Max Verstappen will be looking to seal the Drivers’ Championship in Singapore this weekend with the Dutchman's dominance on par with prime Lewis Hamilton. The Red Bull ace now has a shot of wrapping up the title faster than anyone in some 20 years.
To Win Race Outright
Max Verstappen 4/10
Charles Leclerc 4/1
Carlos Sainz 11/1
Lewis Hamilton 12/1
Sergio Perrez 16/1
George Russell 16/1
Previous Race
Max Verstappen was in dominant form in Italy with the Dutch ace, who started in P7, getting off to an absolute flyer as he had moved up to third place within four laps of the and then took P2 off George Russel a lap later.
A pit from Leclerc during a virtual safety car period following Sebastian Vettel’s retirement would see Verstappen move into first place. Another safety car would play into Leclerc’s hands as it closed the gap between Verstappen – who had been running the same tyres for longer – and him.
However, the safety car would ultimately play into Verstappen’s hands as it took longer than anticipated to move Daniel Ricciardo’s car which had caused the safety car to be deployed. The race would finish behind the safety car, with Verstappen claiming first, Leclerc would take second and George Russel finished third.
The Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull theme would continue a bit further down the field with Carlos Sainz claiming fourth, Lewis Hamilton claiming fifth and Sergio Perez rounding out the top 6.
The rest of the points scoring positions went to Lando Norris (seventh), Pierre Gasly (eighth), rookie Nyck de Vries (ninth) and Zhou Guanyu (tenth).
Track: Marina Bay Circuit
The Marina Bay Circuit is another one of F1’s favourite architect, Hermann Tilke’s, designs.
The circuit covers a total distance of 308.70 kilometres, with each lap equating to 5.063 kilometres with the drivers navigating a staggering 23 turns.
There’s some good and bad news on the weather front with rain forecast throughout Saturday and Sunday. The upside to this, however, is that temperatures will drop off a bit which will be a relief.
Teams have battled in the past with braking issues owing to the heat and the sheer number of corners at the circuit.
This will be the first Grand Prix staged in Singapore since 2019 with strict government pandemic policies shutting down the previous two events. Sebastian Vettel won the 2019 edition of the race with his then-teammate Charles Leclerc finishing second and Max Verstappen claiming third.
How can Verstappen claim the Drivers' Championship this weekend?
There are several ways that Max Verstappen could win the Drivers’ Championship at the Marina Bay Circuit this weekend. Let’s break these permutations down below:
- If Verstappen wins with both Perez and Leclerc finishing outside of the points.
- If Verstappen wins with the fastest lap, Leclerc finishes eighth or lower with Perez fourth or lower.
Value Bet
Fernando Alonso – Podium Finish @ 20/1
The Marina Bay Circuit tends to see its fair share of retirements and with rain floating about this could well be the case this Sunday. This could well have an influence on the make-up of the podium and allow for a shock result.
While I’m banking on a number of retirements here, the value on Fernando Alonso to claim a podium finish is decent enough for me to have a very small punt on it. He has won at Marina Bay twice before and he’s finished just outside the podium places a couple times in 2022. There’s a good return for a small stake here.
To Win Race Outright
Max Verstappen @ 4/10
I can’t see past Verstappen here. He’s been on fire this term racking up wins for fun. He’s managed two podiums in his last two starts here and I can see him going on to win this weekend.
