Race Analysis - Norris dominates Singapore GP, closes points gap

Podium, Singapore GP 2024
© Red Bull

The 2024 Singapore Grand Prix was a weekend of highs and lows, with McLaren's Lando Norris securing a dominant victory while Ferrari saw their promising start unravel and Red Bull staged a dramatic recovery from a tough beginning.

Norris was in sublime form, setting the pace from Friday practice and looking unstoppable as he cruised to the win. However, Ferrari's early potential, with Charles Leclerc impressing on Friday, quickly faded, while Red Bull bounced back from a difficult start to get Max Verstappen into second place by Sunday.

On Friday, Ferrari looked like genuine contenders, with Leclerc setting competitive times and positioning himself as a major threat to Norris' hopes. Red Bull, on the other hand, struggled significantly, with Verstappen only managing 15th in Free Practice 2 and Sergio Perez in 8th. Verstappen in particular couldn't get any tyre temperature, suffering from understeer on corner entry and poor traction on exit, which was a stark contrast to the well-balanced McLaren and Ferrari cars. It appeared Red Bull would face a tough weekend ahead, while Norris and Leclerc seemed set to challenge for the win.

Saturday brought dramatic changes in fortune. Norris continued his fine form and easily took pole position for McLaren, setting himself up for a strong race on Sunday. However, Red Bull, after overnight adjustments, made an impressive recovery, with Verstappen qualifying alongside Norris on the front row, a massive leap from his earlier struggles. Ferrari, by contrast, fell off dramatically. The team couldn't replicate their Friday form, and Leclerc's car, which had shown such promise, now struggled with tyre issues.

Red Bull's comeback was a result of a strategic overhaul of their setup. Team Principal Christian Horner explained that Red Bull initially arrived in Singapore with a soft, compliant setup aimed at dealing with the bumpy street circuit, having struggled here in 2023. The car had been bouncing over the kerbs and bumps last year, and Red Bull had over-compensated in their setup to avoid similar issues. "We tried something yesterday that didn't work," said Horner before qualifying, referring to their struggles on Friday. "It was a hangover from last year, and we perhaps took ourselves down a rabbit hole because last year at this one race we didn't win."

Realizing the mistake, Red Bull quickly reversed course. Overnight, Sebastien Buemi, one of Red Bull's simulator drivers, worked to refine the setup, resulting in a stiffer car that allowed Verstappen to extract much more from it. This new setup enabled the RB20 to get the tyre temperatures into the right window, giving Verstappen the grip and confidence he needed to push harder. The result was a front-row start, a major turnaround from the team's dismal practice showing.

Ferrari's problems, meanwhile, became apparent during Saturday's practice and qualifying sessions. Leclerc struggled to get the front tyres up to temperature in FP3, running wide at Turn 2 on his qualifying simulation lap and having to take an extra preparation lap to get the tyres working. This additional lap, however, overheated the rear tyres before his flying lap was completed, highlighting Ferrari's struggle to balance tyre temperatures between the front and rear axles. It was a sign of things to come in qualifying.

In Q3, Ferrari attempted to position both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz as the last cars on track to benefit from optimal conditions. The pair left the garage late, with Ferrari trying to outsmart their rivals, but this tactic backfired. Both drivers struggled to build up tyre temperature, and Sainz, in particular, was caught out. On his out-lap, Sainz spun over a bump with cold rear tyres and crashed into the barriers, bringing out the red flag and ending his session without setting a time. Leclerc, after the session resumed, only had one lap to set a time. However, his tyres still weren't in the right temperature window, and he ran wide at Turn 2 again, just as he had in FP3. His compromised lap was only good enough for seventh but was deleted due to a track limits violation, leaving both Ferraris starting from the fifth row on Sunday.

The race itself saw Ferrari attempt to recover, but they couldn't come close to matching the pace of the leaders. Leclerc drove well to climb to fifth by the end of the race, but the damage had already been done in qualifying. Reflecting on his performance, Leclerc admitted that he hadn't done enough to overcome the tyre issues. "Yesterday, I said the tyres were not in the right window, which they weren't," he said. "But looking back at it, there's been plenty of times where you have the tyres a bit out of the window, and you still have to do the job as a driver." He added that even without the issues in qualifying, he didn't believe Ferrari had the pace to challenge Norris for the win. "Of what I've heard about Lando's pace, I don't think we quite had that in the car."

Verstappen, meanwhile, made the most of his front-row start. While he couldn't challenge Norris for the win, he comfortably secured second place, a significant achievement given Red Bull's struggles on Friday. For Red Bull, the weekend was ultimately about damage limitation, and they succeeded in that regard. Verstappen's second place kept his championship lead relatively safe, though Norris' win reduced the gap.

Sergio Perez struggled to find his rhythm and ended up in 10th place, a disappointing result for the Red Bull driver. Perez battled with tyre degradation throughout the race and couldn't replicate the success of his teammate. For Ferrari, the race was an exercise in salvaging points, and while Leclerc's fifth place was respectable, Sainz's crash in qualifying and his eventual seventh-place finish left the team feeling they could have achieved more.

Ultimately, the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix was a story of what could have been for Ferrari and Red Bull's impressive ability to recover from adversity. Norris' commanding win capped off a flawless weekend for McLaren, while Ferrari will look back on the weekend as a missed opportunity. Red Bull, despite their early struggles, managed to limit the damage and leave Singapore with a strong result. For Norris, the win not only affirmed his growing status in the sport but also kept the championship battle alive as the season heads into its final stages.