Ferrari's Carlos Sainz won an electrifying 2023 Singapore Grand Prix to put and end to Max Verstappen's and Red Bull's record-breaking run.
Since his colleague Charles Leclerc won the Austrian Grand Prix on July 10 of last year, Sainz's victory was both Ferrari's first and his second in Formula One.
The last ten laps saw a thrilling ending to what had been a peaceful fight.
When Mercedes utilized a Virtual Safety Car on Lap 45 of 62 to bring both drivers in for new medium tires while the others did not, Russell and Hamilton were put into contention.
They rapidly caught up to the first three cars thanks to their pace advantage, but Russell was unable to pass Norris, who was consistently one second behind Sainz, after both of them passed Leclerc with easy ease.
Sainz said to Ferrari when he was informed how far behind Norris at one point, "Yeah, it's on purpose."
The DRS overtaking assistance was allowed by F1 regulations, and Norris was able to maintain his lead four circuits remaining thanks to the speed boost he received on the straightaways.
Russell attempted to pass Norris on a few occasions, but on the last lap, he hit the inside wall and crashed straight into the barrier.
Hamilton moved up to third and Leclerc, driving the other Ferrari, to fourth as a result.
During the final laps, Sainz showed a brilliant tactical driving performance, managing to keep Lando Norris' McLaren close enough for him to utilize the Drag Reduction System (DRS) as an overtaking assist to fend off Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell who were gaining ground.
Russell crashed the wall on the last lap while pursuing Norris, giving Hamilton the last podium position in an exciting finale.
"I felt under control. We made it home, and I thought I could handle it fine." After celebrating with his team as fireworks light up the Singapore track, Sainz remarked, "That was the best feeling."
"Carlos made a really kind effort to assist me with obtaining DRS. It benefited both his and my race," said Norris, who hasn't won an F1 championship but has finished second in three of the last six races. "We did everything we had to do and more, we held Mercedes off." According to Norris, he clipped the wall exactly where Russell went off later.
Russell was running in second place when Mercedes decided to take a chance and have both cars stop again in the hopes of winning on quicker, fresher tires. Russell fell back to fourth place, ahead of Hamilton, and the two of them overtook Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, but they were unable to overtake Norris and take back second place.
“We rolled the dice this weekend,” Following a Mercedes strategy choice that resulted in a late tire change for both cars, Russell dropped back from second place in the race to go for the victory, according to Hamilton.
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