Monitor lizards invade track during F1 Grand Prix practice session in Singapore
A couple of scaly guests made an unexpected appearance at a Formula One practice session in Singapore on Friday, much to the bemusement of drivers and onlookers.
2023-09-17 11:24
‘You can forget about that’ – Max Verstappen rules out another win in Singapore
Max Verstappen said he can forget about extending his record winning streak after qualifying only 11th for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix. On a wild night under the 1600 bulbs that light up the Marina Bay Circuit, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll also walked away from a staggering 110mph shunt, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz pipped the Mercedes of George Russell to land his second pole position in as many races. Charles Leclerc will start third ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. But it was the demise of Red Bull – the unbeaten tour de force of this most one-sided of seasons – that left those here in shock and awe. Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez also failed to reach Q3. He will line up in 13th for Sunday’s 62-lap race. Verstappen warned earlier this week that the Red Bull machinery which has carried him to a record 10 consecutive victories would not be suited to this unique 3.07-mile high-downforce circuit. Yet, nobody could have foreseen him being sent for an early bath along with Perez in the other car. Verstappen was straight on the radio to express his dismay. “I don’t know if you saw that, but that was just f***** shocking,” he said. “Absolutely shocking experience.” Verstappen’s Red Bull team, without a defeat in the 14 rounds so far, now face an improbable task of making history by becoming Formula One’s first ‘Invincibles’. “You can forget about that (a victory),” said Verstappen, who later escaped a grid penalty but was fined 5,000 EUR (£4,308) following two separate incidents of impeding. “I don’t want it to sound too dramatic but it has been a tough weekend, and it is a long, long time since it has been like this in qualifying.” Verstappen last started this far back in Saudi Arabia when a driveshaft failure consigned him to 15th at the second round in March. He finished runner-up to Perez. But the streets of Singapore, unlike those in Jeddah, are strenuous to overtake on. Indeed, eight of the last 13 races here have been won from pole. “You cannot pass here,” added Verstappen. “You need to be one and a half, to two or three seconds faster than the car in front which we are not. It will be a very tough and long afternoon. I am confident the car will be fast again in Suzuka next weekend Max Verstappen “On other tracks you can start last and win, but not in Singapore. I want to win, but when it is not possible you have to accept that. “I knew there would be a day that I wouldn’t win. I had a really good run up until now. “And I would always take a season where we are winning as much as we have, and have one really bad weekend, over the other way round when you are not fighting for the championship. I am confident the car will be fast again in Suzuka next weekend.” Red Bull’s sudden malaise cleared the way for Sainz to capture another pole, a fortnight after he secured top spot in qualifying in Monza. However, Russell ran the Spaniard close, finishing just 0.072 seconds back, and the Englishman believes he has a strong chance of landing Mercedes’ first win of the campaign and the second of his career. The Silver Arrows have also followed a unqiue strategy this weekend that leaves Russell with an extra set of medium tyres which could provide him with the tactical edge over Sainz. “George has a really good shot at winning and I really hope he does,” said team-mate Hamilton, who qualified half-a-second back on disappointing evening for the seven-time world champion. “I hope he gets a good start and gets ahead of the Ferraris. That would be amazing for him and for the team. “For me, I will see what I can do. If I get further up then great. I changed the car last night and I don’t know what is going on with it. It is the hardest car I have ever driven to get right.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lance Stroll crashes into barrier at 110mph in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying Max Verstappen struggles in Singapore practice under the lights On this day in 2021: George Russell joins Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes
2023-09-17 01:51
Lance Stroll cleared to race in Singapore after high-speed qualifying crash
