The start of the Singapore Grand Prix proved to be crucial. Both winner George Russell and runner-up Max Verstappen agreed on this during the post-race press conference. Whoever made it through the first corner first, had practically secured the victory.
Russell, who started from pole position and managed to maintain the lead in the first corner, was aware of the importance of the start. “I think it was smart of Red Bull to put Max on the soft tyre,” said the Brit afterwards. “If Max had overtaken me in the first corner, he would have won the race. It’s as simple as that. Overtaking was so difficult today. You could see it with Lando Norris: he was clearly the fastest man on the track, but he couldn’t get past Max. And if Lando can’t get past, then we wouldn’t have been able to either.”
Verstappen agreed with this. Asked if he could have won if he had taken the lead at the start, he responded without hesitation: “Yes, I think so. It’s just incredibly difficult to overtake here. But yes, I didn’t take the lead at the start, so that’s where it ends.”
Grid Position Made a Difference
According to Verstappen, his starting position also played a significant role. “We already knew that the left side of the grid had less grip than last year. That was a shame. So, I already knew on Saturday that it would be difficult to maintain that position,” he explained. “And with the rain beforehand, we chose the soft tyre, hoping we could hold the position and maybe make a move. But when that didn’t work out, it became a race of tyre conservation and management.”
Although Russell won the race in a dominant manner and Verstappen was unable to make a move at any point, the Dutchman kept his cool. He managed to keep the lightning-fast McLaren of Lando Norris behind him and secured an important second place. This keeps him in the hunt with the McLarens in the title race, which is far from decided.
