Verstappen first ‘match ball’ in Singapore

Dutch Max Verstappen Championship leaders (Red Bull) get first chance to mathematically solve F1 world title recertification this weekend Singapore Grand Prix: This year’s 17th edition will be held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, home of the traditional night race. After two years of absence due to the pandemic, I have recovered.

Verstappen, 24, has not eased 1 iota after scoring in the last race before the holiday in Hungary to nearly settle the World Cup. After winning three weekends in a row at Spa in Francorchamps (Belgium) he won in front of enthusiastic fans in Zandvoort (Netherlands) and Monza (Italy). He has 11 wins so far this season. And now they are leading the World Cup with 335 points. 116 more than Charles Leclerc of Monaco (Ferrari), without the final six tests of the competition in Abu Dhabi ending on 20th November.

Thus, ‘Mad Max’ has its first ever ‘World Cup Ball’ in Marina Bay. If he wins and Leclerc doesn’t renew his ninth place in Singapore, the Dutchman will be mathematically declared a two-time world champion next Sunday.as long as his partner is Mexican Sergio Perez -Although there are numerical possibilities-, Don’t improve or finish 4th without setting the fastest lap. Even if he wins the fastest lap, Monaco will not be eighth and the ‘Czech’ will not be on the podium.

If either of these two premises are met, and assuming that caution and team orders do not delay the celebration, then Leclerc will hold a full plenary session and set the fastest lap in the remaining five races. It doesn’t matter if you got it or not. Plus his eight ‘extra’ points awarded for winning the third and final qualifying round through his test in the Brazilian sprint. Verstappen would be champion again, even if he didn’t score a single point in the last five Grands Prix of the year.

The ‘Czech’, third-placed in the World Cup with 210 points, improved their Formula 1 winning percentage to three with their victory in Monaco this year. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 5th place with 187 cars. And he said he celebrated his first victory in his class at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone (England). They are very attentive and never miss an opportunity to make new successes in Marina his bay when the situation permits.

Another Spaniard, two-time world champion Fernando Alonsobreaks Kimi Raikkonen’s F1 race record, which started at 349 races in Singapore. The two-time Asturian world champion, who rivaled Finn’s mark two days ago in the Lombard Speed ​​Hall of Fame, will extend it to 350 this Sunday if nothing goes wrong in his bay at Marina To do.

Alonso, who finished ninth in the World Championship with 59 points after scoring in 10 races in a row, retired at Monza due to an engine problem and hoped his car would “restore a competitive level” in Singapore. I hope Renault, he won again in his 2010 with Ferrari. Now he is looking to tie up with Alpine, who are 18 points ahead of McLaren in the Constructors’ World Championship. Barring misfortune, Red Bull would also score – leading with 545 points, 139 more than Ferrari. This would mean his fifth ‘double’ in its history, following his four (2010 to his 2013) led by Germany’s Sebastian Vettel.

Debuting in 2008, Singapore returned to the World Cup after missing two years due to the covid-19 pandemic when Alonso achieved his first of two victories at Marina Bay. It will begin a ‘double programme’, which will be completed at Suzuka (Japan) next weekend, and after two seasons of failing to host a Grand Prix, it will be reinstated on the calendar as before.For the same reasons.

Regular night race Singapore (which can be tracked at regular times in Europe and America) last took place in 2019, with Vettel extending his win as he retired at the end of the season and will take his place at Aston Martin Alonso from next year. He set a record ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen, who had never won at this circuit.

5,063 meters of track There are 23 corners that require high aerodynamic loads and free practice starts this Friday. In the dry, it rolls on tires with the softest range of compounds: C3 (hard, identifiable by white stripe), C4 (medium, yellow stripe) and C5 (soft, red).

Rehearsals will be completed a few hours before qualifying on Saturday to determine the starting grid for Sunday’s race. 61 laps are scheduled to complete a total of 308.7 km. One of the toughest tests of the season, it was characterized by high temperatures and extreme humidity despite the night – Singapore is located 150 kilometers north of the equator. For example, Sainz adapted by including a static bike session in a sauna in his preparation.

again, Marina Bay is uncompromising: it’s pretty narrow, the walls are close, and security car entrances are not uncommon. On tracks that are considered “slow,” the engine isn’t so much, but it punishes the brakes and has three DRS zones. Between 12 and 13. It can reach top speeds of 310 kilometers per hour, even though there is no chance of rain.

The 2022 World Cup winner has a name and a surname.It remains to be seen where the championship will be resolved. And for sports superpredators like Verstappen who have never won in Singapore, their first chance comes this weekend at Marina Bay.