Lando Norris of McLaren achieved his third career victory during the Singapore Grand Prix, closing the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen, who finished in second place. Norris led the race from start to finish, marking his first win from pole position after six attempts. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, secured third place, further bolstering McLaren’s position in the constructors’ championship against Red Bull.
The race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit was notably incident-free, marking the first time in 15 races that no safety car was deployed. After completing 62 laps without interruptions, Norris managed to reduce Verstappen’s lead in the standings to 52 points with six races and three sprint events remaining.
Norris made a strong start from pole, maintaining his lead ahead of Verstappen as Lewis Hamilton, on softer tires, attempted to pressure the Dutch driver. However, Verstappen successfully fended off Hamilton, and all cars navigated the opening lap safely. Norris quickly built a lead of over a second, while Hamilton’s strategy to start on soft tires forced him to pit early on lap 18, after which he reported struggles with tire performance.
By lap 26, Norris had extended his lead over Verstappen to 20 seconds. Despite minor close calls with the circuit walls, Norris secured a convincing victory. “It was an amazing race,” he expressed. “A few too many close calls, but I managed it well. We were flying the whole race.”
Piastri’s fifth-place starting position allowed him to leverage a strategic advantage, enabling him to overtake Hamilton and George Russell in the latter part of the race. He praised his team for delivering an exceptional car this weekend.
Verstappen acknowledged his challenges during the race, stating, “My race was just by myself. P2 is a good achievement given we knew we would struggle this weekend.”
Hamilton struggled with tire deterioration in the closing laps and ultimately lost position to Charles Leclerc, who finished ahead of him after starting ninth. The final positions rounded out with Carlos Sainz in seventh, followed by Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg, and Sergio Perez in the top ten.