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Lando Norris raised hopes that he could challenge Max Verstappen for pole at the Japanese Grand Prix by finishing final practice within three tenths of the Red Bull driver. Verstappen’s record 10-race winning run and Red Bull’s unbeaten season came to an end in Singapore last weekend. He had set a blistering pace on Friday to suggest the team have put their struggles in the city-state behind them. The Dutchman’s margin in opening practice was a huge 0.626 seconds over Ferrari’s Singapore-winner Carlos Sainz before beating Charles Leclerc by 0.320sec in P2. That raised fears that Verstappen, who is closing in on a hat-trick of world titles, could dominate the weekend in a Red Bull car which Lewis Hamilton predicted would be “phenomenal” around the high-speed corner track at Suzuka. But Norris finished just 0.240 seconds adrift of the 25-year-old and just 0.048 ahead of his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri as the British team continued to show strong pace. Mercedes pair Hamilton and George Russell enjoyed a more promising session but remained off the pace of Red Bull and McLaren. Hamilton in particular struggled badly in Friday’s two practice sessions, finishing 16th and 14th, with the seven-time world champion admitting Mercedes had work to do before qualifying. The 38-year-old finished seventh in P3, albeit 0.892sec behind pace-setter Verstappen, with Russell eighth. Mercedes are battling with Ferrari to finish second in the Constructors’ Championship. Ferrari, who are running a new floor at Suzuka, claimed the edge by finishing fifth and sixth but were over half-a-second adrift of the two McLarens. Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull claimed fourth, 0.737sec behind his team-mate. A large number of the teams are struggling with tyre degradation due to the higher-than-usual heat at Suzuka, with a track temperature of over 48 degrees Celsius recorded during P3, raising the possibility of a three-stop race on Sunday. Qualifying gets under way at 1500 local time (0700 BST). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen returns to form in Japanese Grand Prix practice Lance Stroll to sit out Singapore Grand Prix after huge crash in qualifying ‘You can forget about that’ – Max Verstappen rules out another win in Singapore

What made last Sunday’s pulsating Singapore Grand Prix so captivating was a genuine battle at the front: a battle for first, from lights out to the chequered flag. But it was only made possible by a clanger of a weekend from runaway constructors leaders Red Bull, whose perfect win-streak in 2023 came to an abrupt end amid the tight twists and turns of the city-state. Yet briskly onto Japan, a more conventional racetrack, would the status quo be restored? It certainly seems so. Judging by initial signs from Friday practice at Suzuka – a driver-favourite on the calendar due to its heart-shredding high-speed corners – it would be a major shock if Max Verstappen did not claim his 11th win in 12 races come Sunday. The flying Dutchman, closing in on the home-straight in his irrepressible march to a hat-trick of world titles, was fastest in both free practice sessions. And by some distance too. Six-tenths of a second in FP1, narrowed down to three-tenths by FP2. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris, in consistency unexpected from practice, were the next-best in both sessions. “It felt really good today,” said Verstappen, back to his customary satisfied self after the anomaly of Singapore. “From lap one, the car was really enjoyable to drive again. It seems we had a strong day on short runs and long runs. So far, we have a good start to the weekend. “It looks tight behind me between Ferrari and McLaren, they’re close. But we just focus on ourselves, try to optimise our performance and if we do that, then I’m confident we’ll fight for pole.” Last year’s frenetic Suzuka race in the rain, memorable for Pierre Gasly’s close shave with a repair vehicle, saw Verstappen crowned a two-time champion following a dramatic end with Leclerc handed an position-changing penalty. For so long, it seemed Suzuka would be the venue for his crowning glory again in 2023. But all Singapore did was delay the inevitable by a race: that moment is likely to come amid the sprint weekend in Qatar at the start of October. Norris, still chasing his first win after recording a ninth Formula 1 podium last week, struggled to hide his deflation at realising Christian Horner’s team were back in their usual flow. “I doubt it’s going to be pole [for us], Red Bull is normal Red Bull,” the Brit said. “The pace was there… but the car feels pretty all over the place. A handful. “I don’t think we’re far away. Challenging for pole is a big task and probably a bit too far – challenging Mercedes, Ferrari and Astons has to be our battle for tomorrow.” Mind you, Mercedes might