McLaren again seem to have the quickest car for this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix after Lando Norris registered impressive lap times during the first two practice sessions. After looking at the blistering lap times the Briton has been setting, 2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg believes that the 24-year-old will grab pole position this weekend.
Rosberg said, “He’s (Lando Norris) looking mighty out there. It’s all close to perfection, so I think he’s going to put it on pole.”
Soft tyres bolted on, Lando Norris goes for broke in FP1 #F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/u7xwzPaJZ9
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 20, 2024
However, Rosberg doesn’t have the same confidence in who will register the second fastest lap time, behind Norris. With Singapore favoring Ferrari for the past three seasons, he believes Charles Leclerc could be in second.
However, George Russell has also impressed in the practice sessions so far. Therefore, it will not be a surprise if he too can grab a front-row start for Sunday’s race.
Due to Red Bull’s past struggles in Singapore, Rosberg does not expect either of Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez to register a lap time good enough for the front row. Hence, if Norris were to grab pole, he could have a fantastic opportunity to close down the gap further to Verstappen in the standings.
However, what is concerning for Norris is his starts from pole as he has failed to win any of the four races this year that he has started from the front of the grid. The one thing that could play to Norris’ advantage in Singapore is that it is very difficult to overtake.
Thus, if he were to grab pole and get a good start off the line, he will definitely be the favorite to get the win. Such a result could prove disastrous for Red Bull, who have already lost the lead to McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.
