Analysis | McLaren takes title in Singapore: Ferrari regrets, pace was podium-worthy

By Carlo Platella
Third win in four races for McLaren, who in Singapore imposed themselves in a way that could hardly have been imagined. Lando Norris has good reasons to believe in a world championship comebackwith a car that in the space of a year has seen its weak points on street circuits disappear. Ferrari regrets a step towards the podium or even a victory, but only Austin will be able to decree how much the SF-24 has truly grown. There will also be great anticipation in Texas for Red Bull, for which the difficult tracks begin now.

McLaren Solo

The tiredness of the drivers at the end of the race, especially Lando Norris, is indicative of how the pace imposed by the British is more sustained compared to past editions. In Singapore it was usual to witness great tyre management in the initial stages, with a consequent train of cars. McLaren however decides differently, setting an aggressive pace that is a symptom of extreme self-confidencewith a car that excels in managing rear wheel degradation. When the pit wall asks Norris to step on the accelerator, from lap 9 to 29 the Englishman extends his lead over Verstappen at an average of 1 second per lap, showing off McLaren’s clear superiority over Red Bull. Oscar Piastri’s comeback from the podium completes the celebrations for the Woking team, which consolidates its lead in the constructors’ championship.

That the MCL38 is a particularly effective car in high aerodynamic load configuration was already seen in Zandvoort and Budapest. It is indicative, however, how in two weeks McLaren won in Baku and Singaporetwo street tracks dominated by slow 90° bends that for years had been a chronic weakness of the English cars, even before the 2022 regulations. An important update aimed at filling this gap debuted in Singapore a year ago, completing the work with the Miami package last spring. McLaren has thus broken the taboo of a type of circuit that until twelve months ago were prohibitive. Of the street tracks on the calendar, only Las Vegas remains, but the agility of the MCL38 in the slow corners will also come in handy in some sections of Austin, Mexico and Abu Dhabi. The English car is a complete 360° car, which encourages Norris to believe in the world championship dream.

Ferrari Regret

Where could Charles Leclerc have arrived without the problems and mistakes in qualifying? It is difficult to say, even if his race pace in Singapore appears convincing again. It is true that the pace of the Monegasque in the final stages is in line with that of Norris and Verstappen, when however the first three are now devoid of motivation and separated by more than 20 seconds. With times in hand, the 3 laps with a clear track at the end of the first stint are more indicative, when Leclerc has an average delay of just 2 tenths from the other McLaren of Piastri. In comparison with the end of Verstappen’s first stint, however, who came back in 6 laps earlier, Ferrari shows more than half a second per lap advantage over Red Bull. The impression is that from the first or second row Leclerc would have had the potential to impose himself on Verstappen and try to put pressure on Norris, with the podium well within reach.

Ferrari therefore pays for an imperfect qualifying performance on a track that, as expected, confirms itself as favorable to the Reds. The real question however is in what form the Prancing Horse will present itself in Austin. The permanent circuit in Texas will finally allow them to evaluate the new Monza floor and the front wing that arrived in Singapore, as well as the updates still in the pipeline. Furthermore, since Spa there is no significant test to verify whether the bouncing problems have been resolved in Maranello. The bouncing however it wasn’t the only limitation of the Ferrari seen in the summeralso lacking stability in long-distance corners, as well as load on the front, a problem that the new wing should have solved. The 75-point gap from McLaren is not a prohibitive gap, however important, but the real concern is the all-round competitiveness of the English single-seater.

Red Bull in containment

Verstappen collects a precious second place, but despite the podium in Singapore It’s too early to talk about Red Bull’s return. In terms of pace, the world champions are the third force of the weekend, just like in Monza, with the team and drivers having to take credit for more than the car’s potential. Credit must be given to Verstappen for being incisive again, especially in qualifying, using his sensitivity to perceive the exact level of grip on a track with changing conditions.

The podium in Singapore is in some ways not surprising, given that Red Bull had already been part of the battle for victory with Sergio Perez in Baku. The less encouraging news for the Dutch champion however is the calendar from now until the end of the year. It is true that the Milton Keynes team feared the uneven asphalt of the last two street circuits, indigestible for a car that struggles to absorb the bumps at low speeds. The main problem for Red Bull, however, remains the search for balance, a task made easier by the homogeneity of the curves on the Baku and Singapore tracks. The return to permanent tracks, with their mix of low and high speed, short and long-distance curves, will put the world champions to the test.

Mercedes defends fourth place with George Russell, paying the price for the choice to start on soft tyres with Hamilton. Regardless of the strategy, the Silver Arrows confirm their fourth position in Singapore, further behind Red Bull than in previous events. However, the last street circuits, with their burning traction phases, represented the worst-case scenario for a car that has a chronic weakness in overheating of the rear tires. The hope is for a return to form starting from Austin.

Open World Cup

With the one in Singapore McLaren arrives at 4 wins in the last 6 gameson tracks different from each other that attest to the maturity of the MCL38, competitive in all conditions. To instill further confidence there is the infallibility on development, with all the updates introduced in the car that have always worked. From this point of view Austin will be an important crossroads for the pursuit of the world championship, with the arrival of new features on almost all the cars after more than a month of break.

It is impossible to remain still without risking overtaking the competition, but developing at the same time carries riskswith some side effects of the updates that remain invisible until the debut on the track. In addition, in Texas we will return to racing on a permanent and ‘traditional’ circuit two months after the last occasion in Zandvoort, with great curiosity to see if and how the balance of power will have changed. It will be a final sprint to follow, with the World Championship that already from Austin could take a clear direction in favor of Verstappen or Norris.