It’s the one race on this year’s Formula 1 calendar that Max Verstappen has never won. It could be crucial to his chances of a series comeback.
Verstappen is at the Singapore Grand Prix following back-to-back wins which have made a fifth consecutive world title go from near-impossible to merely unlikely.
Meanwhile, standings leader Oscar Piastri had an awful weekend at the last race in Azerbaijan, title rival Lando Norris couldn’t capitalize, and their McLaren team has started making mistakes at pit stops.
Red Bull’s Verstappen is “genuinely a challenger,” Norris said on Thursday. “A couple of weeks ago they brought some upgrades, and it seems like that’s put them back on the same level as us.”
Despite that, McLaren can seal the constructors’ title this weekend if one of its cars is on the podium.
Piastri sets the pace
Piastri set the fastest time in Friday practice after Norris had a bizarre pit-lane collision with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc was fined 10,000 euros ($11,700) for crashing into Norris while leaving his garage during second practice. Norris was pushed into the wall. Norris placed fifth and suggested to the team over the radio that he was frustrated with his own driving.
The stewards determined Leclerc was given unclear instructions to leave by a team member responsible for his safe conduct who misjudged the situation.
Piastri led the way in an incident-packed second practice under lights by 0.132 of a second from Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls, while Verstappen was .011 further off as he placed third for the second session running.
There were two red flags, the first for George Russell hitting the wall and losing the front wing of his Mercedes, the second when Hadjar’s teammate Liam Lawson crashed and stopped his heavily damaged car at the pit lane entry.
In the daytime first session, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was surprisingly fastest by .150 from Leclerc, with Verstappen .126 further back and Lewis Hamilton in fourth in the other Ferrari.
Piastri, who was among the drivers wearing a cooling vest on Friday after a “heat hazard” was declared for the race weekend, was fifth and Norris sixth.
‘One crash … and it’s game on’
F1 drivers were challenged on Thursday to estimate how likely it was Verstappen could pull off what would be a historic surge in the title fight. Norris was cautious — “There’s a chance, so more than zero” — but others suggested it’s already a real three-way title fight.
As he has done all season, Verstappen played down his title chances, saying he’s just taking things race by race and not thinking about the championship.
Verstappen is 69 points behind Piastri with seven races to go, and 44 behind Norris. That’s still a big gap but his recent form, combined with glaring errors at McLaren, suggests the momentum has swung.
“One crash between Lando and Oscar and it’s game on,” said Williams’ Alex Albon, who put Verstappen’s chances at 15%.
Singapore’s stifling heat and twisty track are unlikely to favor a Red Bull car whose latest upgrades work best on high-speed circuits, Leclerc said. He still gave Verstappen a 20% chance of being on top at the end of the season.
The hunter, not the hunted
There aren’t many firsts left in F1 for a driver like Verstappen, but he’s never really needed a late-season comeback before.
Verstappen’s first title in 2021 came down to a controversial last-lap call against Lewis Hamilton, but before that he had a modest lead for much of the season. His titles in 2022 and 2023 were displays of record-breaking dominance. Last year he was the front-runner and Norris the underdog.
There’s little doubt Verstappen has the mindset to chase down the McLarens. “We all know Max and how dangerous he is when there’s something to grab,” Haas driver Esteban Ocon said.
It’s a big shift from even a few months ago, when Red Bull was struggling and there was speculation over Verstappen’s future with the team. He eventually confirmed he’ll stay.
Verstappen seems more relaxed than ever, too.
He’s opened up about his family life with his baby daughter, Lily — a good sleeper, Verstappen told German broadcaster Sky — and he’s spending more time on his hobby.
Being a huge motorsports fan even by F1 standards, that hobby is GT3 sportscar racing in Germany, where Verstappen claimed his first win last week.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
By JAMES ELLINGWORTH
AP Sports Writer
