Winners And Losers From The Singapore GP: An Emotional Farewell For Lambiase, A Strategy Nightmare For Hamilton

The final leg of a gruelling triple-header, Singapore offered little excitement on track but left plenty to discuss afterwards. The paddock stayed relatively calm despite mounting fatigue, but a few drivers may regret the decisions they made. Motorsport.com’s Filip Cleeren picked the weekend’s winners and losers.

Winner: Gianpiero Lambiase

Max Verstappen might have been the obvious choice to top the list, but Cleeren directs the praise to his race engineer. After Verstappen took a controlled victory at a track that has historically troubled Red Bull, the team sent an emotional Lambiase to the podium to collect the constructors’ trophy. The choice was significant, as this may be Lambiase’s last win as Verstappen’s engineer.

Lambiase will be phased out of his Red Bull role ahead of his move to McLaren, with Tom Hart taking his place. Hart will already be on the radio for several races later this season, so despite Red Bull’s improved form, there is no guarantee the Verstappen-Lambiase partnership will add to its 73 Grand Prix wins. If this is the end, one of the most successful pairings in F1 history signed off in style by sweeping the Singapore sprint weekend.

Loser: Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur was clearly irritated by the volume of post-race questions about strategy. According to Cleeren, there was logic behind Ferrari’s approach: the team split the strategies of soft-starter Leclerc and medium-starter Hamilton to put pressure on Verstappen, and even when that failed, it was well placed to secure a double podium.

The main problem was that the medium tyre performed poorly in Singapore. McLaren recognised this by starting both drivers on softs, and Ferrari could have anticipated it too. But in Cleeren’s view, the biggest mistake of the day was Hamilton’s own. Ferrari called him in for a double-stack stop with Leclerc under the Virtual Safety Car, and he refused. Had he pitted, the team would likely have finished second and third. Instead, Hamilton fell to sixth after an overly long stint on soft tyres and took responsibility. Vasseur responded by asking reporters whether they had asked McLaren as many questions the day before.

Loser: Lando Norris

Cleeren’s answer to Vasseur’s question is yes. Sprint races carry less weight in the assessment, but Norris’s half-hearted lunge on team mate Oscar Piastri on the final lap on Saturday reignited McLaren’s team rules debate and was unnecessary given how little was at stake.

On Sunday, Norris was more self-critical. He admitted that his first failed attempt to pass Hamilton was one of several poor decisions he had made over the weekend. He said he should never have tried the sprint move even if it was on, that he needs to think more about the team than himself, and that his mistake let the team down. Team principal Andrea Stella said the Norris he saw on Sunday was much closer to the driver he wants to see going forward. Even so, Stella confirmed there will be further discussions within the team before the United States Grand Prix.

Winner: Kimi Antonelli

On the verge of the title, which he could theoretically clinch at the next race in Austin, Antonelli refuses to get carried away. Asked whether he was glad Verstappen is not closer to him in the standings, he said it would be very scary if he were.

Cleeren sees Antonelli’s growth as happening in stages. Early in the season, he dominated from pole to flag in the best car. Later, when his car was no longer the fastest, he moved into a damage-limitation role that demanded more maturity. His impressive recovery drive in Baku was the clearest proof, and Malaysia and Singapore showed the same, if less spectacularly.

What also sets Antonelli apart is that he avoids the usual clichés of drivers in his position. He openly acknowledges the title is very close and uses it as motivation. He admitted he did not drive particularly well this weekend and could have done better, but said he has a week to reset and needs to perform to achieve his goal.

Loser: Honda

Cleeren notes that the real answer is Aston Martin, but says he does not want to keep criticising a struggling team. Singapore should have suited the AMR26 and its Honda engine, but that counted for little when the power unit did not work properly. Power unit issues throughout the weekend meant neither Fernando Alonso nor Lance Stroll could truly compete. Both had to start from the pit lane and never recovered. It was a disappointing follow-up to a more promising weekend in Malaysia, where Alonso scored points.