Sainz wins Singapore GP as Russell crashes out on last lap

Red Bull’s F1 victory streak has come to an end, with Carlos Sainz winning a tense Singapore GP to hand Ferrari its first win since Austria 2022. The Spanish driver may have led from lights to flag, but he had to fight hard for his second F1 win, fending off McLaren’s Lando Norris and the fast-charging Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

1. Sainz wins, 0.812 secs from Norris
2. Hamilton P3 after Russell’s last lap crash
3. Lawson scores first F1 points

Sainz fends off Mercedes charge to win Singapore GP

It was a Ferrari 1-2 at the start, with Sainz holding on to the lead from pole position and Charles Leclerc using his soft tyres to move past Russell.

Down the order, both Red Bull drivers started the race on hard tyres after being knocked out of Q2. But the timing of the first Safety Car, triggered by Logan Sargeant crashing into the barrier – didn’t play into their favour and Sainz held on to the lead even after pitting.

With less than 20 laps to go, Esteban Ocon’s retirement (due to a suspected gearbox issue) brought out the Virtual Safety Car. Mercedes used this opportunity to pit both Russell and Hamilton for fresh tyres, while the rest of the leading group stayed out.

This set the stage for a tense finale, with four cars in contention for victory in the final laps. Sainz displayed a tactical masterclass, allowing Norris to actually close in, thereby handing the McLaren driver DRS to hold off the charging Mercedes pair.

But Russell’s victory hopes came crashing down as he hit the barrier at Turn 10 on the very last lap. This handed Norris P2 and his teammate Hamilton the final spot on the podium.

No Red Bull on the podium

Red Bull looked off their game throughout the Singapore GP weekend. The team had won every single race in F1 2023 so far, but qualifying resulted in a surprise Q2 exit for both drivers. They did gain some ground during the race, but couldn’t make it to the podium, with Max Verstappen finishing P5 behind Leclerc and Sergio Perez finishing eighth.

Pierre Gasly was sixth, scoring another strong result for Alpine, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was seventh.

Liam Lawson, who has been drafted in to replace an injured Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri, scored points in only his third F1 race. He finished ninth to score his first-ever points in F1, ahead of Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.

2023 F1 standings

A lacklustre Singapore GP has barely made a dent in Verstappen’s dominant title charge. He still leads the championship by 151 points from Sergio Perez. Hamilton has moved up to third overall, 10 points clear of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

The F1 grid will now head to Suzuka for the Japanese GP on September 22-24.

2023 Singapore GP results