'Red Bull are firing the WRONG man' - GPFans' Singapore Grand Prix hot takes

Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 2024, Social — Photo: © IMAGO

Singapore Grand Prix

'Red Bull are firing the WRONG man' - GPFans' Singapore Grand Prix hot takes

Max Verstappen was beaten by Lando Norris at the Singapore Grand Prix

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 23 September 2024 05:00

Whilst the Singapore Grand Prix may have been a fairly dull affair it still contained some special Formula 1 moments.

Lando Norris' emphatic win around the street circuit has diminished Max Verstappen's advantage in the drivers' championship to 52 points.

F1 RESULTS: Norris DOMINATES Verstappen as championship battle intensifies in Singapore

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However, the Brit could have chipped away at his advantage further if a certain Daniel Ricciardo has not clinched the fastest lap of the race and aided his former team-mate.

The Singapore GP also looked likely to be the Aussie's last race, as Liam Lawson is expected to step up to RB for the rest of the season.

Here's what the GPFans team had to say about the Singapore GP, and the consequences it has for the 2024 championship and beyond.

Will the Singapore GP be Daniel Ricciardo's last race in F1?

Sam Cook - F1 Journalist

The Singapore Grand Prix represented the clearest evidence yet of Red Bull’s almighty downfall.

The race was a boring, straightforward affair, with one driver cruising to victory by over 25 seconds.

Sounds like the early part of 2024, doesn’t it, when Max Verstappen was seemingly obliterating the competition in a similarly dominant fashion to his record-breaking 2023 season.

However, this time it was Verstappen left in the dust of his championship rival Lando Norris.

Norris’ victory was as simple and straightforward as Verstappen’s Bahrain procession at the start of the season. How have Red Bull fallen away so badly?

Turmoil surrounding their team principal, a mass exodus of key staff members including Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley just to name a few.

2025 is likely to see a midfield scrap for the current world champions, and Verstappen may not win another race until new regulations sweep into the sport in 2026.

Will Max Verstappen win another F1 race?

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson - Deputy US Editor

This Singapore Grand Prix will live long in the memory.

Not for its thrilling race action, nor Lando Norris’ dominance, but for the fact it is set to be Daniel Ricciardo’s last Formula 1 race of the season, and who knows, perhaps even his last in the sport altogether.

However, the hot and humid race around the streets of Singapore proved that Red Bull are firing the wrong man.

After Norris’ win, and Oscar Piastri’s P3, McLaren now lead the constructors’ standings by 41 points, and there is only one Red Bull driver to blame for that. Hint - it’s not Max Verstappen.

After a dismal qualifying in which he ended up in 13th yesterday, Sergio Perez’s struggles in the RB20 continued once again on Sunday, only able to make up three places before getting stuck behind the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg.

The Mexican’s underperformance all season is what allowed McLaren to catch up in the constructors’ championship and now, his woes are going to end up seeing the papaya team dominate come the end of the season.

Given his chronic underperformance, it is truly baffling that the Milton Keynes-based outfit continue to back the Mexican when they have proved so ruthless in making driver decisions in the past.

Sergio Perez finished the Singapore GP in P10

Dan Ripley - Deputy Chief Editor

We've not even seen the end of the drivers' championship this season yet, let alone considered the next couple. But if there is one driver who is still proving that a 2025 campaign, or more likely 2026, could still be possible it's that old favorite Fernando Alonso.

This has not been one of the Spaniard's best seasons, he would admit so himself. However, in the last few races, he hasn't been his usual total domineering self at Aston Martin compared to team-mate Lance Stroll that we have come to expect. Is Father Time finally catching up with the two-time champion?

Not so. In Singapore, arguably the toughest fitness-wise of them all, while Stroll was being kept off the bottom by the Sauber pair, Alonso at 43-years-old was fighting with Ferrari in solid points-scoring positions. Once again he was best of the rest outside the big four teams - and it's worth noting he also finished ahead of Sergio Perez too in the Red Bull. Can Adrian Newey now give him the car he still deserves?

Ronan Murphy - Social Media Editor

Was this the moment the 2024 World Drivers’ Championship completely changed?

Starting from pole position, Lando Norris led after turn one and lap one, doing something previously unthinkable.

Now can he do the next unthinkable? The big unthinkable? The one that neutral fans have been wanting since Max Verstappen started utterly dominating Formula 1. Can Lando Norris win the whole thing?

On the basis of his absolutely stellar performance in Singapore, the answer, amazingly is yes. Norris drove aggressively throughout and showed that he has the ability, the car and the mindset to close the gap on Verstappen even more and be crowned world champion.

Sure it was possible before now, but after Singapore, it’s not just possible but achievable.

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

Max Verstappen McLaren Lando Norris Daniel Ricciardo Singapore F1 RESULTS