If you follow Formula 1 on social media, you’ve seen the recent discussions (memes, even) about Norris’ odd statistic—he’s started in pole six times but has only won two races. One of the possible reasons? He’s often easily lost his starting position, a few times in just the first lap.
We can only assume the British racing driver might have taken the criticisms personally because he just emerged victorious from the recently concluded Singapore Grand Prix where he started on pole and led every. Single. Lap. From start to finish. And in true dominant fashion, he won the race once again with a 20sec+ lead against eventual P2 finisher, defending champion Max Verstappen. This also brings Norris’ win tally to three in this season and his career.
Granted, Singapore wasn’t as exciting as the Baku GP, but the results this weekend further tighten the fight for the driver’s championship. And if it weren’t for a last-minute pit for the fastest lap from Visa Cash App RB F1’s Daniel Ricciardo—who just completed his final Formula 1 race of his season and possibly even his career—Norris would’ve also gotten the complete points haul.
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“Another win! I’m so happy with today, it was an amazing performance from the team. The car was mega so I could push,” said Norris. “We were fast throughout the whole race, and at the end, I could focus to see it out. It was still a very tough race with a few too many close calls. It was very easy to lock-up a tire—which I did a couple of times—but I was pushing because I wanted to have the biggest lead possible.
“It’s nice to have Oscar on the podium, too. He drove well, and we got a lot of points, so a good way to thank the team for their hard work,” added Norris.
“It was a good race, and a good recovery from Qualifying yesterday, so to get back to the podium is a great result. We had a really quick car underneath us and a good strategy to get past the two Mercedes,” said third-place finisher Oscar Piastri. “It was a bit close to George in Turn 1, but once I got into third place, I had a massive gap to try and close up, so I didn’t want to take many risks. The car’s been exceptional all weekend and got some great points for the team. Thanks to the team for their hard work. Time for a short break now, and we'll come back fighting in Austin."
“A fantastic evening here in Singapore with a dominant victory for Lando, and Oscar managing to recover a couple of positions and finishing in P3,” said McLaren Racing team principal Andrea Stella. “Achieving back-to-back victories is another milestone for us. The car was strong all weekend, making us optimistic for the rest of the season. We extend our lead in the Constructors’ Championship, and Lando reduces the gap to Max in the race for the Drivers’ Championship.”
Indeed he does. With six races to go, Verstappen’s lead is now down to just 52 points, while McLaren’s lead on Red Bull in the constructors’ is now up to 41 points. We’ll have to keep a close eye on the upcoming races.
Thoughts, readers? Will Norris eventually catch up to Verstappen? Will we still see Ricciardo on the grid in the future? Sound off in the comments.
