Sebastian vettel

Qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix produced the closest fight for pole position involving three different teams for almost two decades. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free When Max Verstappen backed off his final flying lap because his Red Bull team had realised he was going to run too low on fuel, it secured Charles Leclerc’s ninth pole position of the season – and ensured no one will end the year with more of them than the Ferrari driver. Leclerc beat Red Bull’s Sergio Perez by 0.022 seconds and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton by 0.054s. That’s the smallest gap which has covered three different teams at the front of a grid for nearly 20 years. You have to go back to the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix to find a closer top three involving a trio of different teams. Rubens Barrichello – also in a Ferrari – took pole position for that race by 0.011 seconds from David Coulthard (McLaren) and 0.044s from Mark Webber (Jaguar, which became Red Bull two years later). … [Read more...] about F1 stats: Closest three-team pole fight since 2003 in Singapore · RaceFans

Listen to this article The Frenchman had been running comfortably in the top seven in the first half of the race, ahead of the critical switch to slick tyres that teams needed to make as the track dried out. But the squad went too early with its call as the track was not quite ready for dry tyres, and that shuffled Gasly well down the order. He ended up coming home 10th. After the race, Gasly said he did not understand why AlphaTauri decided to take a gamble on the timing of the switch, especially as the teams that were stopping later gained so much more. Speaking after the finish, Gasly said: "I think we didn't do a good job. We were seventh, ahead of the two Aston Martins, with track position. We had everything in our hands and we threw it away because we decided to box too early. "There was no communication, and no dialogue, which I don't fully understand why. We took a gamble in a moment where we didn't need to. So we boxed, everybody stayed out on track, and we … [Read more...] about Upset Gasly says AlphaTauri “threw away” F1 Singapore GP

Listen to this article Verstappen started eighth after being obliged to abort his final qualifying lap, and then dropped to 12th after anti-stall kicked in at the start. He was making progress through the pack, but after a safety car restart he locked up and went off while trying to pass Lando Norris , which forced him to make an extra stop to change his flat-spotted tyres. After that, he charged through the field from the back of the pack to eventually finish seventh, passing Sebastian Vettel on the final lap. In recent seasons Verstappen has rarely been in situations where he's had to pass slower cars, and he insisted that it was not an enjoyable experience. Asked if he took any pleasure from it, he said: "Zero. This is not what I enjoy. [I want to] win or at least be competitively fighting at the front. "This is just frustrating, being stuck behind cars, having a problem at the start, then having a big lock-up, being again at the back." Verstappen said … [Read more...] about Verstappen: “Zero” pleasure from fighting through pack in Singapore GP

Starting from pole sounds like a good thing for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari, but actually this achievement tends to be a good omen for Red Bull based on the stats so far. The distinction of being on pole position varies in terms of importance from race to race, with venues like Monaco and Singapore seen as tracks where being the pole-sitter is hugely advantageous for a driver’s chances of winning. Of course, while claiming pole position is a great honour in Formula 1, it does not always mean the race win is incoming for that driver, as Leclerc found out most recently at the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix. Finishing the race P2, not only did it extend his winless run which stretches all the way back to the Austrian GP in July, but it also further boosted a particular Red Bull statistic. As Sergio Perez took the lead from Leclerc at the start, going on to take the chequered flag , it meant that out of Leclerc’s 18 pole positions in his career, Red Bull have now won 10 of … [Read more...] about How pole position for Charles Leclerc is usually good news for Red Bull