Fight for Singapore win shows why midfield F1 battles don't cut it
F1
2023 Singapore GP diary: Why the electrifying battle between Sainz, Norris and the Mercedes' wouldn't have been the same if Verstappen was leading; Daniel Ricciardo's return; and where was Stroll?
A four-way battle for victory at Singapore – Chandhok singles it out as 2023's best race
The chance of a clean sweep of the season disappeared in spectacular fashion in Singapore, a circuit that is making a habit of tripping up dominant teams. But it also took one car out of the race before it even started, and offered up some unusual obstacles…
Proof that the fight for the win overshadows everything
Red Bull’s stunning run of form was brought to an end as early as Saturday when both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez dropped out in Q2 on a track that is extremely tough to overtake on. It teed up a thrilling race that didn’t need huge amounts of passing to be enthralling.
After the heat of the battle — Sainz cools off
Clive Rose/Getty Images
At times it was processional, but the second half of the race was full of tension and intrigue and real doubt over who was going to win until the very final lap. Exactly as many races could have been this season had Red Bull not been in the picture.
But I’m not here to suggest the season would be great without Red Bull, instead highlight how F1 is regularly deemed boring if there is a car up the road in the lead and brilliant if that same car is mired in the midfield somewhere. The battle between Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton would’ve been unaffected — in a physical sense — either way, but it’s all about the ultimate reward.
Singapore shows the potential of current F1 with multiple teams boasting extremely talented drivers and able to fight at the sharp end in the cost cap era, but it also serves as a reminder of just what Red Bull has been achieving in winning every race up to this point.
A painful decision for Stroll
Sitting in the media centre on Saturday evening, a huge thud betrayed the fact that Lance Stroll was having a huge accident even a few seconds before the screens showed the car veering off track.
It was an enormous impact given the speed he was doing and the angle, and it wasn’t particularly surprising that the Canadian had a decision to make on Sunday about whether to race, regardless of the fact he had been checked and cleared from the medical centre in the immediate aftermath.
Stroll walks away from monumental smash
Bryn Lennon/F1 via Getty Images
But the statement from Aston Martin raised a few questions as well as answers when Stroll was withdrawn from the race, with the team stating that the mechanics “face a huge job repairing the car today and Lance is still sore following such a high impact”.
Where that seemed odd was certainly not in Stroll’s physical state, but more in the fact that Aston Martin had already repaired the car overnight to the point that it was definitely going to be able to complete the job to be able to race. So while it was a big ask, the task had been tackled to that point already, and it was only how Stroll was feeling that actually came into the equation.
Fernando Alonso sits third in the F1 championship, while Lance Stroll languishes over 100 points behind. The Canadian tells Chris Medland how he overcame his pre-season injury, ignores the critics and copes with the comparisons to his Aston Martin team-mate
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Chris Medland
On a track where overtaking would be so difficult regardless of starting position, and with Stroll still feeling the effects of the hit, pulling him out of the race was a sensible decision. But the Canadian then did not attend the track even in solidarity with his team.
When asked what the risk of Stroll not racing in Japan is, team principal Mike Krack replied: “Zero”, dispelling concussion concerns. The driver’s discomfort was likened to the feeling a day after a heavy gym session. That led to some rival team members suggesting he should be present and involved on race day after such a costly crash both in terms of the race weekend and financial penalty, at the very least to personally thank the mechanics for their efforts.
It’s the little moments that sometimes add up and hurt Stroll’s reputation, but this weekend he had both little ones and big ones that he will need to bounce back from in Japan.
Ricciardo makes a tentative return
Ricciardo soaks up the data in Singapore
Red Bull
Along similar lines, Daniel Ricciardo’s presence was notable in Singapore. The Australian had no chance of driving in either this race or in Japan – with Qatar his earliest potential return as he continues his recovery from a broken hand – but he was back in AlphaTauri gear to provide engineering support.
It took the efforts of both Ferraris to win the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, writes Mark Hughes. Carlos Sainz earned the plaudits, but Charles Leclerc also played his support role to perfection
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Mark Hughes
Given his rehab has been taking place in Europe, it’s a long journey to make but Ricciardo felt it was important that he remains as integrated as possible, especially at a track where rookie Liam Lawson was facing his biggest test so far.
Lawson dealt with that with aplomb but said himself that “obviously being a great guy [Ricciardo] is super helpful”, highlighting the positive impact his presence still has even when he can’t drive. That said, Lawson himself is being equally helpful as he performs at such a high level that Red Bull is not concerned about the timeframe for the more experienced driver to return, instead telling Ricciardo to ensure he’s fully fit when he does so.
Once the swelling recedes the next test for Ricciardo will be simulator work to see if his hand has the strength to do everything required on the steering wheel, but he’s showing his commitment to his team even through the recovery phase.
Lizards steal the show
Monitor lizard was spotted during FP1
X/F1
Friday’s big story was Red Bull’s lack of pace, but it had to work hard to usurp the FP1 star that was a local monitor lizard. The reptile’s appearance in first practice proved highly popular as it kept crossing the track and leading to yellow flags from race control to warn drivers of its presence.
But it all ended on a sour note when one camera shot briefly appeared to show the lizard laying prone near the turn-in point for Turn 9, and investigative journalism went up a notch. I don’t mind admitting sending multiple messages to teams to find out if their driver was to blame for lizard’s demise – with onboard cameras inconclusive – such was the fascination after first practice.
Eventually it appeared to be Fernando Alonso’s front right wheel that did the damage, with rival teams keen to clear their own names and pass on the information. Alonso himself didn’t seem to be aware of the contact, which was probably a good thing, but on a semi-serious note it could be that race control needs to opt to suspend a session if there’s a similar scenario in future to prevent what could have been an even more messy situation for all involved.
