Marina Bay, first complicated opportunity to sentence Verstappen

MADRID, 29 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) will seek to give another almost definitive 'bite' this weekend in the Formula World Championship at the Singapore Grand Prix, the seventeenth appointment on the calendar and which returns after two years of absence, although there is even a complex option of becoming champion of the demanding Marina Bay circuit.

Hasselt's man continues to dominate the championship with a firm hand and reaches its final stage, which will be played entirely outside Europe and between Asia, the United States, Brazil and Mexico, with a very important advantage of 116 points that makes it almost unthinkable that his second consecutive crown could escape him.

The season of the new rules have brought an apparent equality, but that has not been reflected in the fight for the title, which has gone from the tremendous emotion experienced in 2021, to the placidity with which a very Verstappen is managing things. dominator who has not found a rival after his last tense 'battles' with the Englishman Lewis Hamilton.

The current world champion has not let up after the break and has won all the races held, to increase his streak of consecutive victories to five. One more on the urban track and under the lights of Marina Bay would be almost definitive and a carom could give him the title, but he needs the failures of all his rivals.

Thus, if on Sunday he opens the champagne for the twelfth time this season, he would need the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) to be ninth or worse, the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) to be fourth or worse and the British George Russell (Mercedes) , fifth or worse, the last two without also doing the fastest lap.

Verstappen, who has two podiums in this Grand Prix, will seek his first victory with the main threat of Ferrari, which is more focused on improving for 2023, but which was the last one he won in Singapore with the German Sebastian Vettel and a double with Leclerc in second place.

The objective of the 'Scuderia' is to sign a good end of the campaign and secure at least the runner-up position with the Monegasque and also second place in the Constructors' World Cup. Leclerc, who picked up some encouragement with his second place in Monza, leads 'Checo' Pérez by nine points and the thriving Russell by 16, while by teams, the Italian is 35 away from Mercedes.

For this, the performance in the last six Grand Prix of the Spanish driver Carlos Sainz will be important, who hopes to live a much more 'calm' end of the World Cup and without failures in his car, his team or his own.

The man from Madrid was fourth against the 'tifosi' and is fifth overall with 187 points and with options still to fight for the final podium of the championship, although he cannot be misled because behind him, 19 points away, is a Hamilton who is also eager to finish as well as possible to be back in the fight next year. Sainz achieved his first great result in F-1 on the Singapore track, a fourth place with Toro Rosso in 2017 that he could not improve.

On the other hand, the other Spanish racing driver, Fernando Alonso (Alpine), will try to get rid of his abandonment in the Gran Premio de Italia, which I put in a good gap of ten consecutive races scoring.

The two-time world champion remains ninth overall and seven points behind his teammate, the Frenchman Esteban Ocon, whom he will try to close the gap on a circuit where he won twice (2008 and 2010) and where he was seventh in his last participation, in 2018 with McLaren. In addition, the French team needs a good performance from both to defend against McLaren in their fight for fourth place in the Constructors' World Cup.

-Friday.

12.00-13.00 Free 1.

15.00-16.00 Free 2.

-Saturday.

12.00-13.00 Free 3.

15.00-16.00 Qualification.

-Sunday.

14.00 Race.