Lance Stroll has been given the all-clear to race in Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, despite his staggering 110mph qualifying crash. The Canadian driver lost control of his Aston Martin through the final left-hander at the Marina Bay Circuit before he slammed into the barrier. The force of the high-speed impact sent Stroll’s head rocking from side-to-side. He catapulted back across the track, with British driver Lando Norris forced to take evasive action, dodging a flying wheel and Stroll’s out-of-control machine. “Is the driver all right?” asked a concerned Norris on the radio. “That must have been quite a big one.” Stroll pirouetted to a standstill in the middle of the track before his race engineer Ben Michell came on the radio. “Lance, car is safe,” said Michell. “Are you OK?” Stroll, 24, replied: “Yeah, I am OK.” The Aston Martin driver emerged from his wrecked vehicle unaided before being taken off in a medical car. But there is some doubt if Stroll, the son of the team’s fashion billionaire father Lawrence Stroll, will be able to take part in the race given the significant damage sustained by his machine. A statement from Aston Martin read: “Lance was taken to the medical centre for a precautionary assessment. He was cleared by the on-site medical team and returned to the team at track. “Aston Martin pay tribute to the ongoing work of the FIA and the safety measures of current Formula One cars.” Stroll’s accident brought a premature end to Q1. A 34-minute delay followed as the mangled tyre barrier was repaired. Stroll was 20th and last at the time of his crash. Fernando Alonso qualified seventh in the other Aston Martin. “I’m frustrated as we have a big job – in the garage and on the race track – ahead of us,” said Stroll. “I was struggling for grip throughout the qualifying session. When I saw my lap wasn’t improving, I pushed really hard in the last corner to try and make up that extra time and that’s when it went wrong. Let’s see what we can salvage tomorrow in the race.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live ‘You can forget about that’ – Max Verstappen rules out another win in Singapore Lance Stroll crashes into barrier at 110mph in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying Max Verstappen struggles in Singapore practice under the lights
2023-09-17 01:23
Max Verstappen faces fight to keep run going after qualifying 11th in Singapore
Max Verstappen will start Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix from a shock 11th place after Lance Stroll crashed out at 110mph and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took pole position. On a wild night at the Marina Bay Circuit, both Red Bull drivers were eliminated in Q2 leaving the world champions facing an enormous task to retain their unbeaten record this season. George Russell qualified second, missing out on pole by just 0.072 seconds with Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari, one place ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, half-a-second back. Verstappen was eliminated in Q2 after he bemoaned the handling of the Red Bull machine which has carried him to a record 10 consecutive wins, but has struggled under the bulbs that light up this unique 3.07-mile high-downforce track. Verstappen missed out on Q3 by 0.007 sec, and then took aim at his team over the radio. “I don’t know if you saw that, but it was an absolutely shocking experience,” he said amid of flurry of expletives. Verstappen is also facing three stewards’ investigations for separate incidents of impeding during qualifying. His team-mate Sergio Perez, who spun, also failed to progress to Q3. He will start 13th following a miserable night for the team from Milton Keynes in the city-state. Red Bull’s demise allowed Sainz to capture his second consecutive pole with Russell narrowly missing out. Earlier, Stroll survived a staggering crash. The Canadian driver lost control of his Aston Martin through the final left-hander before he slammed into the barrier. The force of the high-speed impact sent Stroll’s head rocking from side-to-side. He catapulted back across the track with Norris forced to take evasive action – dodging a flying wheel and Stroll’s out-of-control machine. “Is the driver alright?” asked Norris on the radio. “That must have been quite a big one.” Stroll pirouetted to a standstill in the middle of the track before his race engineer Ben Michell came on the radio. “Lance, car is safe,” said Michell. “Are you OK?” Stroll, 24, replied: “Yeah, I am OK.” The Aston Martin driver emerged from his wrecked car unaided before being taken off to the medical centre. Aston Martin confirmed Stroll had been given the all-clear by the on-site medical team and was allowed to return to the paddock. Stroll’s accident brought a premature end to a frenetic conclusion to Q1 and left the marshals with a significant barrier repair job at the final corner, with fluid from his car also on the track. The session was delayed for 34 minutes before Q2 started at 9.53pm local time. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lance Stroll crashes into barrier at 110mph in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying Max Verstappen struggles in Singapore practice under the lights On this day in 2021: George Russell joins Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes
2023-09-16 23:22
Lance Stroll crashes into barrier at 110mph in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying
