Lando Norris romped home during the 2024 F1 Singapore Grand Prix to take his third victory of the season and by the third biggest winning margin of the year. That said Norris backed off in the closing laps of the race having given himself a scare on fading tyres and nearly putting his MCL38 into the wall.

His lead at the time was over twenty six seconds which was the largest seen during the sixteen races held this year. Red Bull badly need to upgrade their RB20 before Austin Texas, to have any hope of retaining their team championship as they hunt for a seventh and to be just one behind Mercedes.

Verstappen’s lead has also been cut to 52 points and should he come second to Lando Norris in each of the remaining points scoring outings, Verstappen would take the 2024 F1 drivers’ title regardless of who gets scores for the fastest lap.

 

 

 

McLaren miss out on 25 year old record

Of course that scenario is highly unlikely, although McLaren aer now better prepared to do what it takes than they were back in Hungary. There Norris was ordered to return the lead to his team mate, having benefited from an out of sequence pit stop which favoured the British driver. 

The 52 points could easily now be just 42 had McLaren realised they were in with a should of the drivers’ title had Norris won in Hungary and the team swapped their drivers who were P2 (Piastri) and P3 Norris in Monza.

Of course Max was helped out by Red Bull’s sister team’s driver, Daniel Ricciardo. The Aussie was brought in late during the race for fresh rubber to try to claim the fastest lap of the race.

Daniel duly achieved this denying Lando Norris the point he was holding having set the fastest lap after his first pit stop. Norris was also denied the Grand Chelm – pole, fastest lap and race win – which would have been McLaren’s first since Mika Hakkinen back at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1998.

Hamilton requires medical treatment

 

 

 

Criticism over Red Bull and RB collaboration

Given the relation ship between Red Bull and RB, Ricciardo’s fastest lap has caused a certain amount of controversy. Clearly there were discussions during the race between the teams and it was agreed to pit the Aussie to disadvantage McLaren, which some believe is unethical.

Ex-McLaren chief engineer Marc Priestly speaking on his YouTube channel ponders whether the situation may force the FIA to change the rules somehow to prevent teams helping each other.

“If Red Bull are calling the strategy at RB, you could argue that’s kind of pushing the boundaries and that is really exploiting to the limit, maybe beyond, from an ethical standpoint, of what we want the sport to be,” he said.

“And many people by the way are arguing exactly that from this weekend. But for me, the regulations allow this to happen, so why would you not do it?”

Wolff: “Horner always try to sit up shit”

 

 

 

History of FIA collaboration bans

Its highly unlikely the FIA can do anything about this situation given the history of their interventions to prevent teams from having ‘back door’ arrangements. 

Thought the history of motorsport there have been team orders although the FIA tried to ban them in Formula One but with little success.

At the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, Rubens Barechello was leading the race from his Ferrari team mate looking for his fifth world title. The Scuderia ordered Barichello to give the place to Michael Schumacher, but the Brazilian decided a protest was in order.

He slow only during the last corner to let Schumacher take the win – by just over 0.1 seconds, something which the German ace was clearly embarrassed over at the podium ceremony. There he hauled Barachello onto the top step of the podium and handed him the trophy, something Ferrari were to be punished for at a later hearing of the FIA.

Ricciardo angry at Red Bull bosses

 

 

 

Team order ban introduced

Yet Ferrari did not break any rules during the race it was the podium protocols which saw them fined $100,000. However, the uproar from fans and F1 observers alike caused the FIA to ban team orders from the following season onwards.

However, policing the back door arrangements was impossible for the FIA and became farcical as teams would use codes to issue the instructions. Again it was famously Ferrari who blew apart the ethos of the FIA’s ban on team orders in the sporting regulations.

During the 2010 German Grand Prix, Felipe Massa was leading the race3 from Fernando Alonso. The Brazilian had failed to score in the previous three rounds and the Spaniard was the Scuderia’s best chance for the drivers’ championship. 

So with team orders banned, the infamous call came from Massa’s engineer Rob Smedley, in a thick Yorkshire accent, ”Fernando, is faster than you”, were the now immortal words uttered. Massa duly slowed and allowed Alonso through.

Hamilton unleashes his new Mercedes “ordeal”

 

 

 

FIA rescind the regulation 

Again the paddock was in uproar. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner called it “the clearest team order I’ve ever seen” and said it was “wrong for the sport”, while then-BBC pundit Eddie Jordan went as far as saying Ferrari “should be ashamed”.

Much of the fury from Ferrari’s rivals focused on the breach of the sporting regulations, with Article 39.1 stating “team orders which interfere with a race result are prohibited”. Ferrari denied it had been a team order, but the nature of Smedley’s message and the apology – “good lad, just stick with him now. Sorry.” – meant it was hard to deny. 

The stewards duly handed out a $100,000 fine for bringing the sport into disrepute. ‘Ferrari Farce’ was the fitting cover line on that week’s Autosport magazine.it was in fact the right move from Ferrari.

The ban was lifted for the following season and next up to create controversy with team orders were Red Bull in Malaysia 2013. With Mark webber leading the race, the call came to both Red Bull drivers’ “multi-21.”

Singapore’s biggest corruption case linked with F1

 

 

 

Hamilton title winning collaboration?

This was an order to Vettel to hold station and bring home the 1-2, with Webber having won the intra team battle that days fair and square. As instructed, Webber turned down the power of his engine, but Vettel decided  to disobey the instruction from the team.

He cranked up the power (not allowed today) and slipped past the unsuspecting Webber, only to create a furore when he was presented with the winners trophy for the race.

As with team orders, there’s little the FIA can do about F1 teams collaborating on track with each other. It is rumoured today that Toyota’s Timo Glock allowed Lewis Hamilton through in 2008 to take fifth place on the last lap of the Brazilian grand Prix.

With Massa having already taken the chequered flag, Hamilton needed the position desperately to take the F1 drivers’ title from the Brazilian. Of course both drivers deny there was a favour of elusion, but its something we just will never know for sure.

Ricciardo returns to Red Bull?

 

 

 

Red Bull shakeup underway as McLaren poach bos

Major shake-up continues at Red Bull as personnel movements mean the team loses another key executive – The world of Formula 1 is no stranger to dramatic personnel changes, and the latest in a series of high-profile departures, including another senior team boss moving from Red Bull Racing, underscores the dynamic nature of the sport.

Red Bull is set to lose its long-serving chief strategist Will Courtenay to rival team McLaren. Both teams have confirmed the significant move, which marks a new chapter in the fierce competition between Formula 1’s top teams… READ MORE