count themselves fortunate to be included in that list, given their performance on Friday. Neither driver was in the top-10 in first practice, while Lewis Hamilton only managed a best-result of 14th in FP2. “It was a very challenging day for us out there,” said the seven-time world champion and five-time winner in Japan. “I had a lack of confidence in the car and that contributed to our struggles. It was difficult to find the right balance and we didn’t manage to get on top of it by the end of FP2. The tyres were overheating and that left us quite far off the top of the timing sheets. “We know we’ve got a lot of work to do tonight to pick up the performance. I do believe we can make improvements though. We have had similar Friday’s this season and come back stronger on Saturday. We will see tomorrow if we have done so again. We will be putting in the effort this evening to give us every chance of getting ourselves higher up the order.” Higher up the order is certainly obtainable. What is not, it seems, is a major weekend challenge to Verstappen. Last week was nothing but a blip. Stranger things have happened – and the last two pole positions have been claimed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz – but even on race simulations on Friday, the Red Bull was about a second-a-lap quicker on average than anyone else. Following qualifying on Saturday – bright and early in the UK (7am BST) – the racing on Sunday looks once again likely to be behind the champion-in-waiting. Read More Lewis Hamilton says ‘something’s up’ at Red Bull – if Max Verstappen struggles in Japan ‘Buzzin corner’: Sebastian Vettel reunites with F1 grid for ‘bee hotels’ in Japan Lando Norris calls for ‘harsher penalties’ after Max Verstappen incident How to buy tickets for the 2024 British Grand Prix at Silverstone ‘Buzzin corner’: Sebastian Vettel reunites with F1 grid in Japan F1 Japanese Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and times at Suzuka

A “fired-up” Max Verstappen sent a warning to the rest of the grid that Red Bull are back on form as he set a searing pace to top the first two practice sessions at the Japanese Grand Prix. Verstappen’s record 10-race winning run and Red Bull’s unbeaten season came to a shuddering halt last weekend in Singapore, where the team admitted they did not understand their struggles with the car’s set-up around the street circuit. The 25-year-old was confident of a return to form around the high-speed corner track at Suzuka, where Lewis Hamilton predicted the Red Bull would be “phenomenal”, but all eyes were on the Dutchman who is closing in on a hat-trick of world titles. His response to the struggles of Singapore was immediate and emphatic, finishing 0.626 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Singapore-winner Carlos Sainz in P1 before beating Charles Leclerc by 0.320sec in P2. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “He dealt with (Singapore) very maturely. “It was a difficult weekend but he raced very hard. It was what it was. He knew at some point we were going to get beaten and he dealt with the situation well. “He has certainly come here pretty fired up as you could see from his outlap in P1 today. “Max knew it was always going to come to an end at some point. That 10th victory meant a lot to him and certainly to the team so I’m glad Singapore wasn’t the 10th in that succession of races. I think he has just shown great leadership and great maturity.” The second session was red-flagged with a little over two minutes remaining when Pierre Gasly crashed heavily into the barriers at Degner Two, bringing a premature end to the session. McLaren had been tipped to be the closest challengers to Red Bull and Verstappen this weekend, with Mercedes’ George Russell even suggesting the British team could be favourites. Lando Norris showed strong pace to finish the day third, albeit 0.464sec off the pace, while Oscar Piastri, who signed a contract extension earlier this week, claimed eighth in the second McLaren. Red Bull will almost certainly clinch the Constructors’ Championship this weekend at the home race for their engine supplier Honda. But Sergio Perez was over a second off the pace of his team-mate, finishing 11th in P1 and ninth in P2. Fernando Alonso claimed sixth for Aston Martin ahead of the Williams of Alex Albon. Mercedes pair Russell and Hamilton struggled in the opening session, finishing a lowly 13th and 16th respectively, with chief race engineer Andrew Shovlin admitting the team had work to do on the car setup. Russell claimed fifth in P2 but Hamilton was only 14th, with the seven-time world champion a huge 1.141sec adrift off the pace. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lance Stroll to sit out Singapore Grand Prix after huge crash in qualifying ‘You can forget about that’ – Max Verstappen rules out another win in Singapore Lance Stroll crashes into barrier at 110mph in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying

Max Verstappen is looking to bounce back at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend after his incredible 10-race win streak ended in Singapore after Carlos Sainz’s thrilling victory. The Ferrari driver held off Lando Norris, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages to claim his 2nd Formula 1 victory - and the first non-Red Bull win since Russell’s triumph for Mercedes in Brazil last November. ANALYSIS: Ferrari finally find their chief strategist – and it’s Carlos Sainz Norris earned the ninth podium of his career after coming home second while Russell will be eager to get back in the cockpit after a last-lap crash saw him lose a spot on the podium, taken by Hamilton. Verstappen finished fifth, with Charles Leclerc fourth. Last year at Suzuka - a dramatic race that took place in heavy rain and saw a close call with Pierre Gasly and a recovery vehicle - saw Verstappen’s win clinch his second world title. However, the Dutchman cannot win the 2023 world championship this weekend. Follow live updates from the Japanese Grand Prix with The Independent Read More Lewis Hamilton says ‘something’s up’ at Red Bull – if Max Verstappen struggles in Japan George Russell insists 2023 has been his ‘best season ever’ despite Singapore crash Lando Norris calls for ‘harsher penalties’ after Max Verstappen incident

Lewis Hamilton expects Red Bull to return to their imperious form of 2023 this weekend in Japan, insisting “something’s up” if that doesn’t prove to be the case. Red Bull had won 14 from 14 races prior to last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix but struggled in the twists and turns of the city-state, with both cars failing to qualify for Q3 and Max Verstappen finishing only fifth in Sunday’s race. However, a return to a more traditional track at Suzuka this weekend is expected to coincide with business as usual for Christian Horner’s team. Max Verstappen cannot secure his third-straight world title in Japan this weekend but is the favourite once again, with seven-time world champion Hamilton expecting Red Bull to be back on top by some margin. “I would think that if they’re [Red Bull] not 30 seconds ahead, like they have done in the past, then something’s up,” Hamilton said. “It was obviously a difficult weekend the last one but their car should be phenomenal here. They’ve been phenomenal all year long, their pace at pretty much every circuit. “It’s going to be great to watch that car in general. Normally, you’d come here and it’s beautiful to watch the laps that they do because the whole team and the drivers are doing an amazing job with the package they have. So it’ll be interesting to see how the weekend goes. “I hope we’ll be closer and I hope they’re not as fast as that 30-second gap they’ve had in the past.” Verstappen secured his second world title in Japan last year after a chaotic, wet race in Japan. The Dutchman, who has a 151-point lead in the drivers’ championship, emphasised he wasn’t overly bothered at his own record-breaking win-streak of 10 coming to an end in Singapore. “I have no emotion,” Verstappen said. “We stopped winning for one race. S*** happens! We won 10 in a row before that. “Of course, I would have liked to win there as well. But I also know that there is always going to be a day where you have done that weekend where then you’re not winning or things go wrong. And yeah, unfortunately, it was that weekend. “We just move on and try again.” Read More Lando Norris calls for ‘harsher penalties’ after Max Verstappen incident Ferrari finally find their chief strategist – and it’s Carlos Sainz Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to miss Japanese Grand Prix ‘Buzzin corner’: Sebastian Vettel reunites with F1 grid in Japan George Russell insists 2023 has been his ‘best season ever’ despite Singapore crash Lando Norris calls for ‘harsher penalties’ after Max Verstappen incident

George Russell believes this season has been his best ever in terms of performance as he refused to dwell on his last-lap crash in Singapore. Russell put his Mercedes into the barriers as he chased down Lando Norris and race winner Carlos Sainz on the draining street circuit. The 25-year-old was visibly emotional afterwards following a strong weekend where he qualified second and held the edge over his team-mate Lewis Hamilton but is keen to move on quickly. “In terms of pure performance I feel that this has been my best season ever,” Russell said ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. “But I reckon there is over 60 points that we have lost this season for a number of different reasons. “I have got an objective this year to secure P2 in the constructors’ championship for the team. It was quite clear this year from the beginning that we were not going to be fighting for a championship and I don’t know if that’s had an impact on