Lance Stroll survived a staggering 110mph crash in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix. The Canadian driver lost control of his Aston Martin through the final left-hander at the Marina Bay Circuit before he slammed into the barrier. The force of the high-speed impact sent Stroll’s head rocking from side-to-side. He catapulted back across the track with British driver Lando Norris forced to take evasive action – dodging a flying wheel and Stroll’s out-of-control machine. “Is the driver alright?” asked Norris on the radio. “That must have been quite a big one.” Stroll pirouetted to a standstill in the middle of the track before his race engineer Ben Michell came on the radio. “Lance, car is safe,” said Michell. “Are you okay?” Stroll, 24, replied: “Yeah, I am OK.” The Aston Martin driver emerged from his wrecked car unaided before being taken off to the medical centre. Stroll’s accident brought a premature end to a frenetic conclusion to Q1 with drivers improving as the city-state track evolved. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda led the way, with Lewis Hamilton 14th of the 20 runners with the bottom five set to be eliminated. Stroll’s impact left the marshals with a significant barrier repair job at the final corner, with fluid from his car also on the track. The session was delayed for 34 minutes before Q2 started at 9:53pm local time. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen struggles in Singapore practice under the lights On this day in 2021: George Russell joins Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gets goosebumps after landing pole for Italian Grand Prix
2023-09-16 22:29
F1 Kids broadcast an admirable idea – but a reminder that all children want to be is grown up
“Now it’s time to cross over to our F1 Juniors,” said Sky’s lead presenter Simon Lazenby, in a feel which became familiar throughout the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. Often the broadcaster striving for new avenues, never afraid of the status quo, Sky Sports took their television trials to a different avenue this weekend with the first-ever Formula 1 broadcast for children. An admirable experiment, it gave three teenagers a few days to savour as they started their summer holidays in Budapest alongside broadcasters Radzi Chinyanganya and Harry Benjamin. For Braydon, Scarlett and Zak – the latter a go-karter at junior level, the former duo presenters on Sky’s BAFTA-winning kids show FYI – it presented opportunities of a lifetime with interviews, quizzes and predictions with the best drivers and pundits in the paddock. And it provided some indisputably heartwarming moments. Like the segment where Zak met Lewis Hamilton and spoke to his hero about how inspiring the Mercedes star has been to black kids around the world, before then sitting in his Mercedes car. Or Scarlett and Braydon quizzing the “terrible trio” of George Russell, Lando Norris and Alex Albon about what ice cream they’d describe themselves as. “Vanilla”, Norris quipped, pointing at Russell. There’s something about the involvement of adolescents in a press environment which can bring some much-needed lightheartedness to what can sometimes be a sterile process for all involved. For example, who can forget the young boy, in awe of his sporting icon, who asked Roger Federer at the US Open in 2017: “Switzerland is really cool, right? There isn’t too much livestock. So why do they call you the GOAT [greatest of all time]?” Yet, away from one-on-ones with drivers, the core aspect to the alternative broadcast was the informal race coverage, live on free-to-air Sky Showcase, which presented an F1 race in an entirely different format. There were bright, 3D-augmented graphics throughout, with a colour-coordinated leaderboard which, frankly, seemed clearer than the usual feed at times. Explainers popped up at various points, defining key F1-focused terms for younger viewers. The use of avatars for each driver was a cute touch, though obviously best kept for this experiment. Overall, it provided something completely unique and distinctive for a 70-lap race which provided a common routine in the obligatory Max Verstappen victory. Sure, nobody was asking for an F1-kids broadcast. And inevitably, naysayers online will have been quick to roll their eyes at the initiative. It was notable that both Sky F1 and Benjamin turned off replies to their tweets involving F1 Juniors over the weekend. Less an indication of the general reaction to the initiative and more a sign of the times – and the highly-charged, often-abusive nature of social media. But that is not the point. F1 has for a while been a step ahead of other sports in the intuitiveness and creativity of its product, to the stage now where it is in the midst of a period of unprecedented worldwide popularity. The most obvious is the fly-on-the-wall nature of Drive to Survive on Netflix, a format only now being followed by the professional tennis and golf tours in search of