‘Cool to race under the lights in Singapore’ Norris and McLaren keen to keep up hot pursuit
18 September 2024, Singapore – The 15th edition of the Singapore Grand Prix promises to be one of the great races in the event’s storied history as it launches the teams and drivers on to the final straight in a memorable 75th season of the Formula 1 World Championship.
McLaren, leading the Constructors’ Championship for the first time in a decade, are clearly the form horses with three wins in the last five races, but in a year with seven different winners already, who would be brave enough to forecast their first Singapore victory since 2009?
The British team’s one and only Singapore success came back in 2009 for Lewis Hamilton, while Lando Norris’s second place last year was the first time a McLaren driver had graced the Marina Bay podium since Jenson Button back in 2012.
Norris, however, is ready to build on last year’s effort. “I’m excited for this weekend in Singapore,” says the 24-year-old British/Belgian racer. “It’s a great country to visit and it’s cool to race under the lights. This circuit can be quite challenging with the humidity, but I’ve done well here in the past and I'm feeling prepared, so it should be another fun race.”
His younger and even more laid-back partner Oscar Piastri, winner last time out in Baku, had a more direct message: “I’m ready to go for it again in Singapore.”
As for perennial winner Max Verstappen, he arrives at Marina Bay without having stood on the top step of the podium since Barcelona way back in June. If history is any guide, the Dutchman will struggle to break that winless run here — he has never won in Singapore, never been on pole, never set a fastest race lap. But his focus is on now.
“We have learnt from what we did wrong last week in Baku and can try a few things differently this week in Singapore,” says Verstappen. “Marina Bay is a cool circuit but we do expect this to be a bit more of a challenge, as it has been historically. The race is usually quite close here and obviously very hot and humid. The changes that we initially made in Baku were positive and we were heading in the right direction; we think we know what we can do better and of course need to make sure that we are optimising the set-up.”
Team-mate Sergio Pérez has his own troubles: a late collision with Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari ruined what would have been his best result in many races in Azerbaijan, and the Mexican veteran knows it is time to step up.
“I’ve won in Singapore before, in tricky conditions,” he says defiantly, “and, as everyone knows, I love a street circuit. There’s something special about a night race and this one is probably the best there is. On Sunday night I want us to be able to say we did the best we could to win this race.”
Verstappen still holds a healthy 59-point lead from the chasing pack, led by Norris, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – an expert negotiator of Marina Bay’s many twists and turns – is in turn only 19 adrift of Norris, and 13 ahead of Piastri.
Further down the field, some seasoned F1 performers relish the return to this track. One of them is Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg. “Singapore’s fabulous and it’s one of the highlights of the year for me,” says the 37-year-old German. “I love the atmosphere and the energy; it has a great vibe. It’s the original night race of Formula 1, and it feels like that being so special and unique. I love the track, the challenge of it, and the physicality of the race, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
As youth elbows its way in amongst the established stars of the sport, we should keep an eye on two drivers at opposite ends of the age spectrum. For Williams Racing, 21-year-old Argentine Franco Colapinto makes his maiden appearance at Marina Bay. The first F1 driver from his country in more than two decades, Colapinto scored points last time out in only his second Grand Prix start.
Meanwhile 32-year-old Dane Kevin Magnussen returns from a one-race ban to renew battle with a circuit he loves. “It’s one of my favourite tracks,” says K Mag, who will leave Haas at the end of this season. Twice the fastest race-lap driver here, Magnussen relishes what may be his last chance to shine under the Singapore lights: “Street circuits are my favourite category of tracks,” he admits, “and Singapore is a special one, the original night race.”
To add further spice to the action, a fourth DRS zone has been introduced, this one between Turns 14 and 16, increasing chances of overtaking on the sinuous 4.94-km lay-out.