Red Bull’s perfect Formula 1 win record in 2023 faces its most serious threat. An “undriveable” RB19 in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix left Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez - who both played down expectations ahead of the round - bereft of confidence under braking and unsure of the cornering balance. As a result, Verstappen ran to 11th as his team-mate was 13th fastest.
This spot of misery for the hitherto dominant Milton Keynes outfit left the door open for an in-form Carlos Sainz to snatch pole position. He crossed the line to post a final 1m30.984s flying lap and pip Mercedes rival George Russell - the filling in a Ferrari sandwich - by 0.072s.
Sainz’s benchmark time smashed the Marina Bay lap record, previously held by Lewis Hamilton following his 1m36.015s romp to pole in 2018. That huge improvement is on account of a new layout for this year, with construction work around the final sector dictating that the fiddly Turns 16-19 chicanes have been replaced with a back straight. But had the track gone unchanged, the record would have likely gone again to Mercedes.
Ferrari’s first-sector advantage
GPS data from Sainz and Russell’s final Q3 laps show that it’s the Ferrari racer who starts the showdown stronger. Sainz hits 191mph before hitting the brakes into Turn 1, while Russell is 2mph worse off. A 0.06s deficit doubles through the comparatively open first left-hander and the Ferrari continues to creep forward to hold a 0.14s edge come Turn 5.
That rises to 0.22s as Russell is unable to match the SF-23’s apex speed, falling 2.5mph shy.
But then the Mercedes begins to respond, closing back to within 0.15s through the acceleration zone out of the 100mph right-hander. That is, until the speedometer climbs north of 186mph. Once Sainz, later to change up, pulls for eighth gear, the Ferrari has the edge in a straight line.
Source: Autosport