Singapore returns, Sebastian Vettel’s says farewell
Formula 1 returns to Singapore for the first time since 2019. The original night race has been unable to take place to the pandemic but now, we are back. Singapore is a tough track, it’s easily the most physical race of the year but the night lights always make it look so spectacular. As Singapore returns, it says goodbye to a driver who has owned their streets. Sebastian Vettel has managed 5 victories under the lights and a total of 8 podiums. He has been incredible around the Singapore street circuit, and it very much looks like his final ever race win has come at this venue. Seb will want to bow out on a high and if he has the car, he could definitely score some points.
How can Max Verstappen win the World Championship?
Max Verstappen has managed 5 wins in a row and because of that, he has a chance to become a 2x World Champion if things go his way. Basically, Max needs to win the race, hope Charles Leclerc finishes 8th or lower and his teammate fails to finish on the podium. Realistically, it shouldn’t happen but, it’s not impossible. If Ferrari have another bad day where reliability hits them, Charles could find himself scoring no points and let's be honest, Sergio Perez hasn’t been particularly quick recently. Even if Max doesn’t win it this weekend, he will surely have secured his second world championship come the end of next week's Japanese Grand Prix.
Can Mercedes fight for the race win?
Mercedes are yet to win a race this season. Lewis Hamilton has never drove a season in F1 without winning a race. If you look at the calendar and particularly how Max Verstappen has been driving, you will come to the conclusion that it is going to be very tough. However, Singapore is definitely their best opportunity. The Mercedes Benz car suits the Singapore Street Circuit. Look at Zandvoort, they nearly won that race and there are definitely similarities between the two tracks. Also, Mercedes haven’t been able to warm up their tyres very well but that shouldn’t be as much of an issue given the part of the world that they are in. If Mercedes are going to fight for the win, this is their best chance. However, which British Driver will bring home the 25 points?
The Driver Market is coming to a climax
Since the Italian Grand Prix, Alpha Tauri have announced that Yuki Tsunoda will stay with the team for 2023 and Alfa Romeo have announced that they have resigned Zhou Guanyu for next season. However, Nicholas Latifi has been told that his services will no longer be required from next season as Williams go on the hunt for a new driver. This means that Tsunoda and Zhou can drive with a little bit less pressure than usual but will need to drive well to show that they warrant another year in the sport. When it comes to Nicholas Latifi, he just has to enjoy the next six races. I’d be shocked if he signs for anyone else, so the most important thing is that he tries to show Williams that he was still good enough. Remember, Mick Schumacher is still fighting for his seat at Haas so he will be under enormous pressure for the rest of the season whilst Daniel Ricciardo needs to prove that he is still a good option for Alpine, Haas or Williams.
Alex Albon is back
Alex Albon was forced to miss the Italian Grand Prix due to needing to have appendicitis surgery. After the surgery, his body reacted badly to it which led to a respiratory failure, and he was quickly rushed to intensive care. Thankfully, he is ok and after 2 weeks, he is back racing. This is great but how well will he perform. Singapore is not easy, in fact it's the hardest race of the season physically so it will be interesting to see how Alex does. Either way, it will be nice to see him back racing again.
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