Race Report: Singapore Grand Prix 2023

If you've been waiting for a nail-biting kind of race in 2023, you're in luck, as the Singapore Grand Prix delivered all kinds of chaos, beginning yesterday in Qualifying, when both Red Bulls were knocked out of Q2. Taking advantage of Red Bull's woes was Carlos Sainz, throwing his Ferrari on pole for a consecutive race weekend. George Russell and Charles Leclerc line up alongside him in 2nd and 3rd.

With the Red Bulls down in 11th and 13th on race day, Sainz leads everyone away cleanly for the formation lap. There are different strategies being played out up and down the field, with the majority starting on the yellow striped medium tyre. Others, such as Leclerc, have gone bold with the soft compound, with the remaining few, including the Red Bulls, going long on the hards. When the lights go out, Sainz gets a good start, keeping the lead into turn one.

After falling to third, Russell is quickly passed by his teammate; Hamilton, who seems to have made the move off track at Turn Two. Kevin Magnussen, who joined Nico Hulkenberg in making Q3 for Haas, falls from sixth to eighth. But, it's the Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez that the world is watching. Verstappen passes the Alpha Tauri of Liam Lawson for tenth, before making a move on Hulkenberg for ninth. Perez stays stationary in thirteenth. The yellow flag is shown in Sector Two/Three during the first lap. Yuki Tsunoda has stopped his Alpha Tauri. Luckily, he has parked up out of the way, so no Safety Car is needed. Back at Mercedes, Hamilton gives third place back to Russell. But now it's Lando Norris on the radio, telling his McLaren team that Hamilton should give him his place back also.

The first pitstop of the evening is underway with Zhou Guanyu stopping for Alfa Romeo. He gets rid of his soft tyres, throwing on the hards instead. Race control decide to note Hamilton for gaining an advantage over the McLaren on the first lap. On lap four, they reverse positions, cancelling any means for an investigation. Remember Tsunoda's DNF? A replay shows that it was caused by a puncture, after making contact with Perez on the opening lap. Could this explain as to why Perez is still trundling around down in thirteenth? Does he have damage, also? As for Verstappen, he's still in ninth, stuck behind Magnussen. But, with the help of DRS, he makes the move at Turn Fourteen, with the Alpine of Esteban Ocon his next target.

Up front, Sainz is still leading, with Leclerc just a couple of seconds behind. Both Ferraris seem to be holding Russell off for now. Sainz tells his team: "I could go at this pace forever," hinting that he may currently be in tyre management mode. However, Leclerc's opinion differs. "I think Carlos is slowing down," he tells his engineer. Alexander Albon in the Williams is currently lapping faster than the leader. Despite this, within a couple of laps, Leclerc has dropped out of DRS range to his teammate, managing to set the fastest lap of the race in the process, which is soon beaten by Sainz.

The infamous DRS train begins to form in the lower half of the points positions with Magnussen as the "conductor." Behind him sits Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly, with Lawson and Perez not too much further behind. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri is told over team radio that a rain shower is imminent. This could spice things up!

A yellow flag is thrown at Turn 8 with Logan Sargeant in the barriers after a bout of understeer. He gets going again, but the track is littered with debris from the Williams' front wing. Team strategists may be experiencing a nightmare as they decide whether to bring in their drivers. However, the Safety Car is deployed and a stampede of cars enters the pits. Red Bull, as expected decide to stay out, preferring track position over new rubber. After a slow stop for Leclerc, the order back on track is Sainz, Verstappen, Russell, Perez, Norris, Leclerc and Hamilton. Fernando Alonso, the sole Aston Martin running after a crash in qualifying caused Lance Stroll to withdraw, has trouble entering the pitlane, locking up and crossing that all important white line that shouldn't be crossed. He is noted by the stewards.

With the Safety Car coming in, Sainz backs up the pack behind him, bolting clear of Verstappen at the restart. Verstappen, however, is under pressure from Russell, and Leclerc from Hamilton. Both Mercedes get past their respective rivals. Perez, who sits in fourth, gets passed by Norris, with Hamilton also eyeing up last year's race winner. Valtteri Bottas, who also started on hards, stayed out during the Safety Car. Like the Red Bulls, he's struggling and falls further back down the grid to sixteenth place.

