Lando Norris (P2, 18 pts): 9.5/10
It's good to have friends in high places. In this case, Lando Norris has his good mate Carlos Sainz to thank for being able to pick up his fourth runners-up result (his third of 2023). He was a bit of a pawn in the chess battle raging between Ferrari and Mercedes, but only because he had done well enough to insert himself into the right spot at the right time. Armed with the latest upgrades to the MCL60 (team mate Oscar Piastri has to wait until Japan for the privilege) Norris looked crisply efficient throughout practice and duly went on to secure fourth place on the grid for Sunday's race. He was unhappy to get jumped by Lewis Hamilton at the start when the Mercedes went off track to gain an advantage, but his protests were heard and he was handed the place back on lap 4. After Leclerc lost out in pit lane, Norris was back in third albeit uncomfortably sandwiched between Russell and Hamilton. The Mercedes pair opted for a second stop under the Virtual Safety Car leaving Sainz and Norris out in front but being rapidly chased down: Sainz cleverly decided to back up the pack to make things difficult for their pursuers, and the pressure told on Russell who crashed out leaving Norris clear to take P2. The old bromance with Sainz was rejuvenated and restored in the ensuing podium celebrations
Carlos Sainz (Pole, P1, 25 pts): 10/10
The Ferrari might not have been the strongest car in Singapore, but Carlos Sainz certainly got the maximum out of it at every stage. He looked strong from the start even when he was pipped to the top spot in first practice by 0.078s by his team team mate Charles Leclerc. After that it was Sainz all the way, quickest in FP2 and FP3 and then successfully taking pole by a slender margin from George Russell in the Mercedes. It was the sort of performance we've come to expect from Max Verstappen, but was now being essayed by a man in Italian racing red. However in the past we've seen Ferrari throw away their chances with poor race execution, so would that happen again in Singapore? Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Sunday was the clinical way that Ferrari went about business, as though all those mistakes and gaffes in the last two years had been vital data being gathered for just this moment. A clever use of Leclerc, and a level-headed no-nonsense approach by Sainz when it came to preserving his tyres, plus a solid strategy to constrict the options of their rivals, and then Sainz backing the pack up and his use of Lando Norris to thwart Mercedes in the closing laps was insanely good thinking by all concerned. Sainz' second F1 career win was without question his most thoroughly well deserved.