extra eyeballs. It is a fine balancing act, though. During practice and the qualifying show, there were regular interspersions on the main feed to the Juniors, a process which may well have irritated petrolheads and fans of a sterner generation. While Sky like to push boundaries, their executives will be all too aware of trying to avoid alienating their core viewership. The one-off nature of F1 Juniors, at least this season, means this is unlikely to materialise. And there were moments of awkwardness. Like cutting to Christian Horner on the pit wall, seemingly in a baffled daze, who bluntly said: “Can we come back and do this in another 10 laps or so?” Like a selfie in the commentary booth with Danica Patrick, who had earlier stated the nature of sport “is masculine and aggressive” as she spoke about the lack of female racing drivers. There were obviously a few mistakes here and there – and it wasn’t completely crisp and clear-cut. But then it wasn’t meant to be. And, frankly, nor is David Croft and Martin Brundle’s expert commentary always error-free. In a sport as technical and fast-paced as F1, perfection is near-on impossible. Of course, unless you’re Verstappen at the moment. But the underlying takeaway is this: as a child, all you want to be is treated as a grown-up. The best way of learning about the intricacies of a sport like Formula 1 is to immerse yourself in the usual feed on a regular basis, creating a curiosity gap to discover more. As a one-off, F1 Juniors was worthwhile and undoubtedly a commendable initiative. For intrigued parents, showing their children an F1 race for the first time, who knows how many may have flicked on the coverage? Who knows how many might now flick on an F1 race in the future on a Sunday afternoon? Something different is not to be something dismissed. Article originally published on 24 July 2023 Read More Lewis Hamilton makes damning statement about his level after Hungarian GP Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top F1 Singapore Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and times at Marina Bay FIA take action against Helmut Marko after comments about Sergio Perez Zhou Guanyu interview: ‘There is a lot of pressure – only winners stay in F1’
2023-09-16 21:28
Max Verstappen up against it in Singapore after struggling in final practice
Max Verstappen faces a fight to take pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix after calling his Red Bull “unacceptable” in final practice. As Carlos Sainz raced to the top of the time charts at the Marina Bay Circuit, Verstappen finished fourth. The Dutchman is on an unprecedented 10-race winning streak with his Red Bull team unbeaten at the 14 rounds of the season so far. But Verstappen bemoaned the handling of his car in the city-state, describing the upshifts in his Red Bull machinery as “unacceptable”. He added: “These upshifts, what the f***. I am just struggling for rear grip. If I competed in drifting, I might win the race.” Verstappen returned to the track in the closing moments of the one-hour running, ringing the neck of his Red Bull to move from sixth to fourth, 0.313 sec slower than Sainz. But his struggles will give the chasing pack hope of finally stopping Verstappen and Red Bull with Ferrari holding the upper hand heading into qualifying later on Saturday. Sainz and team-mate Charles Leclerc traded top spot in the two practice sessions here on Friday, with the former again fastest in the concluding running before the fight for pole. Leclerc looked set to eclipse Sainz only to make a mistake in the second sector before backing out of his speediest lap, finishing fifth. George Russell took an encouraging second for Mercedes, just 0.069 sec slower than Sainz, with Lando Norris third in his McLaren. Lewis Hamilton was sixth for Mercedes, within half-a-second of Sainz. Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez, who won here last year, finished eighth, 0.719 sec back. Qualifying for the 15th round of 22 takes place at 2100 local time (1400 BST). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen struggles in Singapore practice under the lights On this day in 2021: George Russell joins Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gets goosebumps after landing pole for Italian Grand Prix
2023-09-16 19:27
F1 Singapore Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and FP3 lap times at Marina Bay
