Ferrari’s Sainz wins Singapore Grand Prix to end Red Bull’s perfect run

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz won the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday to end Formula One leader Max Verstappen’s record run of 10 wins in a row and shatter Red Bull’s dream of going through the season unbeaten.

McLaren’s Lando Norris finished second and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton took third place as Red Bull ended up off the podium for the first time since last November’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

Red Bull had won 15 successive races until Sunday but that looked set to end from the moment they failed to qualify in the top 10.

The dominant team’s hopes of sweeping every race in 2023 were duly snuffed out as double world champion Verstappen, who had won the previous 10 races in a row, could only work his way up from 11th on the grid into the top five.

His teammate and closest rival Sergio Perez, last year’s winner in Singapore, was eighth.

China’s Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo finished in 12th place.

Sainz led from start to finish, controlled the pace of the night race brilliantly from pole position to take only his second win, the first having come at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone last year.

He seemed set for a comfortable win until a virtual safety car period 20 laps from the end gave the two Mercedes the chance to change to fresh medium compound tyres.

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George Russell and Hamilton soon reeled in and passed the second Ferrari of Charles Lelerc, who finished fourth.

But when they got on the heels of the top two they could not get past as Sainz cleverly kept his former teammate Norris within DRS range so the Englishman could defend second place.

Russell was all over the back of Norris until his challenge ended in the wall at turn eight of the final lap, handing Hamilton the final podium place.

“We nailed the race,” Sainz said. “We did everything we had to do. We did it perfect and we brought home a P1 that I’m sure all Italy and Ferrari is going to be proud and happy [about] today.

“A safety car forced us to pit even earlier than we wanted and I knew it was going to be a long stint, and hard … it was just quite tight at the end, but we gave Lando a bit of DRS to help him and in the end we made it P1.”