Lando Norris is drawing motivation from the recent Ryder Cup, where the United States nearly made a comeback against Europe. As he heads into the Singapore Grand Prix, Norris trails Oscar Piastri by 25 points in the Formula One championship. Despite his recent dip in form, Norris remains hopeful with seven races left in the season.
McLaren is on the brink of securing their 10th constructors' championship title. They need just 14 points in Sunday's race to achieve this milestone. This would place them alongside Ferrari as one of only two teams to have won 10 or more titles. With six races remaining, McLaren could also match Red Bull's record for the earliest title win.
Norris has shown impressive speed this year, setting the fastest lap six times.
If he achieves another fastest lap, it will mark his best performance in this metric. Only 11 drivers have managed seven or more fastest laps in a single F1 season.
Max Verstappen has been gaining momentum with victories in the last two races. He is now within 44 points of Norris and Piastri but still trails Piastri by 69 points overall. Verstappen acknowledges that everything must go perfectly for him to close this gap and hopes for some luck on his side.
Verstappen has secured pole position and victory in both Italy and Azerbaijan recently. If he continues this streak, he could achieve three consecutive race wins with pole positions for the first time since 2023.
Drivers to Watch
Norris aims to repeat his success at Marina Bay after winning last year's Singapore Grand Prix. If successful, he would be the first driver since Lewis Hamilton to win back-to-back races there. Each of Norris's nine previous wins came at different tracks, making a repeat victory significant.
Verstappen is chasing history as well; one more pole position will surpass Ayrton Senna's record of 46 poles with McLaren for a single team. The pole sitter has won three of the last six Singapore races, including each of the last two years.
The current championship standings show Oscar Piastri leading with 324 points, followed by Lando Norris at 299 and Max Verstappen at 255. In the constructors' standings, McLaren leads with 623 points, far ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari.
As the season progresses, both drivers and teams are focused on maintaining their form and seizing every opportunity to gain crucial points in their respective championships.
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