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The 2022 F1 Singapore GP comes at a crucial juncture of the season. We are in what will be the last leg of the season with just nine races left. Strangely, the silly season is in full flow as there are still quite a few seats up for grabs. Quite a few drivers have not sorted out their futures either and things are a bit dicey at the moment.
Heading to Singapore, we're looking at a championship which is a stark contrast to what we had last season. Last season, around this stage, the pressure was at an all-time high. The championship battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton had no clarity as either of the two drivers could still realistically win the title.
This time around, it's almost a foregone conclusion that Max Verstappen already has a hand on the title and it's just a matter of time before he wraps things up. Having said that, many drivers will be looking at the Singapore GP with a keen eye. Compared to the other tracks, the layout here does not scream 'Red Bull territory' by any means.
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As the F1 circus heads to Singapore with the title appearing to be a sealed deal, there are still bragging rights at play. For some drivers, desperation will come to the fore as they aim for a good outcome in Singapore this weekend. Who are these drivers? Let's find out.
#1 Mick Schumacher (Haas F1)
Mick Schumacher has surprisingly rubbed Haas the wrong way this season. The team has slowly become vocal in raising flags over the German's performance and consistency so far. Arguably the lowest point of Schumacher's season was what happened in Monaco, where he got a public dressing down from Guenther Steiner.
Since then, the driver has been performing well, arguably better than his teammate. Having said that, the championship standings reflect Mick Schumacher with 12 points as compared to the 22 points for Kevin Magnussen. This goes against the German whenever anyone debates his chances at the team.
Haas should be stronger in Singapore and Schumacher should produce a strong result. He needs to close that points gap to Magnussen to solidify his claim for that seat.
#2 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes F1)
Lewis Hamilton's post-summer break races have not reflected great results. He suffered a DNF at Spa, Zandvoort was a strategic disaster, and Monza was Hamilton scoring the best he could in P5.
With the win in Monza, Max Verstappen matched Lewis Hamilton's career-best F1 win-streak of five races. He also matched Hamilton's career-best number of wins in a season with 11 race wins. If Verstappen wins the 2022 F1 Singapore GP, he will beat both of Hamilton's records.
Hamilton and Verstappen don't get along well, as is evident in the comments made to the media by the Mercedes driver. While the Briton can continue to say that he does not care about records, Verstappen overhauling his career-best numbers won't go down well with him.
To add to this, Hamilton finds himself P6 in the championship behind every other driver in the top 3 teams. The track in Singapore should suit Mercedes and the seven-time world champion will be desperate to pick up his first win of the season.
#3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Charles Leclerc's F1 title aspirations appear to be a thing of the past now. What is, however, interesting to note is how the Ferrari driver reconstructs his confidence after an emotionally exhausting season. One of the races where we could see the first signs of this would be at a race like the 2022 F1 Singapore GP.
The track layout should suit Ferrari and with a lack of long straights, Red Bull's advantage could be nullified as well. It is a track where pulling off overtakes is difficult. It is also a track where qualifying will be the key to a strong result.
One can critique many things about Ferrari and even Charles Leclerc this season but cannot doubt the one-lap speed of the duo. Leclerc has picked up eight pole positions this season and his ability to pull off that lap in qualifying has been surprisingly impressive.
Heading to Singapore, Leclerc knows this has to be the race where the Red Bull-Max Verstappen momentum is killed. The Ferrari driver has been a somewhat forgotten force recently with the Mercedes resurgence and Red Bull dominance. This will be the race where the Monegasque will be desperate to put down the marker and remind everyone just how good he is.
