(PRIMASPORT) SINGAPORE – A double first, that of the Sprint Race in Singapore and of a Formula 1 race held at the Marina Bay circuit while daylight is still in full swing, confirms what we saw last Sunday at Sepang: that Max Verstappen has largely regained his confidence with victory, that Ferrari is on the rise (Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished second and third, respectively), and that Kimi Antonelli, in addition to his talent, also has an extremely benevolent star watching over him. At the wheel of the worst Mercedes of the year, the Bologna prodigy exploited the chaos and troubles of others to secure a fourth-place finish that propels him 89 points ahead of a disastrous George Russell in the championship. All this in a situation made even more complicated by the return of rain.
Just like a week ago in Malaysia, the Singapore race also got off to a delayed start due to a downpour that hit the track just minutes before the start. This time, however, the wait lasted only half an hour, after which there was no doubt about which tires to fit: everyone remained on intermediates, eliminating this variable compared to what happened in Sepang. But Russell, who took first place at the start, beating Verstappen, ruined everything on the second lap with a mistake that sent his Mercedes into the wall. Hamilton thus found himself second behind the Dutchman, having been sixth on the grid, confirming his already well-known advantage over the Marina Bay track in wet conditions. The Sprint Race, already shortened to 20 laps, actually lasted just 14 due to the Safety Car, during which other players fell like dominoes: Perez and Stroll, who crashed together, but also Colapinto and Hadjar with technical problems. In the end, nine drivers failed to cross the checkered flag, including Bottas, Bortoleto, and Albon in an incredible three-way pileup.
The final incident, however, occurred on the final lap, just as the balance of power on the track began to shift, with the track increasingly drying out and the tires of the various cars starting to suffer. Hamilton, finishing more than four seconds behind Verstappen, made up two and a half seconds in the final two laps: with a slightly longer race, victory would have been within reach. The one left to fight for the Sprint Race podium was Leclerc, who was a full two seconds per lap slower than the other Ferrari. Piastri, Norris, and Antonelli lined up behind him, but the McLarens threw everything away when the world champion dared to overtake his teammate, sending both cars into a spin. The Australian stopped, while the Englishman finished only eighth, paving the way for Kimi: two places handed away for him, three if you count Russell's. And the world championship title seemed ever closer. (PRIMASPORT)
