The Formula 1 edit

Hello everyone and welcome to the first night race of the year, Singapore! Known for being impossible to overtake on as well as the only race Max Verstappen has never won, this is sure to be entertaining!

qualifying results & starting grid

1. George Russell (Mercedes) – set the fastest lap time ever in Marina Bay, 1:29:158!
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
9. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
11. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
12. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
13. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
15. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
16. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
17. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
18. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
19. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
20. Alex Albon (Williams)

NOTE: Both Williams cars were disqualified from qualifying due to not meeting FIA standards on their rear wings.

race results

The drivers are numbered based off of where they finished the race, followed by everything they did to achieve that position in the race.

1. George Russell (Mercedes) — Held onto first for the first 25 laps before pitting in lap 25. His pit stop was insanely fast, 2.5 seconds, and it landed him in 3rd when he exited the pit lane. He took second when Norris pitted in lap 26, and then reclaimed the lead when Oscar pitted in lap 27. He saw the checkered flag first and brought home the victory! He celebrated with his iconic T-pose once he got out of the car!
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)— Held onto 2nd at the beginning of the Grand Prix. Pitted in lap 20 and came out with a pit stop time of 3.0, which doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but in the world of F1, it is! He exited the pit lane in 7th and worked his way up the grid when drivers ahead of him pitted. Finished 2nd.
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)—Passed Antonelli within the first corner of the race to get himself side by side with his teammate, Piastri. Making a wide turn while driving alongside Piastri, Oscar almost ran into the wall, resulting in Lando taking 3rd! He told his engineer that him and Piastri did have contact and that they should keep an eye on the car. Upon watching the replay, it was confirmed that Lando’s front wing damage wasn’t from hitting Piastri, but Verstappen who was up ahead! He also hit the wall in lap 14 and told his engineers to keep an eye on the right side of his car! ALL the damage is being done to the Papaya car tonight! He took the lead of the race when Russell pitted in lap 25. In lap 26, his race engineer asked him if he would be okay with Oscar pitting before him. He replied, “Yep! I mean no.” So the team couldn’t make heads or tails of what he wanted to do! They decided on their own and sent in Lando to pit before his teammate. He had a stop time of an astounding 2.1 seconds and came out in 4th, Piastri is our new race leader! Lando struggled with Verstappen’s dirty air in lap 42, which resulted in him attempting to go around the outside and pass Verstappen in lap 53 but was unsuccessful. He stayed very close behind Verstappen but wasn’t able to pass him for 2nd. He finished P3.
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)— Oscar was super close to hitting the barrier when Norris made a wide turn! Lost 3rd to Lando. He told his race engineers that what happened with Norris was unfair. The engineers got back to him in lap 6 that no further investigation was being held because Lando did what he had to do in order to avoid Verstappen. Oscar was not happy! He moved up to second when Russell pitted in lap 25. Then he took the lead when Norris pitted in lap 26. Oscar pitted in lap later. Unlike his teammate’s stop, Oscar’s was anything BUT fast. 5.2 seconds! He exited the pit lane in 4th and finished P4.
5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)—Lost 4th to Norris within the first few turns of lap 1. Pitted in lap 25 (the same lap as his teammate) and came out in 7th with a pit stop time of 2.4 seconds. Passed Leclerc in lap 54 for 5th. Finished P5.
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)—Advanced two places in lap 1. Pitted in lap 22 with a stop time of 2.3 seconds, he came out in 10th behind Hulkenberg. He passed the Sauber a few turns later for P9. Lost P5 to Antonelli in lap 54. Finished the race in P6.
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)—Overtook Hadjar for 8th in lap 1, but lost it later in the lap to Hadjar yet again! Pitted in lap 28, and his stop was rough! The pit crew member manning the right front tire was having issues with his wheel gun, resulting in a 9.2 second stop! He exited the pit lane in 15th, right behind Hadjar with his engine failure! In lap 37, Fernando tried multiple times to overtake the rookie who just wouldn’t budge, even though he was having difficulties with the car and Fernando was on fresher tires. After much difficulty, he finally passed Hadjar a few turns later. He passed Albon for 11th in lap 43. Starting the race in 10th and ending it in 7th, The Rookie secured the title of Driver of the Day!
8. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)—Pitted in lap 25. Due to some trouble putting on the right front tire, Lewis’s pit stop was pretty slow, 3.5 seconds, and it landed him 9th position. Finished P8.
9. Oliver Bearman (Haas)— Went late on the brakes to smoothly pass Albon for 12th in lap 28. Finished P9.
10. Carlos Sainz (Williams)— From starting in P18 to ending in P10, Carlos is the real driver of the day here!
11. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)—Lost eighth to Alonso but reclaimed it later in lap 1. Had contact with Bearman in lap 1 but nothing came from it, besides a little car damage that Isack fixed in lap 21, he exited the pit lane in 17th with a pit stop of 2.4 seconds. He’s told in lap 27 that there’s an engine issue with his car! When Alonso tried repeatedly to overtake him for 13th in lap 37, he aggressively defended his position, even though he had engine problems. Alonso ended up passing him a couple corners later. Despite troubles with the car, Isack was still able to finish the race in P11!
12. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)—Pitted in lap 14, came out in 19th. Finished P12.
13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)— Bortoleto hit the back of Lance’s car in lap 1, causing damage to the front wing of the Brazilian’s Sauber! Finished P13.
14. Alex Albon (Williams)— Bearman overtook him for 12th in lap 28. Lost 11th to Alonso in lap 43. Finished P14.
15. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)—Started the race in 13th and finished P15.
16. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)— Hulkenberg tapped the back of his car in lap 43, resulting in some debris on the track. Finished P16.
17. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)— Bumped into the back of Stroll’s car at the start of the race. Pitted in lap 14 due to front wing damage from the slight accident and had a slow pit stop! Came out in 20th. Ended the race in P17.
18. Esteban Ocon (Haas)— Started the race in 17th and ended in 18th.
19. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)— Brushed the wall in lap 28. Ended P19.
20. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)— Ended up in front of Leclerc when the Ferrari exited the pit lane, only to be passed a couple seconds later. Pitted in lap 26 and had a super slow stop! He came out in 18th. He barely bumped into the back of Colapinto’s Alpine in lap 43, but debris was still created! In lap 45, his rear brakes locked up and he went off the track, but he missed the wall so he was able to rejoin the race in P19. Finished P20.

Despite George winning his second GP of the year, he wasn’t the only winner. McLaren has reached the maximum number of points they can have in the Constructor’s Championship. Which means that even though the season isn’t over yet, they have already been declared the Constructor Champions! So now that the team’s championship is out of the way, our full focus can go towards the Driver’s Championship! Will Oscar secure the win or will Lando’s continue to inch in on his teammate’s territory and claim the title for himself? Or will Max Verstappen pull through and secure his fifth win in the championship? It’s all up in the air right now, but we’ll have to wait two weeks to see what will happen next in this reality show of a sport! I’ll see you in Austin!