Perez, the new leader of the DRS train, has a large group of cars challenging him for seventh. But, the Red Bull driver has other things on his mind; complaining over team radio that Hamilton overtook him off track and should give the place back. Unfortunately for him, Hamilton is long gone, getting past Verstappen further up the road, who quickly then looses another place to Leclerc. Sainz, still leading, is taking a slower approach to winning the race. "He's managing a lot, he is very slow, I guess he is trying to back us up," Russell reports to the Mercedes team.

Halfway through the race and Magnussen is shown a black and white flag after forcing a driver off track. He falls out of DRS range to Ocon and has the second Alpine right on his tail. Gasly attempts a move but Magnussen closes the door. Perez is still leading the DRS train up ahead, Alonso sitting patiently, waiting to pounce. Elsewhere, Verstappen's tyre woes continue with him telling the team, "it is like driving on ice." Could we soon be seeing a Red Bull pitstop?

Alonso considers a move but is blocked by Perez. Ocon, taking advantage of this, pushes his way past the Aston Martin, claiming eighth at turn nine. Up front, Sainz believes it's time to push. He tells Ferrari, "Let me know when you think it's good to push. I should have 1s of pace in hand." The message is relayed to Russell who responds, "I'm surprised he didn't say 2s." But, back to Perez and the DRS train. With evident front wing damage from his lap one clash with Tsunoda, Perez is passed by Ocon, Alonso and Gasly. Red Bull finally decide to bring in their driver, switching him from hards to mediums. A lap later, Verstappen follows suite, with both drivers rejoining last and fifteenth, respectively.

Despite getting past Alonso and Perez just a few laps prior, Ocon is out. Parking his Alpine at the side of the track at the pit exit. A disappointing end to a decent race, on his birthday too. A Virtual Safety Car is deployed. With the front runners already past the pits, it's the midfield drivers of Magnussen and Albon taking advantage of the slower ontrack action. They throw on new rubber and head on out again. The next time around, Mercedes pull in both of their drivers, fitting them with the extra pair of medium tyres that they had available. They return to the track in fourth and fifth, with fresher rubber than their competitors. Alonso also stops for Aston Martin, taking his five second penalty he received from his earlier pitlane adventures. A slow stop drops him out of the points to fifteenth. And with that, we're back racing.

Sainz leads Norris by just over one second with Leclerc under three seconds further back. The Mercedes duo are ten seconds behind Leclerc but, with their new rubber, this is looking like a sprint to the finish. They quickly pass Leclerc, and set their sights on the leaders. In the midfield, Verstappen is on the hunt for points. He passes Zhou and then Hulkenberg, moving himself into ninth, before barging his way past Lawson, who doesn't make it easy for the World Championship leader.

As for Perez, he is stuck behind Albon. They are both noted by the stewards for a pit exit infringement. However, like Verstappen, they are taking advantage of their fresher tyres and are moving up the field. They pass Zhou, Hulkenberg and close in on Lawson. Talking of Verstappen, he's past Piastri for seventh and is quick to make another move, this time on Gasly for sixth position. At the back, Bottas slips into the pit lane to retire after a miserable afternoon/evening.

Five laps left and Sainz leads from Norris by less than a second. Russell finds himself a second behind Norris and Hamilton a second behind Russell. Sainz, trying to hold onto the lead for his life, tells Ferrari that he is purposely giving Norris DRS. But, with four laps left, the top four are split by only 1.7 seconds.

There's a brief yellow flag for Albon who seems to have stopped on track. The stewards are quick to note an incident that happened between the Williams driver and Perez. Perez moves up to tenth as Albon falls down the field but manages to get going once again. However, while this plays out, it's starting to kick off up front. Russell is clinging onto the back of Norris with no way past, giving Sainz a chance to pull clear a little.

Final lap and it's close. But, there's drama as Russell closes in on Norris. He clips the barrier and finds himself stuck in the wall. Sainz manages to hold on, taking only his second win ever in Formula One. Norris comes home second with Hamilton in third. Verstappen, who was closing in on Leclerc, doesn't quite beat him to the line, with the duo finishing in fifth and fourth, respectively. Gasly comes across the line in sixth, followed by Piastri, Perez (who received a five second penalty for his clash with Albon), Lawson and Magnussen.

