Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix Prediction: Can Verstappen finally win?

Last year's race in Singapore was very well remembered because it was the only one where Red Bull did not win. The current season has gone in a different direction, so we already have seven different race winners from four different teams. In the midst of the great fight for the constructors' championship title, it is really difficult to predict anything, except that at the Marina Bay track the qualifications will be of great importance. Baku and Singapore may be approximately seven thousand kilometers apart, but it is no problem for Formula 1 logistics to transfer personnel, cars, and equipment from the shores of the Caspian Lake to the extreme south of the Malay Peninsula in just a few days. The dust has not yet settled after the very good and exciting Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which was held last Sunday, and the traveling circus is already ready for a new adventure – the Singapore Grand Prix.

The 18th out of a total of 24 races in the current World Championship season is upon us, and after this express migration from Europe, via the Caucasus to Southeast Asia, there will be an unusual four-week break before the start of the American tour. The Singapore Grand Prix appeared on the Formula 1 calendar in 2008. The winner of the first race at the Marina Bay track was Fernando Alonso in a Renault, and that race, the first ever in Formula 1 held under the floodlights, was remembered for the 'Crashgate' affair. The Singapore Grand Prix was interrupted in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, so 14 editions of this very challenging race have been held since 2008. The record holder for the number of victories is Sebastian Vettel, who won the Singapore Grand Prix three times with Red Bull and twice with Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton has four victories, one with McLaren and three with Mercedes, while Alonso was twice on the top step of the podium. Nico Rosberg, Sergio Perez, and Carlos Sainz achieved one victory each. How important qualifications are in Singapore is suggested by the fact that the race has been won nine times by a driver who started from pole position.

Qualifications under the spotlight in Singapore are behind us. There was no lizard “attack” like in training, and in the end, the best starting position was won by Lando Norris in McLaren. Second in the race will start the championship leader and Norris' direct competitor for the title Max Verstappen in Red Bull. The third starting position was secured by Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes. Qualifying was marked by the crash of Carlos Sainz in Q3 which caused a red flag and a stoppage. Charles Leclerc was not too lucky either, whose last important lap was deleted, so the Ferraris start tomorrow's race from the ninth and tenth positions. An excellent fourth was George Russell in Mercedes. The third starting row in the race will be shared by Oscar Piastri in McLaren in fifth place and the excellent Nico Hulkenberg in Haas in sixth place. The seventh time was set by Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin, and the eighth time was held by Yuki Tsunoda in RB. As we mentioned, the Ferraris are ninth (Leclerc) and tenth (Sainz).

Despite being beaten once again, Verstappen insists he is happy with the result as Red Bull seemed to lack the pace compared to McLaren in practice. Verstappen was only 15th after the first day, but very good in the qualifications. It is really difficult to explain what happened to Verstappen and his car in the last months, where the power of the three-time champion disappeared. In the first ten races of the season, he registered seven victories, and in the last seven races, he didn’t win once - only two seconds, one-fourth, three-fifth, and one-sixth place. The lead in the championship is still a solid 59 points, but the situation for the Dutchman is far from ideal. Last year Singapore was the only location in Formula 1 where Red Bull did not win, maybe this year they will end their bad streak there.

OUR PREDICTION: Max Verstappen to win