The expert praises the decision that brought victory to Ferrari – Mercedes driver George Russell gets robbed for his decisive mistake

For a long time, the Formula 1 competition was won by someone other than Red Bull Max Verstappen. Ferrari achieved a convincing performance in Singapore and Carlos Sainz celebrated the second victory of his career at the end of a strong drive.

In the dramatic final laps, McLaren’s battle for the top spot Lando Norris finished second ahead of Mercedes Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton’s teammate George Russell ran into the wall in a tight battle for third place in the final lap and retired.

‘s expert Jukka Mildh was impressed with the performance of Ferrari and Sainz, but criticized Russell for a fatal error. Mildh bundles the other hottest topics of the race weekend and evaluates what will come after the surprising weekend.

What solved it?

Mildh sees that in terms of victory, Ferrari’s big investment in Sainz’s chances of success decided the whole thing. The stable’s precise plan worked out perfectly. Also Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc the role was to support the Spanish driver’s race performance.

Leclerc was the only one of the top drivers to start the race on soft tires. He got a strong start from grid three and got past Russel into second to secure Sainz’s lead.

– Ferrari started the race in such a way that all support is given to Sainz. This was a very smart performance by Ferrari, Mildh estimated.

He praises Sainz’s controlled driving performance. According to Mildh, Sainz was also in the best shape of the drivers after the tough race, even though he had to drive the whole race under a lot of pressure.

– Sainz drove as great a race as he can, a brilliant performance. The decisive thing was that he was able to drive the pole position and Ferrari was able to be carried through the race according to his calculations, Mild analyzed.

He brings up a detail about the Spanish driver’s performance at the end of the race, when Sainz used Norris in the fight against the fast Mercedes drivers. Four drivers were within a couple of seconds in the last laps.

– Sainz kept the group in a bundle, so the probability of overtaking on DRS sections, for example, is not that great, Mildh opens.

– The most spectacular victories that have been in a long time, he exclaims.

What speaks?

According to Mildh, the Singapore weekend was an indication of Ferrari’s development. The stable, and the stable manager Frederic Vasseur, has been under heavy pressure. The expert points out that the most interesting thing for the Reds of Maranello is the change in the power relations of the drivers. The internal layout has turned.

– Sainz is, as it were, becoming the number one driver and Leclerc was put in the role of gun-bearer, says Mildh.

Sainz is now fifth in the World Championship points, 19 points ahead of Leclerc.

Mildh points out that, in addition to Ferrari, several other teams have seemed to have made tremendous progress during a couple of races.

He brings up the safety of street tracks as another topic of conversation. An Aston Martin driver was seen in the time trial By Lance Stroll a violent exit, when he hit the wall at speed as a result of a driving mistake.

The expert believes that in the future attention will be paid especially to the safety of fast street tracks like Singapore.

– These should not happen anymore in F1. On the other hand, the Formula 1 car once again proved to be relatively safe, Mildh states.

Stroll walked out of the car on his own after the crash, but missed the race.

What about Bottas?

Valtteri Bottas the weekend was difficult. He drove the entire race at the tail end, Alfa Romeo’s tire tactics did not work and in the end Bottas retired due to a technical fault. Mildh says that the quiet period of Finnish drivers continues.

– It is difficult to see a big development again this year.

According to an experienced expert, big successes would require special competitions. Bottas has a contract for next season, which is a good thing for the driver. On the other hand, success would be needed in the final season in order to start the next season from a good starting point.

Mildh sees that Alfa Romeo is in a kind of intermediate state where nothing happens.

– In the background, a lot of things are being done to ensure that 2026 starts with Audi. Such things eat development.

The situation requires patience from Bottas, but Mildh believes it will be enough.

– He gives what he can, but a positive performance spike is unlikely, Mildh emphasizes.

Surprise

McLaren’s weekend led by Norris’ second-place finish surprised Mildh. Norris drove the team’s upgraded car in Singapore, but a team mate Oscar Piastrilla there was an old version below, but he also scored points.

– This was a great performance, Mildh sums up the team’s weekend.

He has seen the evolution of the team, but he especially wonders how the team has managed to make such great strides with the car’s performance during the season. Piastri will get a new upgrade package for the next race in Japan.

Mildh believes that McLaren will continue to be competitive.

– Now McLaren’s potential was shown when Norris was able to drive the new car at the top level throughout the race, says Mildh.

A flop

Russell’s driving mistake and suspension in the last lap was the biggest flop of the race for Mildh. The expert reminds that the Mercedes duo wore out their tires in a wild chase, but the mistake was still too much.

– Such a mistake of a few centimeters should not happen at that level, Mildh emphasizes.

He says Russell is not yet a driver at the level of seven-time world champion Hamilton. Regardless, Russell should have shown better competitive stamina.

– Singapore is the most difficult and taxing competition of the season, as Russell himself said. He was frustrated when he couldn’t get past Norris and his ability to concentrate was broken, but these things shouldn’t happen, says Mildh.

In the bigger picture, Red Bull flopped over the weekend. Mildh says that the difficulties can be explained by the really difficult track in Singapore and the changing conditions.

On the other hand, the whole thing could have been calculated from the team that dominated the season by far.

– The background could be that Red Bull was looking for new solutions and gave them time. Now we took the risk of not investing in this competition with new updates yet, Mildh speculates.

What next?

The F1 season resumes in Japan in a week. The traditional track is completely different from the one in Singapore.

– There will be a real racetrack with fast direction change corners, Mildh times.

According to him, the track is, along with Silverstone, the most enjoyable race track for drivers because of its fast corners. Mildh believes that Red Bull will be back in Suzuka. The improved grips of Ferrari and Mercedes add interest.

– For an equally colorful and “mixed” competition, as far as the winning candidates are concerned, at least at the moment, all the ingredients are there, says Mildh.