F1 Singapore Grand Prix storylines include Franco Colapinto seizing the moment
09/17/2024 06:00 AM
Franco Colapinto's strong start to his F1 career, the three-way fight between McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull, and more storylines for the Singapore Grand Prix
During the 2023 Formula 1 season, only one Grand Prix did not see a Red Bull driver on the top step of the podium.
The Singapore Grand Prix.
That was the only Grand Prix where Red Bull could not even manage a podium result, as both Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez finished outside the top three. Still, that was a mere blip in an almost unblemished season for Red Bull, as they stormed to their second straight Constructors' Championship, and Verstappen took home his third straight Drivers' title.
As the grid returns to Marina Bay, things are much different. Now, Red Bull finds themselves in a three-way fight for the Constructors' Championship and looks up in the standings for the first time since early 2022. While Verstappen holds a lead over Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and a red-hot Oscar Piastri in the Drivers' race, even that advantage seems under threat.
Instead, McLaren and Ferrari are the talk of the paddock at the moment, with the Woking-based team surging into the Constructors' Championship lead on Sunday with Piastri's win in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. For the first time since the days of Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button, McLaren is atop the table, and they show no signs of letting up.
If there is a threat to McLaren, one could argue that the threat is not Red Bull, but Ferrari. While a midseason swoon seemed to knock Ferrari out of contention, the Scuderia roared back to life thanks to four straight podium finishes from Leclerc, including an emotional victory at the Italian Grand Prix. With Red Bull struggling right now — more on them in a moment — and the circuit headed to the sight of last season's blip, the door is open for a two-way fight between McLaren and Ferrari down the stretch.
Could this be 2008 all over again?
That year saw a duel between McLaren and Ferrari for the Constructors' Championship unfold over the final half of the season, and when the grid arrived in Singapore Ferrari held just a five-point lead over McLaren. But a third-place finish from Lewis Hamilton — along with Ferrari finishing out of the points — propelled McLaren into the lead.
But it would be the last time McLaren held the lead that year, as Ferrari took home the title. Three straight P3 finishes from Kimi Räikkönen, and a win in the season finale from Felipe Massa, saw Ferrari to the Championship.
If recent history, as well as recent comments from Red Bull, are any indication, this could be another strong week for Ferrari and McLaren. One that could open the door to a two-way fight between them for the title.
That is one of several storylines to monitor at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.
How will Red Bull respond?
Of course, Red Bull might have something to say about the above.
Recent chatter from the team — led by senior advisor Dr. Helmut Marko — sounds like the team is almost writing off the Constructors' Championship. Speaking with Sky Sports Germany, Marko was asked if Red Bull had given up on the Constructors' Championship this season.
"To be honest, yes" was his stark reply.
Marko even called Verstappen's lead over Norris in the Drivers' Championship into question. At the moment Verstappen leads Norris by 59 points, but with Singapore looming as a potential "house of horrors" for Red Bull, that margin could be trimmed even more this weekend.
Making the United States Grand Prix in October perhaps a "last stand" of sorts for the team.
"The progress will not be seen in Singapore yet," continued Marko. "We'll just have to see how we get through that race, but we really need to do better from Austin.
"Otherwise the drivers' championship will also be in jeopardy."
At the same time, Verstappen's current advantage over Norris is substantial and would require either perfection from Norris — which seems unlikely given how well other drivers are performing at the moment, including his teammate Piastri — or a complete collapse from Verstappen, which seems equally unlikely.
In addition, Red Bull's current 20-point gap to McLaren is not insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination. Even if they fall further back this weekend, improved performance from Austin onward could be enough to still see them through to both titles.
Is Red Bull in trouble in the Constructors' Championship? Yes. Could Verstappen still lose the Drivers' title? Yes. Could both Red Bull drivers struggle this weekend? Yes.
Is it time to write Red Bull off? Not by a long shot.
The new toast of the paddock
Formula 1 has a new legend.
Franco Colapinto.
The mid-season sacking of Logan Sargeant at Williams might have been expected, given the driver's struggles and his impending replacement at the team by Carlos Sainz Jr. next season. But the decision to slide Franco Colapinto into his seat was a bit of a shock.
However, since his promotion, Colapinto has shown promise and delivered points. Colapinto finished just outside the points in his F1 debut, finishing 12th in the Italian Grand Prix. He followed up that performance with points in his second F1 race — and his first race ever on the Baku City Circuit — with an eighth-place finish in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Could that be enough to earn a full-time spot on the grid? Colapinto certainly hopes so.
"They [Williams] showed so much confidence and trust in putting me in a seat," Colapinto told the assembled media in Baku last weekend. "It was a very difficult bet, and a bet that many people didn't understand.
"But I hope to be showing what I'm capable of and that I deserve a seat in Formula 1. The idea and the opportunity that [team boss] James [Vowles] gave me are helping me to show that."
The path to a full-time seat in F1 for 2025 has some roadblocks in Colapinto's way. Only two seats remain open for next season: One at Visa Cash App RB F1 Team alongside Yuki Tsunoda and one at Sauber next to Nico Hülkenberg.
Daniel Ricciardo currently occupies that one seat at VCARB, and if the team were to make a switch one would expect that Liam Lawson would get the call. As for the spot at Sauber, Valtteri Bottas remains an option for the team but another young driver, Gabriel Bortoleto, has emerged as an option for that seat.
Still, Colapinto has turned heads in just two race weekends. While the emerging star might see the path to F1 blocked for 2025, his performance over just two race weekends has many — this writer included — believing it is just a matter of time until he is on the grid with a full-time seat.
An impending Liam Lawson announcement?
Is this the week we finally learn Liam Lawson's fate for 2025?
Speculation about the second seat at VCARB has sparked many a column in recent months, but we may finally be nearing the end game. For weeks Marko has hinted at an announcement in September, and his most recent comments focused on Singapore.
"We have an idea, so just wait until Singapore," Marko told Viaplay. "It's still September and then we'll have a clear picture.
"It will become clear there what will happen [with VCARB's second seat]."
Motorsportsought further clarification from Marko, who indicated that an announcement would come in the three-week gap between Singapore and Austin. But with how news travels around the paddock, it might just be a matter of time until learn of Lawson's future plans.
The fight for sixth
While the battle at the tip of the F1 spear dominates the headlines, an equally fascinating fight continues between Haas and VCARB for sixth in the Constructors' Championship.
Thanks to a pair of tenth-place finishes in recent weeks — Kevin Magnussen's P10 in Monza and Oliver Bearman's P10 last weekend in Baku — Haas has closed to within six points of VCARB in this fight.
However, VCARB has a bit of "good news/bad news" to look forward to this weekend in Singapore. Last year, they took home two points thanks to a ninth-place finish in the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix. That's the good news.
The bad news?
Lawson was the driver who delivered that result.