Max Verstappen is chasing another victory - what would be his 11th in a row - as Formula 1 returns to Asia for the popular Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Verstappen broke the record for the most consecutive race wins last time out at Monza, overtaking Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to win his 10th race in a row. The Dutchman is cruising to a third-straight F1 world championship and currently has a 145-point lead in the standings to team-mate Sergio Perez, though cannot clinch the title in Singapore. Zhou Guanyu interview: ‘There is a lot of pressure in F1 – only winners stay in this sport’ It was an improved performance from Ferrari in Italy, with Sainz securing his first podium of the year and Charles Leclerc finishing fourth, while the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell followed up their new contracts with sixth and fifth place respectively. Williams’ Alex Albon was a standout once again, finishing seventh. Perez won last year’s wet race under the lights in Singapore - a venue where Verstappen is yet to triumph in his career. Lewis Hamilton is a four-time winner in Marina Bay. Follow live updates from the Singapore Grand Prix with The Independent Read More FIA take action against Helmut Marko after comments about Sergio Perez Zhou Guanyu interview: ‘There is a lot of pressure in F1 – only winners stay in this sport’
2023-09-16 16:52
Max Verstappen struggles in Singapore practice under the lights
Max Verstappen’s unprecedented winning streak in Formula One could be under threat after the Red Bull driver finished only eighth in practice for the Singapore Grand Prix. Verstappen romped to victory in Italy a fortnight ago to become the first driver in the sport’s 73-year history to win 10 consecutive races as he closes in on a hat-trick of world championships. But under the thousands of bulbs that light up the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Verstappen ended the day more than seven tenths behind Ferrari pace-setter Carlos Sainz, the Spaniard who took pole position in Monza. Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari as the Italian team completed a practice one-two, with George Russell third for Mercedes, 0.235 sec adrift. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was fourth, with Lewis Hamilton fifth in his Mercedes, one place ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Red Bull are unbeaten this season, but they did not have a car inside the top six on Friday, with Sergio Perez, who triumphed here last year, seventh. Verstappen, who has won 12 of the 14 rounds so far, has not lost a race since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30. But the Dutch driver has never triumphed in Singapore and he suggested ahead of Friday’s running that the high-downforce, low-speed nature of the city-state track could play into the hands of Red Bull’s rivals. While times in practice must be treated with caution as teams trial varying fuel loads and tyre strategies, it is Ferrari who hold the upper hand heading into qualifying on Saturday at a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult. Indeed, eight of the 13 races here have been won from pole. Although the removal of turns 16 to 19 in favour of one long straight could improve the action for Sunday’s 62-lap race. “Ferrari are fast and we are just way worse than we expected,” said Verstappen. “We were struggling with the balance, and we never got the car together so there are a few things for us to figure out. We will try to improve but it is a big gap.” While the second running passed off without major drama, the opening session was disrupted on three occasions when a lizard invaded the three-mile circuit. Verstappen was the first to report the reptile at turn nine midway through the running. “There is a lizard on track again,” said the Red Bull driver, who had a similar encounter here back in 2016. “It is a smaller one this time.” Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase replied: “Maybe Godzilla has had a kid.” There was a second interruption, and then a third, as yellow flags were deployed. “Another lizard, but a different one this time,” said Russell. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live On this day in 2021: George Russell joins Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gets goosebumps after landing pole for Italian Grand Prix Carlos Sainz’s pace in practice gives Ferrari fans hope for Italian Grand Prix
2023-09-15 23:16
FIA take action against Helmut Marko after comments about Sergio Perez
Helmut Marko has received a written warning from the FIA and was “reminded of his responsibilities as a public figure in motorsport” after his ”offensive remark” about Sergio Perez. The 80-year-old, who works as a special advisor for Red Bull, apologised after comments made after the Italian Grand Prix two weeks ago. Marko referred to Perez’s background when discussing his poor form, saying: “Let’s remember that he (Perez) is South American and so he is not as focused as Max Verstappen or Sebastian Vettel was.” While Marko apologised for the “offensive remark”, with Perez accepting the apology, Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff were among the figures to condemn Marko’s actions when speaking this weekend in Singapore. Now, the FIA have confirmed that Marko has "received a written warning and been reminded of his responsibilities as a public figure in motorsport in line with the FIA Code of Ethics." Hamilton, 38, labelled Marko’s comments as “completely unacceptable” on Thursday. “This is not something you just apologise for and it is all