my mentality or not. “There is a reason for all mistakes and that is just pushing to the limit and in some instances pushing over the limit to try and achieve what is possible. I think when I look at my championship-winning years in junior formulas I was the driver who kept on getting results, it’s the long game. “I can assure you once we are in a position again to win a championship I will be back to the ways that I know how to win a championship.” Russell has no regrets over pushing to try and claim the victory over the ailing Sainz and Norris. “If I knew it was the last lap and I took it easy and Lewis overtook me I would equally be kicking myself,” Russell added. “We are on to the next one and it is behind us, in life you can let these setbacks dwell on you. You can overthink and let it consume you but ultimately that brings nothing. You have to have that moment when it knocks you down. “Shov (Mercedes’ chief race engineer Andrew Shovlin) called me Sunday evening and said ‘the only reason we were in that position to fight for a win was because of how incredibly you’d driven all weekend’. I'm not going to let a mistake of 2cm cloud my whole weekend George Russell “He said ‘you gave us that feeling of what it is like to fight for victory again so take that away from the weekend’. “I take the positives, really pleased with the overall performance. I’m not going to let a mistake of 2cm cloud my whole weekend.” Norris clipped the barriers just ahead of Russell but survived the impact and the Mercedes driver feels it played a part. “When Lando hit the wall, the thought process is so quick in your brain because I saw him hit the wall and I thought ‘Oh my God he hit the wall’ and then I hit the wall,” Russell added. “Either the distraction of him clipping the wall was a factor or I was following his tracks or it was just a silly mistake but it seems a bit too much of a coincidence.” Mercedes’ strong pace in Singapore may be hard to replicate around the high-speed corners at Suzuka – where Russell believes McLaren are best placed to challenge Red Bull. But Hamilton is excited to return to the Japanese circuit. “I don’t anticipate us having the performance we had in Singapore. We are continuing to try and push the envelope that we have,” Hamilton said. “It (Suzuka) is one of the favourites for all the drivers. It is that historic circuit and an incredible track to drive on. It is one of the greatest layouts that we get to experience in the calendar.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lance Stroll to sit out Singapore Grand Prix after huge crash in qualifying ‘You can forget about that’ – Max Verstappen rules out another win in Singapore Lance Stroll crashes into barrier at 110mph in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying

Lando Norris has called for stronger punishments to be dished out for blocking other drivers after Max Verstappen escaped grid sanctions at the Singapore Grand Prix. Verstappen was under three separate investigations following qualifying – one for stopping at the pit lane exit, one for impeding Logan Sargeant and another for getting in the way of Yuki Tsunoda in Q2 – but only received a 5,000 euros (£4,308) fine. Norris believes that more responsibility should be placed on the driver to avoid such incidents. “I think the blocking one on track should have been a penalty,” Norris said ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. “If you block someone, it is not just down to the team – I know the team got a fine – but it should be down to the driver as well. “You have to look in your mirrors. You have nothing else to do the whole lap but look in your mirrors and it seems like a lot of people struggle to do that. “There should be harsher penalties for blocking. So many people do it. “It ruins your lap, ruins your qualifying. It put Yuki out in qualifying, he was P1 in Q1. “Nobody seems to care enough. It has happened a lot this season, it has happened to me quite a few times – especially with certain teams – but it is down to the driver to look in the mirror. “I will probably block someone this weekend now and make myself look stupid.” There should be harsher penalties for blocking. So many people do it Lando Norris Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were both among the cars held up by Verstappen’s wait at the pit exit and the seven-time world champion says there has to be more consistency in the decision making. “I didn’t really see them, I was in the pit lane when everyone stopped and I couldn’t see what was happening ahead,” Hamilton said. “We always push and work as closely as we can with the FIA to achieve consistency and there are some variations so we have to continue to work on that.” Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who also held up, added: “I was a bit surprised (there was not a stronger penalty), especially with the one in the pit lane as that could open some quite bad situations in the future. “It is always an open discussion with the FIA, trying to explain what our point of view is. I am sure we will have that discussion at the briefing.” Verstappen, who arrives in Japan with a 151-point lead in the drivers’ championship, feels that every incident has to be judged individually by the stewards. He said: “Every single instance is different. “The only thing I can say about Singapore is that I explained what happened when I was sitting in the car and the information that was given to me. “That is all I can do and it is up to the stewards to make that call.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lance Stroll to sit out Singapore Grand Prix after huge crash in qualifying ‘You can forget about that’ – Max Verstappen rules out another win in Singapore Lance Stroll crashes into barrier at 110mph in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying

Australian driver Oscar Piastri has signed a new deal with McLaren to keep him at the Formula One team until 2026. Piastri joined McLaren as reserve driver last year and made his F1 debut this season at Bahrain before he finished fourth at the British Grand Prix. The 22-year-old further showed his potential with a second-place showing in the sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix and will now continue alongside British racer Lando Norris at McLaren for the foreseeable future. “I am thrilled to be extending my partnership with McLaren for many years. I want to be fighting it out at the front of the grid with this team and I am excited by the vision and foundations that are already being laid to get us there,” Piastri said. “We’ve enjoyed some good moments together in my rookie season, but I’m excited to work together with everyone at MTC over the coming years to create some great moments.” McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said: “I’m delighted to be continuing our partnership with Oscar through to the end of 2026. “He’s an incredible talent and an asset to the team so it’s fantastic to be committing to each other in the long term. “Oscar is already proving what he can do out on track and has been instrumental in the turnaround we’ve had so far this season.” PA Read More Toto Wolff slams ‘moaning’ across F1 grid after Lewis Hamilton apology Carlos Sainz would be a ‘good fit’ for Audi seat in 2026, says Johnny Herbert ‘Level up’: Lewis Hamilton sends strong message to Mercedes engineers

Ex-F1 driver Johnny Herbert believes Carlos Sainz would be a “good fit” for a seat with Audi when they enter Formula 1 in 2026. Sainz, two weeks after securing pole position at Monza, stormed to a lights-to-flag victory in Singapore on Sunday to claim his second F1 victory. The Spaniard is under contract at Ferrari until the end of the 2024 season but has been linked with a move to Audi – who will take over Sauber/Alfa Romeo in 2026 when new engine regulations come into force – as the German powerhouse targets an impressive driver pairing. And former British Grand Prix winner and Sky F1 pundit Herbert insists Sainz, much like his rally world champion father Carlos Snr., has the right mentality to succeed at a new team like Audi. “If you’re trying to bring in your brand like Audi will be, your expectations have to be really high,” Herbert said. “You are trying to get the best and also the best of the future. Carlos has proved that he has got everything but he has got to be more consistent. “Monza was a sign that if he gets it right he can do it and would be a good fit. “Like his dad, he has the right mentality. He is very strong in the head and has a very good understanding about cars and that is what Audi will need. But I also think he will want to stay at Ferrari.” Last week, Alfa Romeo confirmed that Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will pair up for the third year running for the 2024 season. Bottas has a contract with the team until the end of 2025, while Zhou is on a shorter, year-by-year deal. Read More Ferrari finally find their chief strategist – and it’s Carlos Sainz Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to miss Japanese Grand Prix Max Verstappen makes prediction for Japan after his winning run ends

