F1 | SINGAPORE GP, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI: “VERSTAPPEN WAS PERFECT, ANTONELLI A GREAT CHAMPION”

The weekend in Singapore was all about Red Bull and Max Verstappen who won both the Sprint Race and the Grand Prix, after having even taken pole position in both. The Dutchman showed that he is in great form, managing every phase of the race with great composure. However, it was a more complicated weekend for Isack Hadjar who was hampered by technical problems that forced him to start the Grand Prix from pit lane. In any case, the Frenchman managed to climb back up to tenth place, taking a point. Also to be noted was Liam Lawson’s excellent performance, seventh in the GP after fifth place in the Sprint Race, with another solid performance by the Racing Bulls.

In the Sprint Race Verstappen managed the very treacherous conditions in the best way possible. After having overtaken the Dutchman at the start George Russell took the lead, he made a very bad mistake and crashed into the wall at the last corner of the first lap. This episode compromised his result and opened the road to victory for Red Bull’s driver, and “handing over” precious points to Antonelli.

Sunday confirmed the superiority of Verstappen who controlled the race right up to the chequered flag. Behind him, Charles Leclerc took an excellent second place for Ferrari, but questions remain about the behaviour of their two drivers. At one stage of the race, Hamilton seemed to have a better pace, yet Leclerc did not let him pass, making him lose precious seconds. Previously, during the tyre change, it had been Hamilton who had let his teammate pass. On this occasion, the seven times world champion showed he was more willing to work in the best interest of the team. It is hard to say whether a different choice would have changed the final result, but the management of the situation warrants some reflection.

The third step of the podium went to Antonelli, who delivered a performance worthy of a true champion. Once again, he had to contend with several track-limit violations. Despite this, he displayed great maturity—especially when compared to the errors made by other key contenders like Russell and Hamilton.

Antonelli managed the pressure well and secured crucial points in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix. His championship lead over Russell has thus extended to 102 points, aided by the struggles of his teammate, who after a power unit change managed to recover to ninth place.

It was a disastrous weekend for McLaren, between the crash in the last lap of the Sprint Race with the collision between Norris and Piastri when they were battling for the top places, and the performance and strategy issues in the Grand Prix. Added to this was another mistake by Norris in the closing stages, in the battle with Hamilton, which also allowed Antonelli to make up ground. One would expect a driver fighting for the title to handle such moments differently: these are mistakes that can have a huge impact on the outcome of the season. I don’t know how pleased they can be at McLaren.

Now the attention turns to Austri where a decisive stage in the title race could unfold. Antonelli has a very comfortable lead and, should he continue on this path, he could already have the chance, as early as the next round, to mathematically secure the World Championship. Furthermore, Mercedes is also expected to introduce updates to the power unit, something to watch very closely.

Gian Carlo Minardi