OK,” the seven-time world champion said. “Whilst we say there is no room for any type of discrimination in this sport – and there should be no room for it – to have leaders and people in his position making comments like this is not good for us moving forward. “There are a lot of people in the background that really are combating these kind of things, but it is hard to manoeuvre if people at the top have mindsets which stop us from progressing. “But it is not my team and not how we move as a team. We still have a lot of work to do to make this a more inclusive environment.” Mercedes boss Wolff added: “That thing is so embarrassing for Formula 1., overall. “It’s not even saying it, it’s to have the mindset. To come up with these things. We are trying to do so much on diversity and equality, not only because we need to it’s because it needs it. “This is a role model environment, we are a global sport, we are going to every country, we are embracing the cultural differences. That hasn’t got any place in Formula 1. Not now and not in the future.” Read More Red Bull chief apologises to Sergio Perez over ‘offensive remark’ Sergio Pérez says he received personal apology from Red Bull boss over heritage comments Lewis Hamilton labels Helmut Marko’s comments about Sergio Perez ‘completely unacceptable’ F1 Singapore Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and lap times at Marina Bay Zhou Guanyu interview: ‘There is a lot of pressure – only winners stay in F1’ Max Verstappen tells Toto Wolff to focus on Mercedes after snipe
2023-09-15 23:16
Ferrari duo set early Singapore pace as lizards disrupt first practice session
Charles Leclerc led a Ferrari one-two in an opening practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix disrupted by three lizards. Leclerc ended the one-hour running at the Marina Bay circuit just 0.078 seconds clear of team-mate Carlos Sainz, with championship leader Max Verstappen third. Lando Norris finished fourth for McLaren, 0.172 sec back, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell took fifth and sixth respectively for Mercedes. But the session was disturbed on several occasions when a lizard walked across the three-mile street venue. Verstappen was the first to report the reptile at Turn 9 midway through the running. “There is a lizard on track again,” said the Red Bull driver, who had a similar encounter here back in 2016. “It is a smaller one this time.” Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase replied: “Maybe Godzilla has had a kid.” There was a second interruption, and then a third, as yellow flags were deployed. “Another lizard, but a different one this time,” said Russell. Verstappen, who is chasing an 11th straight victory on his waltz to a third world championship, warned on Thursday that Red Bull could be vulnerable at this unique street venue. And the chasing pack, led by Ferrari, will be encouraged that Red Bull did not have it all their own way in the opening running of the weekend. Sergio Perez, who won here last year, finished seventh, ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. The second running gets under way at 2100 local time (1400 BST). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live On this day in 2021: George Russell joins Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gets goosebumps after landing pole for Italian Grand Prix Carlos Sainz’s pace in practice gives Ferrari fans hope for Italian Grand Prix
2023-09-15 19:53
F1 Singapore Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and lap times at Marina Bay
Max Verstappen is chasing another victory - what would be his 11th in a row - as Formula 1 returns to Asia for the popular Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Verstappen broke the record for the most consecutive race wins last time out at Monza, overtaking Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to win his 10th race in a row. The Dutchman is cruising to a third-straight F1 world championship and currently has a 145-point lead in the standings to team-mate Sergio Perez, though cannot clinch the title in Singapore. Zhou Guanyu interview: ‘There is a lot of pressure in F1 – only winners stay in this sport’ It was an improved performance from Ferrari in Italy, with Sainz securing his first podium of the year and Charles Leclerc finishing fourth, while the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell followed up their new contracts with sixth and fifth place respectively. Williams’ Alex Albon was a standout once again, finishing seventh. Perez won last year’s wet race under the lights in Singapore - a venue where Verstappen is yet to triumph in his career. Lewis Hamilton is a four-time winner in Marina Bay. Follow live updates from the Singapore Grand Prix with The Independent Read More Zhou Guanyu interview: ‘There is a lot of pressure in F1 – only winners stay in this sport’ Alfa Romeo confirm driver line-up for 2024 F1 season Alex Albon, James Vowles and the start of a Williams renaissance
2023-09-15 16:51