The line between pleasure and pain is fine in Formula 1. Just ask George Russell and Lando Norris.
The two drivers were separated by less than a second for most of the thrilling Singapore Grand Prix’s final stanza. Russell had the faster car but Norris was centimetre-perfect in his defensive work — and had the benefit of leader Carlos Sainz’s DRS.
On the final lap they seemed destined to finish second and third in a stalemate. Then both hit the wall.
Watch every Practice, Qualifier & Race of The 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship Live and Ad-Break Free in racing on Kayo Sports. Join now and start streaming instantly >
One got away with it, the other had his race ended prematurely in the barrier. Almost identical mistakes with dramatically different outcomes.
Such is the jeopardy of Formula 1’s most difficult street track.
Alex Albon understood the frustration of Singapore post race too, having had almost certain points robbed from him by a clumsy dive by Sergio Pérez, the cost of which could be Williams’s hold on seventh in the title standings.
Meanwhile, at McLaren, the dream of bringing and IndyCar star to Formula 1 hasn’t died in the post-Colton Herta and Álex Palou era, with a new prospect set to get the nod.
Ferrari’s smooth operator celebrates win | 00:30
NORRIS REVEALS CRASH THAT ALMOST ENDED HIS SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
Lando Norris came perilously close to having his race end in the same barriers that caught out George Russell in his fraught last-lap defence of second place.
Norris spent the final phase of the race fending off the much faster Russell, who had made a late second stop for fresh tyres to try to break the podium deadlock.
Norris’s defence was being aided by Carlos Sainz, who was holding back to give the McLaren the benefit of his DRS, a tactic that proved pivotal to him winning the race.
After several laps of fruitless parries, Russell had conceded he wasn’t going to break Norris’s defence, and in a moment of lapsed concentration the Mercedes driver hit the outside wall at turn 10, which spit him into the barriers on exit.
Norris revealed after the race that he’d made an almost identical mistake fractionally before Russell, albeit without terminal consequences.
“The last lap then I had a bit more of a breather,” he said. “I hit the wall, where George also hit the wall, but I hit it with the front, so I kind of panicked a bit thinking maybe I just messed it all up.
“But it damaged the steering in terms of it was just off-centre.
“Luckily it was nothing more than that.”
Lando almost crashes while celebrating | 00:39
Russell was asked after the race if Norris’s crash has distracted him from his line, but the Mercedes driver denied it had been an influence in his own accident.
“I saw Lando brush the wall and in that split-second I thought, ‘Oh, he’s just hit the wall’,” he said. “And two-tenths of a second later I’ve hit the wall.
“It definitely wasn’t Lando brushing it that caught me out.”
WILLIAMS FRUSTRATED BY LOST ALBON POINTS AFTER PÉREZ PRANG
Williams boss James Vowles has lamented the Sergio Pérez dive-bomb that cost Alex Albon points late in the Singapore Grand Prix.
Pérez was recovering from 13th on the grid and a pit stop that dropped him to the back of the pack late in the race when he came across 10th-placed Albon as the last-placed driver in the points.
The Mexican was substantially quicker with his fresh medium tyres but elected to try on a pass down the inside of Turn 13.
The two made contact, and while Pérez continued unhindered, Albon was guided towards the wall, falling back to 14th.
The Thai driver recovered to 11th but without enough time to rescue a point from his evening.
Without the crash, Williams believes Albon would have passed Lawson for ninth and then moved up to eighth after George Russell crashed out of the race, collecting four points.
Instead Haas collected its first point since May with Kevin Magnussen. Williams now leads Haas by nine points for seventh place in the constructors championship.
Perez overtaken three times in 1 minute | 01:03
“It is frustrating that when you’re in a championship that’s being fought down to the point and you’re leading against your direct rivals in this championship,” Vowles told Autosport. “To have it taken away from you hurts.
“And without good reason either. It was a lunge. There are sensible ways of overtaking and that wasn’t the way to do it.
“It’s incredibly frustrating. You are into fine, fine margins, and this could be what decides the championship positions.”
Pérez was penalised five seconds and given one penalty points for the crash but held onto eighth place.
‘Genius bromance’ holds off Mercedes | 04:14
INDYCAR STAR SET FOR F1 RESERVE ROLE
IndyCar star Pato O’Ward could be set to become McLaren’s new reserve driver thanks to a COVID-era superlicence quirk, opening a potential pathway to a Formula 1 drive.
O’Ward finished fourth in this year’s IndyCar series, worth 10 superlicence points. Combined with previous finishes of seventh in 2022 (four points) and third in 2021 (20 points), his results would see him fall six points short of the 40 points required to race in Formula 1.
Superlicence points are ordinarily accumulated over a three-year period. However, McLaren believes O’Ward is eligible to count the best three of his previous four seasons under a rule designed to accommodate pandemic disruptions.
Including O’Ward’s fourth-place finish in 2020 in exchange for his seventh-place finish in 2022 would see him hit the magic 40 points required to enter Formula 1.
“We are actually checking with the FIA,” McLaren boss Andrea Stella said. “We think he’s eligible now for the superlicence.
“He is qualified to driver a Formula 1 car and be one of the reserve drivers.”
Piastri walks off after Brundle ‘snub’ | 00:34
O’Ward would replace 2023 IndyCar champion Álex Palou as McLaren’s in-house reserve driver after the Spaniard suddenly broke ties with Woking in August.
Palou had been sued by his Chip Ganassi Racing team when he signed for McLaren’s IndyCar squad last year to get access to its F1 program.
However, he changed his mind last month, deciding instead to pursue a long-term future in IndyCar. He’s now being sued by McLaren for breach of contract.
His loss his O’Ward’s gain, with Stella confirming the Mexican will be fielded in FP1 in Abu Dhabi as well as in the post-season test.
With the IndyCar season over, he would also be eligible to race if either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri were unable to drive, although McLaren also has access to Mercedes reserve Mick Schumacher.