McLaren and Lando Norris seek to pressure Red Bull in F1's Singapore Grand Prix

james ellingworth

Fri, 20 Sept 2024, 10:23 am·4-min read

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain during the second practice session of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain waits inside his car during the second practice session of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands drives out during the second practice session of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain arrives during the first practice session of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the first practice session of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the first practice session of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain steers his car during the first practice session of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

McLaren is ahead of Red Bull in the Formula 1 constructors' race. Now for Lando Norris to put pressure on Max Verstappen for the drivers' title.

Oscar Piastri's win last week at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix put McLaren top in the teams' standings — the key to F1's lavish prize money — but teammate Norris only took a small bite out of Verstappen's lead.

After starting 15th, Norris passed Verstappen late in the race to finish fourth, but the Dutch driver still leads by 59 points heading into the Singapore Grand Prix.

The talk in F1 this week has focused on McLaren's seemingly flexible rear wing, which might help at high speed. Piastri said Thursday it's legal and isn't a “magic bullet” for their recent success.

F1 looks wide open right now with Ferrari and Mercedes both fighting for wins. McLaren will still have to battle hard even if Red Bull isn't on the pace at a track where Verstappen has never won.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was fastest in the first practice on Friday, but only by .076 seconds from Norris. Carlos Sainz Jr. was third-fastest in the other Ferrari, and Verstappen fourth.

Norris edged out Leclerc by a similarly narrow margin of .058 in the second practice, ahead of Sainz, in a session which ended with George Russell sliding his Mercedes into a barrier. Verstappen was only 15th-fastest as he complained of a lack of grip in low-speed corners.

Red Bull's bumpy ride

Singapore was the only track where Red Bull didn't win last year. The team couldn't find a competitive setup and Verstappen was far off the pace all weekend as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. took the victory.

Red Bull left Azerbaijan with some optimism that it's fixed at least some of the balance problems introduced by its attempts to upgrade the car this season. Verstappen — now without a win in seven races — wasn't happy with the car in Baku but emphasized it was a mistaken setup choice, not the underlying performance.

Singapore is slower than Baku and a trickier track for Red Bull, though.

“Our car generally is not very good on bumps and curbs and that’s of course what you have around here, so we need to try to stabilize that a bit,” Verstappen said Thursday in Singapore.

Street circuits tend to suit Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez, who was fast in Baku in search of a podium finish since April. Colliding with Sainz meant all those efforts were for nothing, though.

After Singapore, Red Bull and its second team RB are expected to choose whether to keep Daniel Ricciardo at RB or recall Liam Lawson instead. Ricciardo said “decisions will be made” before the next race in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 20.

Hamilton's criticism

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem's plans to cut down on swearing have sparked the latest dispute between drivers and the governing body.

The way Ben Sulayem expressed that — drawing an unflattering comparison with “rap music” — drew criticism from seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, F1's only Black driver. There was a “racial element” to Ben Sulayem's “stereotypical” language, he said.

While Hamilton said he thought there probably was too much swearing in F1, Verstappen argued TV should be more responsible about which radio excerpts get aired. “That will help a lot more than putting bans on drivers,” he said. Verstappen was himself punished Friday for using an expletive in his televised news conference the day before.

Sweating it out

The heat and humidity of Singapore's street circuit make it one of the toughest races of the year for drivers. Even their water can get so hot it's hard to drink.

Mercedes driver George Russell said he started special training during the mid-season break a month ago, going for a run in three layers of clothes to simulate racing in fireproof overalls in the Singapore heat.

“We lose almost four kilograms (8 pounds, 13 ounces) of fluids in in an hour-and-a-half race, so it’s a pretty good weight loss program if that's what you're chasing," Russell said Thursday.

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