhou Guanyu
16. Valtteri Bottas
17. Pierre Gasly
18. Daniel Ricciardo – Fastest lap
19. Kevin Magnussen – DNF
20. Alex Albon – DNF
