2024 F1 Singapore GP: Key Takeaways

The 2024 F1 Singapore GP saw Lando Norris win his third race of the season in dominant fashion. The McLaren driver held on to the lead from the first lap for the first time in his career and never looked back.

There were, however, some interesting battles going on in the background. It started with Oscar Piastri being stuck behind the Mercedes duo in the first stint, while Charles Leclerc was stuck behind Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso.

After pit stops, both drivers made their way through the field. Piastri jumped both Mercedes drivers, while Charles Leclerc secured P5. It was a dominant display by McLaren at the Singapore GP, so, as the curtain falls on the race weekend, what did we learn? Let's take a look.

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2024 F1 Singapore GP: What did we learn?

#1 Lando Norris did everything right

He won the race by more than 20 seconds. That was, however, not the story of the Singapore GP. It was about Norris' gap with Piastri, who had won the last race in Baku and had all the momentum coming to Singapore.

The fact that Norris finished a whopping 40 seconds ahead of Piastri is a statement. The gap only reduced by seven points, and it appears that the title is more or less an afterthought. But these wins help Norris learn a lot, and that's what he seems to be doing at McLaren right now.

#2 Max Verstappen must be relieved

Once the exhaustion goes away for Max Verstappen, he's going to sit down and have a smile on his face for the kind of weekend he had. A P2 in that Red Bull is a surprise, as it was as good as a win.

It was the Verstappen of old, extracting the best that was possible from the car, and he did a great job.

#3 Charles Leclerc could have won the race

If there was anybody who looked at Charles Leclerc's second stint and didn't think the Ferrari driver could have fought Norris, they would be fooling themselves.

Once in free air, the lap times Leclerc racked up were unbelievable, as Leclerc was seconds per lap faster than the competition. That's the kind of pace that would leave Ferrari disappointed because a win or at the very least a podium was possible for Leclerc at the Singapore GP.

#4 Mercedes shot themselves in the foot

One has to question what thought process Mercedes had in place when they ran a first stint with Lewis Hamilton on soft tyres and George Russell on mediums. It became obvious within the first few laps that Hamilton on the soft tyres had no pace to keep up with Verstappen ahead, while Russell was just stuck behind his teammate.

It was this period of play that left the younger Mercedes driver too far behind the top-2, which compromised the race for both drivers.

There was an alternative on the table where Russell could have been let through and allowed to chase down Verstappen or try to keep up in the first stint. That time lost possibly ended up costing the Mercedes duo when Oscar Piastri came flying past.

Mercedes had the fourth fastest car once again at the Singapore GP, but this one is going to sting a bit.

#5 Alonso and Hulkenberg continue to impress at the Singapore GP

Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg continue to impress on the F1 grid, and like always, it begs the question of what they can do in a better car.

Fortunately for the Spaniard, he has Adrian Newey joining Aston Martin soon, but for Hulkenberg, it appears that he might have to end his career without ever finding the answer to this question.