Not only was the Singapore Grand Prix arguably the best race of the season so far, it was one that led to many interesting talking points that stemmed from throughout the weekend. From Red Bulls "disaster," to new driver contracts, there was a lot to talk about. Shall we dig in?
Inconsistency by Race Control and Stewards
One of the biggest talking points is one debate we hear, time and time again - inconsistencies when it comes to investigations and penalties. This is nothing new, but has been highlighted once again by the lack of consistency when it comes to stewarding races. Over the course of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, a small handful of drivers seemed to get away with numerous incidents, such as impeding in qualifying and track advantages. On the other hand, some penalties don't seem to be "harsh" enough when compared to similar incidents from some time ago. For example, what has happened to "drive through" or "stop-go" penalties? We seem to be only seeing the five second time penalty, which is, at least, some consistency. And, Formula One isn't the only victim of this, with other Formulas also experiencing inconsistency in one form or another when it comes to stewarding. But why is this such an issue? Alpine driver, Pierre Gasly, has repeatedly voiced his frustrations when it comes to this matter, saying that they, the stewards, need to make it "black and white." Is it because it's never the same stewards and opinions differ? I don't know. All I know is that drivers, teams and fans want more consistency when it comes to this matter.
Liam Lawson - On The Sidelines For 2024??
Despite some impressive performances after an impromptu debut, a full time 2024 race seat with Alpha Tauri seems to be slipping from Liam Lawson's grasp, with the team reportedly set to keep Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo at the team. And in all honesty, this doesn't sit right with me.
With Alpha Tauri as the junior Red Bull team, they have built themselves a reputation of being the first step into Formula One for Red Bull's Junior drivers, which is exactly what Lawson is. Tsunoda has been with the Alpha Tauri team since 2021, but is yet to make quite the impression that Lawson has in only three races. Ricciardo, who started off at Alpha Tauri - then Toro Rosso, in 2011, recently made a comeback to the team after he replaced Nyck de Vries, who was dropped after a string of poor performances. Unfortunately for Ricciardo, his returned was short lived, with a broken hand caused by a crash during practice at the Dutch Grand Prix. Thus, enter Lawson, who, after three races, sits only one point behind Tsunoda in the championship and has given Alpha Tauri their best finishing position so far in 2023 - 9th at the Singapore Grand Prix. However, if rumours are to be believed, this hasn't been enough to convince Red Bull of putting Lawson in a full time seat for next season. Why is that so? Do they want experience over potential? Tsunoda and Lawson seems like a decent line up to me. If they go with Ricciardo, are they no longer a junior team? It's an interesting thought, and one I think many will have an opinion over.
Was Singapore a "Blip" for Red Bull, or is There More Trouble On The Horizon?
One thing that made the Singapore Grand Prix quite the spectacular, was Red Bull's fight back into the points after a miserable weekend thus far. After dominating 2023, Red Bull were nowhere during the Singapore weekend, falling out of qualifying at the end of Q2 and finishing the race in 5th and 8th position. But what exactly was going on? Was it a blip? Most likely, so. But what's interesting is that this isn't the first time a dominant team has struggled around F1's night race. Take Mercedes in 2015, after dominating the first half of that season, Singapore came and the team suffered issues that no one could explain. After Singapore, they were back.
It's no secret that the Singapore street track is more difficult than most, with bumps and short corners, it can be a challenge for many, and if previous races are to go by, Red Bull suffers most at "bumpier" venues. For example, Spa. Former Red Bull man, Dan Fallows - current Technical Director of Aston Martin, said: “It tends to be quite bumpy in places and also kerb-riding is quite important in these cars. So, you tend to have to run the cars maybe higher than at other circuits as well. That has, in the past, been an incredibly unique challenge for some cars. Certainly, I think Red Bull are the most obvious example of that.”
So, all in all, it was most likely a blip and come Suzuka, they'll be their dominant selves once again.
Obviously, the Red Bull story was the biggest talking point of the weekend but certainly, the other points talked about in the post are just as interesting. Do you have any opinions? Are their any other points that were just as intriguing? Let me know in the comments below.
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