Karun Chandok believes Williams should target Liam Lawson for a 2024 seat after the rookie’s impressive performance in Singapore. Lawson, who has replaced the injured Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri in the last three races and will also fill in this weekend in Japan, secured his first points-finish at the weekend by coming home ninth. It secured the New Zealander two points and AlphaTauri’s best-finish of the season but Ricciardo is likely to return in three weeks’ time in Qatar. However, the perceived underachievement of Logan Sargeant at Williams this season – he is still on zero points, while team-mate Alex Albon has earned 21 points – has led Chandok to believe that Williams boss James Vowles should approach Lawson about a full-time seat next year. “If I was Williams, I would definitely be looking at Liam Lawson,” ex-F1 driver Chandok told Sky F1. “You’ve got to have the conversation, haven’t you? Because you know, Albon’s out-qualified Sargeant on every occasion, he has had scored all the points so far at Williams. “If you are Williams, you should be shopping around and Liam Lawson had put himself on the market in a very good way.” While most teams have confirmed their driver line-ups for 2024, only Williams with Sargeant and AlphaTauri with both seats are yet to do so. It has been widely reported that AlphaTauri will this week, at a minimum, confirm Yuki Tsunoda’s seat for 2024 in what would be his fourth-straight season with Red Bull’s sister team. Lawson, who has been racing in the Japanese Super Formula series this season after finishing third in Formula 2 last year, insisted post-race in Singapore that he wasn’t thinking too much about his future. “I have no idea, honestly,” the 21-year-old said, when asked about his future. “It’s tricky to get a full-time seat in this sport. But like I said, rather than looking at all those external things, it’s for me just focusing on every session, trying to maximise each time I’m in the car and try what I can.” Deputising mid-season and impressing does not always lead to a bright future in F1: Nyck de Vries finished ninth last year in Monza for Williams, filling in for Alex Albon, and subsequently secured a 2023 drive with AlphaTauri. However, the Dutchman was dropped after 10 races this season with Ricciardo replacing him. Read More Ferrari finally find their chief strategist – and it’s Carlos Sainz Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to miss Japanese Grand Prix Max Verstappen makes prediction for Japan after his winning run ends F1 2023 race schedule: When is the Japanese Grand Prix? Ferrari finally find their chief strategist – and it’s Carlos Sainz Lance Stroll cleared to race in Singapore after high-speed qualifying crash

The twitchiness on the Ferrari pit wall was palpable. With five laps to go at the end of Sunday’s thrilling Singapore Grand Prix, less than two seconds separated race leader Carlos Sainz in first to Lewis Hamilton in fourth. McLaren’s Lando Norris in second was closing in, within the critical one-second DRS range. The warning from Sainz’s race engineer Riccardo Adami was quick: “Lando, 0.8 (seconds) behind with DRS.” But the Spaniard was a step ahead, deploying a meticulous balancing act which ultimately secured his second Formula 1 victory. “Yeah, it’s on purpose,” he replied. At which point it all made sense. For a team chasing its first victory in over a year, often maligned for their clangers in the strategy department, all it took was a clear sense of thought and direction from the driver in the cockpit. Sainz was not overly concerned with Norris’ pace behind him. On the contrary, the double threat posed by Mercedes’ George Russell and Hamilton, lapping over a second-a-lap quicker on fresh tyres in third and fourth, was the main focus of his thinking. What a fine balancing act it was. Keep Norris close enough behind him – one-second – to give him a crucial speed boost on the straights to defend from Russell, but not so close that Norris himself could make a move for the top spot. In the end, it was a masterstroke which worked to perfection. “I knew more or less my pace versus Lando and how difficult it is to overtake here,” Sainz explained afterwards. “I knew he was on a hard and if George and Lewis were going to overtake, I would be dead meat also. So I needed him to hold on for as long as possible. “A couple of laps I was 1.2 or 1.3 seconds ahead of Lando so I slowed down a bit to give him DRS into turn seven, which was just enough for him to hold onto them and keep my race under control. Not easy, because you are putting yourself under risk and you cannot do any mistakes, but it was my strategy and it worked.” Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur, beaming after securing his first win at the helm of the Scuderia, confirmed the ploy was Sainz’s idea. “He knew he was more at risk with Mercedes than with Norris,” the Frenchman said. “With Norris we had the same tyres and almost the same pace from the lap one. We were not really at risk with Norris except if we lost the tyres, so it was a clever move from Carlos to keep Norris into the DRS.” It was fitting that Norris was the beneficiary, too. Sainz and the Brit were team-mates at McLaren for two years and are still close friends. Norris admitted that the DRS-boost was “very generous” and despite finishing 0.812 seconds behind first place, was delighted with a ninth career podium. Still, that first win continues to elude him. As for Russell? The desire, bordering on desperation, to win in the end was his undoing. A light tip with the wall derailed his Mercedes on the final lap, slamming into the wall. It was a harsh, dramatic conclusion to the 62-lap, high-humidity race for the Brit, with Hamilton instead taking the final podium spot. