Lando Norris maintained his world championship charge with a dominant victory for McLaren at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Briton exhibited stunning pace in a lights-to-flag victory under the lights of the street circuit, but Drivers’ Championship leader Max Verstappen was able to limit his rival’s inroads by taking second for Red Bull.
Norris, who finished 20 seconds clear of Verstappen, moves to within 52 points of the Dutchman at the top of the standings with six rounds of the season remaining.
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Norris narrowly avoided crashing into the wall while leading the Singapore Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri provided further evidence of McLaren’s pace by passing Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to go from fifth on the grid to third at the chequered flag, extending the team’s Constructors’ Championship advantage over Red Bull to 41 points.
Russell held off Charles Leclerc for fourth, while a frustrated Hamilton was sixth ahead of the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz after the seven-time world champion’s gamble to start on soft tyres from third on the grid failed to pay off.
Norris had failed to hold the lead at the end of the first lap in all five of his previous grand prix starts from pole, but on this occasion made a superb getaway to pull comfortably clear on the approach to the first corner.
He then opened a gap of 25 seconds to Verstappen before the first and only round of pit stops, displaying a pace advantage that will heighten belief he can pull off a remarkable comeback to deny the Dutchman a fourth successive drivers’ title.
The only moments of jeopardy for Norris were self-inflicted, as he locked up and clipped the barrier on lap 29 shortly before his pit stop to cause minor front-wing damage, before once more bumping a barrier with his right rear tyre on lap 45.
“It was an amazing race,” Norris said. “A few too many close calls – I had a couple of little moments in the middle – but it was well controlled, I think, otherwise.
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Norris successfully held off title-rival Verstappen to retain the lead on the opening lap of the Singapore Grand Prix
“The car was mega. I could push, we were flying the whole race, and at the end could just chill. So it was a nice race, still tough, I’m a bit out of breath, but a fun one.”
Norris was on course to gain a further point for the fastest lap of the race before it was taken away by Daniel Ricciardo, who finished last on track in 18th but stopped for a new set of tyres to better his former team-mate’s efforts on the final circuit.
Ricciardo, who drives for Red Bull’s junior squad RB, is expected to lose his seat to Liam Lawson ahead of the United States Grand Prix next month.
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