The Singapore Grand Prix lasted an hour and 45 minutes. The length, combined with the heat and humidity, meant it didn’t feel as smooth as it looked.
Drivers opted for different tire strategies up and down the grid. Take the front row for example, where Pole-sitter George Russell was fitted with medium tires and Max Verstappen was on softs.
Russell knew he needed to remain ahead of the Dutchman at Turn 1 — which he did — and the opening laps saw the Mercedes draw a rather significant gap over the Red Bull, roughly 10 seconds in the first third of the race.
He remained untouchable, pitting for hard tires on Lap 25 and emerging ahead of Verstappen by 3.5 seconds. The Red Bull driver was the first among the leaders to pit.
Just over 10 laps later, that gap extended to five seconds when Verstappen locked up, and the lead hovered around six seconds with 10 laps to go. It was quiet and controlled, Russell not misstepping or losing concentration.
The perfect way to tee up his contract extension.