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insisted post-race that it would be an “arm round the shoulder” approach rather than any in-depth post-mortem. Quite right too, given Russell’s bold approach almost gave him a brilliant come-from-behind victory. But more so than Russell’s mistake and Sainz’s mastery, what Sunday really showed us – quite depressingly in a way – is what this season could have looked like. With Red Bull startlingly out of the picture – impacted by a lack of tyre grip and car balance on a notorious outlier of a circuit on the F1 calendar – the ensuing battle between Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes was enthralling to watch. The battle behind the No 1 team has been tight all year. Only this time, it was for first place. The Marina Bay Street Circuit spelled the end of Max Verstappen’s win streak and talk of an unprecedented perfect season for Red Bull. The flying Dutchman, who finished fifth after starting in 11th, can now not clinch his third world title in Japan this weekend, with his crowning moment likely to come a fortnight later in Qatar. Yet a return to a typical circuit at Suzuka will likely see Christian Horner’s team return to the top. Ferrari’s pace uptake in the last two races, having taken pole in Monza two weeks ago too, has undoubtedly created a sense of intrigue, a spark of something different in a season of Red Bull domination. Moving forward, though, there is plenty to learn and maintain for Ferrari after Sainz’s supreme Sunday drive. No more should chaos reign in the strategy department. No more should “Plans A-F” be bawled out over team radio, confusing drivers and spectators alike. No more should Sainz and Charles Leclerc sit idly by while choices on the pit wall dampen their aspirations. Sometimes it’s best to keep things simple – and leave the in-race decisions to the men behind the wheel. The team’s hunt for chief strategists was easier than they thought. Read More Carlos Sainz holds on for thrilling victory in Singapore as Red Bull winning run ends George Russell despondent after last-lap crash in Singapore Max Verstappen makes prediction for Japan after his winning run ends F1 Singapore Grand Prix LIVE: Race updates and times at Marina Bay Lance Stroll cleared to race in Singapore after high-speed qualifying crash F1 Juniors broadcast an admirable idea – but all kids want to be is grown up

Max Verstappen believes he will be back on top at the Japanese Grand Prix following Red Bull’s off-colour showing in Singapore. Red Bull have ruled the Formula One roost all year – with 14 victories from 14 prior to Sunday’s round in the city state, while Verstappen had been unbeaten in his last 10 appearances, setting a new record of consecutive wins along the way. But the Dutch driver and Red Bull finally met their match at the unique, low-speed, high-downforce Marina Bay Circuit. Verstappen qualified 11th before driving back to fifth, taking the chequered flag 21 seconds behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz – the Spaniard becoming the first non-Red Bull winner of the year. However, Verstappen, victorious at 12 of the 15 rounds so far, expects the fast-flowing Suzkua track will see him return to winning ways. “Yes, that is the target,” he said. “This track is so different to Suzuka and it doesn’t relate. “We have learned a bit from today, and have a few ideas with what we got wrong yesterday. I cannot go into details but I feel good about Suzuka.” Verstappen finished three places ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez to extend his championship lead from 145 points to 151. Verstappen can no longer secure his third world title at next weekend’s race in Japan, with the Qatar Grand Prix on October 8 a possible destination for his coronation. Red Bull’s failure to win ends their bid to become the first team in history to go through a season unbeaten. “We never expected it,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. “To have got through 14 races, in multiple conditions, is beyond our wildest imaginings. It is a hell of a run. “We knew it had to come to an end at some point. Max has won 10 in a row and that is insanity. “The only driver who has done nine is Sebastian (Vettel) in one of our cars so to have the first and second most winningest drivers in F1 is great – even if statistics apparently don’t matter. This kind of dominance is testimony to everyone involved.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lance Stroll to sit out Singapore Grand Prix after huge crash in qualifying ‘You can forget about that’ – Max Verstappen rules out another win in Singapore Lance Stroll crashes into barrier at 110mph in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying