F1: Carlos Sainz holds on for thrilling victory in Singapore Grand Prix as Red Bull profitable run ends

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz beat Lando Norris and Mercedes’s tactical gamble in a frenetic finale to win the Singapore Grand Prix and finish Red Bull’s bid to turn out to be Formula One’s “Invincibles”.

Red Bull arrived on the Marina Bay Circuit with 14 victories from 14 rounds, however Sainz lastly ended their crushing dominance with a formidable victory.

Norris took second after holding off George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who each stopped for tyres with 17 laps remaining in a gung-ho bid to take the win.

But Russell and Hamilton had been unable to discover a well past a resilient Norris in a dramatic conclusion that noticed the previous crashing out on the ultimate lap.

Russell’s misfortune allowed Hamilton to finish the rostrum, with Charles Leclerc fourth.

Max Verstappen’s record-winning streak can be over after the Dutchman – who turned the primary driver within the sport’s historical past to rack up 10 straight victories on the Italian Grand Prix a fortnight in the past – completed fifth.

Verstappen’s lead over Sergio Perez, who completed eighth, stands at 151 factors, that means the previous can’t safe his third world title at subsequent weekend’s spherical in Japan.

Red Bull have dominated the F1 roost all yr however the world champions have been desperately off-colour at this distinctive 3.07-mile high-downforce circuit within the city-state.

Red Bull’s sudden malaise allowed for a shootout between Ferrari and Mercedes and McLaren’s Norris turned the primary non-Red Bull winner of 2023.

After capturing his second pole in as many races, Sainz led from the beginning with teammate Leclerc leapfrogging Russell off the road.

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Hamilton out of the blue discovered himself up two spots from fifth after he minimize the chicane on the opening nook however the seven-time world champion was compelled to provide the locations again to Russell within the different Mercedes and Norris.

With overtaking nearly unattainable in Singapore, Sainz was in a position to management the tempo by backing up the pack.

On lap 20, Logan Sargeant crashed into the wall, dislodging his entrance wing beneath his Williams. The American rookie limped again to the pits, however with items of particles littering the circuit, the security automobile was deployed.

In got here the leaders for contemporary tyres, with Russell and Norris in a position to get the leap on Leclerc. Verstappen, having began eleventh, was out of the blue as much as second, by advantage of staying out on previous rubber. Perez, who additionally remained out, was fourth.

But when the race restarted on lap 23, each Verstappen and Perez had been susceptible, with Russell losing no time in passing Verstappen for second.

Norris and Hamilton gazumped Perez after which Verstappen with the Red Bulls falling down the order. Russell was then on Sainz’s gearbox however unable to make an impression.

“I want to go for this win,” Russell mentioned over the workforce radio.

“We’re on the same page,” got here the reply from the Mercedes pit wall.

And on lap 45, Mercedes rolled the strategical cube by pitting each Russell and Hamilton for contemporary rubber when Esteban Ocon broke down in his Alpine and a digital security automobile was deployed.

Russell, who dropped from second to fifth, left the pits 17.5 seconds behind Sainz, however on lap 53, he fought his approach forward of Leclerc – with Sainz eight seconds up the highway.

Hamilton adopted his mate via because the black-liveried Mercedes took chunks of day trip of Sainz and Norris.

With 5 laps remaining, Russell was crawling everywhere in the again of Norris’s McLaren, however he couldn’t dislodge his countryman after which on the 62nd and closing lap he dramatically put his Mercedes within the wall after clipping the barrier.

Sainz took the flag eight-tenths away from Norris, with Hamilton four-tenths behind the McLaren driver.

Norris mentioned: “We knew it would be tough after Mercedes stopped for tyres but we held them off. I hit the same wall as George, but he copied me and did it even worse. But I feel for him – he was the fastest driver today.”

After taking his 196th podium, Hamilton mentioned: “We rolled the dice this weekend. I felt like it was a two-stop strategy and the team did an amazing job to get us up there.

“It was unfortunate for George but we were pushing so hard to catch these guys.”