McLaren is currently ahead of Red Bull in the Formula 1 constructors’ standings, and now Lando Norris is looking to challenge Max Verstappen for the driver’s title.
Oscar Piastri’s victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last week helped McLaren take the top spot in the teams’ standings, which is important for F1’s prize money. However, Norris only made a small dent in Verstappen’s lead.
Starting in 15th place, Norris managed to pass Verstappen late in the race and finished fourth, but the Dutch driver still leads by 59 points as they head into the Singapore Grand Prix.
This week in F1, there has been a lot of discussion about McLaren’s apparently flexible rear wing, which could provide an advantage at high speeds. Piastri stated on Thursday that it is legal and not a “magic bullet” for their recent success.
Right now, F1 seems very competitive with Ferrari and Mercedes also in the mix for wins. McLaren will still need to work hard even if Red Bull struggles at a track where Verstappen has never won.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was the fastest in the first practice session on Friday, just 0.076 seconds ahead of Norris. Carlos Sainz Jr. came in third in the other Ferrari, while Verstappen was fourth.
Piastri has been performing well in recent races, but as he enters his second season, he faces a late stretch of tracks like Singapore that he is not very familiar with. He confirmed on Thursday that he will still support Norris in his title pursuit whenever possible.
“There’s still going to be some tough races in the latter part of the year on tracks that I’ve only been to once,” Piastri said. “I feel like I’m improving a lot as I go through my career, but I’m certainly not the finished product yet.”
