Did McLaren miss an opportunity to ensure Norris scored the fastest lap point? · RaceFans

Lando Norris’ hopes of claiming a most potential factors rating had been dashed by Daniel Ricciardo within the dying moments of the Singapore Grand Prix.

Hypothesis was rife that Crimson Bull had pressed their second staff, RB, to make use of Ricciardo to deprive Max Verstappen’s closest championship rival of a precious level. However did McLaren miss a chance to render Ricciardo’s efforts irrelevant.

Norris, who brushed the wall twice on his technique to victory, admitted he was pushing arduous at one stage within the hope of with the ability to do the identical as Ricciardo, and pit for a set of sentimental tyres on the finish of the race for his personal try on the quickest lap time.

“I used to be flat out,” he stated after the race. “I used to be in all probability pushing a bit too arduous, it was undoubtedly not like I used to be cruising.

Lando Norris, McLaren, Singapore, 2024 — Norris tried to get the hole he wanted for the pit cease

“I used to be pushing to open up a niche, and at one level I wished to try to open up a pit window to provide myself a chance to perhaps field on the finish of the race for quickest lap if I wanted to try to obtain that. Daniel stole that away from me on the finish of the race.”

If Norris had obtained the prospect to do a lap on mushy tyres on the finish of the race, he probably wouldn’t have needed to strive very arduous to get the bonus level. Ricciardo’s lap time on softs was solely two-tenths of a second quicker than what Norris was able to on an 18-lap-old set of hards.

Norris got here closing to getting the lap he wanted. A pit cease prices round 30 seconds on the Marina Bay circuit and his lead over Verstappen peaked at 29.1s on laps 53-54. However given the potential price of a sluggish pit cease, McLaren would probably have wished a extra snug margin than simply an additional 0.9 seconds.

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By the tip of the race, Verstappen had Norris’ lead down to twenty seconds. The McLaren driver misplaced a big period of time within the ultimate laps as he took care lapping a three-car practice comprising Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez and Franco Colapinto.

Was there a chance earlier than then for Norris to construct up the lead he wanted? He clearly drove with some margin in hand previous to lap 48, when he produced his quickest lap of the race. At that time his lead stood at 26 seconds, so had he pushed more durable on his tyres earlier on, the chance may have existed.

But it surely’s not sure McLaren would have been ready to danger a pit cease in these circumstances. The staff suffered an issue throughout a follow pit cease on Friday which delayed Oscar Piastri’s begin to the primary session of the weekend. Norris may need wanted to twist their arm into letting him make a pit cease, as Verstappen did along with his staff in Austria final 12 months.

2024 Singapore Grand Prix lap chart

The positions of every driver on each lap. Click on identify to spotlight, right-click to reset. Toggle drivers utilizing controls beneath:

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2024 Singapore Grand Prix race chart

The gaps between every driver on each lap in comparison with the chief’s common lap time. Very giant gaps omitted. Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and right-click to reset. Toggle drivers utilizing controls beneath:

2024 Singapore Grand Prix lap instances

All of the lap instances by the drivers (in seconds, very sluggish laps excluded). Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and toggle drivers utilizing the management beneath:

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