Phew, what a race. You can't deny, it's been a pleasure to watch Red Bull and Verstappen make history, but this race was a breath of fresh air. With only one week until the next race, we'll have to wait to see why Red Bull were so off the pace this weekend. But until then, we'll celebrate Sainz's victory. See you in Suzuka.

Opinion: The Sergio Perez Criticism Is Too Harsh

This weekend's Singapore Grand Prix marks a momentous occasion in Sergio "Checo" Perez's Formula One career, as he hits the 250 race start mile stone, putting him only 2 race starts away from being in the top ten drivers with the most F1 race starts of all time. But, as a driver who had shown great potential in his early F1 days; questions are starting to be asked as to why he seems unable to consistently challenge in the most dominate car on the current F1 grid. Has he lost his "spark?" Or, is his teammate; Max Verstappen, that good? Let's dive in.

Back in the day, Perez's junior racing career was nothing to scream and shout about. However, a championship win in the British Formula 3 International Series (National Class) and a 2nd place finish in the 2010 GP2 Series, not only caught the eye of the Sauber Formula One Team bosses, landing the Mexican a seat with them for the 2011 Formula One Season, but also Ferrari, adding him to their Driver Academy roster. And, almost immediately into his F1 career, Perez impressed; quickly gaining recognition for his ability to control tyre wear. The following season, at the Malaysian Grand Prix, he finished on the podium for the first time, fighting Double World Champion; Fernando Alonso, for the win in the latter stages of the race. His 2nd place finish won him praises from the motorsport community and rumours began of a potential move to Ferrari, which never happened. Instead, Perez was the replacement for Lewis Hamilton at McLaren in 2013 - a season that didn't exactly go the way Perez would have liked and saw him axed for 2014. So, it was over to Force India who he drove for, for 7 years, before joining Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen. And, so far at Red Bull, he's doing well. With consistent point finishes, regular podiums and a current 2nd place in the Driver's Championship, you need to ask why he's getting so much criticism in 2023.

Although the numbers are looking good, Perez is letting his on-track action do the most of the talking, and that, at times, hasn't been so good, with numerous crashes, mistakes and a string of early qualifying eliminations. And, unfortunately for him, this is what most people are picking up on, including Red Bull's Team Advisor, Helmut Marko, who hasn't been afraid to criticize his driver. For Red Bull, this is nothing new, after having the same issues with previous drivers; Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon, who were both eventually axed from the team, with Perez rumoured to be going the same way. But, for Perez to be the third driver, (fourth, if you include Daniil Kvyat,) to have these struggles, makes you wonder - is the pressure of being Max Verstappen's teammate too much? Are the team's expectations on their "Number Two" driver too high? Maybe so. There are many factors pointing in this direction.

But, this doesn't eliminate the fact that Perez also struggled at McLaren, who were a top team during his 2013 contract. Of course, he had some decent enough races with the team, frequently finishing in the points, but he could never get the better of then teammate; Jenson Button, who finished the season 24 points ahead of the young Perez. And, that's exactly what he was back then; young. And, with only two seasons of F1 experience, many believed he wasn't ready for the step up into the limelight, or that he wasn't a good fit at the McLaren team. But, despite being dropped by the team for 2014, he has since gone onto have bigger and better accomplishments, all back within a midfield team, before being eyed up, once again, with a seat at the front of the grid.

Is Checo living proof of a driver that's better in the midfield than at the front of the grid? You could be saying the same for Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon, who are both flourishing in different environments. And, that is what the problem seems to be time and time again - the nature of a team that is so heavily invested in one driver. Statistically, Perez is having his best season to date, despite some of his on-track antics. But, that isn't good enough for Red Bull or the "sofa critics," especially as he has thrown away several valuable points in the championship.

I can't help but feel sorry for Checo. He's come a long way since his Sauber days and being Max Verstappen's teammate has proved to be anything but an easy feat. Plus, he's part of a team that seems to have zero interest in him or his career. I've always been a fan of Red Bull, but their ethos isn't mentally healthy for a number two driver. Could this be why we're seeing so many mistakes from Checo? It's plausible. At the end of the day, Sergio Perez is a good Formula One driver. He may not be Championship material, but he can go out there and get the job done, rewarding himself with several championship points, in the process. Unfortunately for him, Red Bull consistently prove to be an unhealthy environment and until the day comes that someone can challenge Verstappen, we may continue to see the downfall of multiple drivers. If Perez were to leave Red Bull, could it mean the end of his F1 career? It's something only time will tell.

Let’s Talk: Should Ferrari Really be Favouring Charles Leclerc over Carlos Sainz?

If there's one thing that's clear in Formula One, it's that, no matter what anyone says, Charles Leclerc is the lead driver at Scuderia Ferrari. Throughout his racing career, he has consistently been labelled as a "Generational Talent," a term, in which time and time again, he has proved is one that best describes him. And, after an impressive first season in Formula One in 2018, driving for the Sauber team alongside ex-F1 driver; Marcus Ericsson, it came as no surprise when he was announced as a Scuderia Ferrari driver for the 2019 season.

For the next couple of seasons, Leclerc would partner highly acclaimed and multiple F1 World Champion; Sebastian Vettel, finishing higher than him in the two championship seasons they spent together. Vettel would leave Ferrari at the end of 2020, pathing the way for current Ferrari driver; Carlos Sainz.

Sainz, like Leclerc, had a relatively decent junior career. However, he was never labelled in the way Leclerc was. After dominating the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 championship, as well giving Max Verstappen a run for his money at Toro Rosso, people perceived Sainz as good, just not Leclerc good, giving him the reputation as Ferrari's second driver from the get go, despite finishing higher than Leclerc in the 2021 World Championship. And, after a 2022 season, that saw Leclerc head Sainz, we come to today - 2023, where Sainz sits ahead of Leclerc in the current championship standings. Despite this, it's done barely anything to aid Carlos Sainz as he fights to beat Leclerc, with the team, on multiple occasions, handing Leclerc the favorable strategies.

This seems pretty unfair right? As a Carlos fan, yes. But as a racing fan, yes and no.

Leclerc has made his name at Ferrari. Like Max Verstappen at Red Bull, the Monegasque is a champion in their (Ferrari's) eyes. Take 2022, for example, Ferrari had a car, especially in the early stages of the season, of matching Red Bull. It was always Verstappen vs Leclerc. Sainz didn't always have the pace to be up there with his teammate and eventually scored only 9 podiums (1 win) compared to Leclerc's 11 (3 wins).

However, what has become evident in recent years, is that Leclerc is prone to mistakes, throwing away multiple wins, podiums and points. And, of course Sainz makes mistakes too, but Leclerc seems to make them, more often than not, during pivotal parts of a race weekend.

The one thing, though, that distinguishes Sainz from Leclerc is his ability to score consistently. He may have only 1 F1 career win and only 1 podium in 2023, but his consistency has earned him the title of lead Ferrari driver in the Championship. But again, Ferrari see Leclerc as their main man, despite them letting their drivers race at Monza with Sainz coming out on top.

And, then there's the Tifosi - Ferrari's passionate fan base. And, like the team, they are about Leclerc. With the increasing popularity of social media and team/fan engagement, could fans be having some effect on who the team's number one is? It's possible. (Still there is no need for the amount of drama that fans, especially on Twitter create.) But, becoming slightly contradicting, as we saw in Monza, a large percentage of the Tifosi aren't overly bothered which driver has the favourable strategy. As long as they finish on the podium, the fans will be there, chanting their driver's name over and over. A beautiful sight for a Carlos fan.

Wrapping this up, from a championship point of view, the team will want to score as many points as possible, but things become questionable when Sainz, who can be the faster driver at times, is told to hold station behind his teammate who has no chance of catching those ahead. Or, when Leclerc, in some sense, "throws his toys" out the pram over team radio because Sainz failed to help him? Surely, if Ferrari want to maximise their point tally, their faster, on-track driver should be given the favourable strategy.Whether it's Leclerc or Sainz, should it matter at the end of the day?