Russell elated, Verstappen balks at strategy, Norris reacts to Piastri crash

When quizzed on how he felt following his win in Singapore, Russell couldn't helpt but look back on his 2023 last lap crash, and thank the team for work done in Singapore.

He said: "It feels amazing, especially after what happened a couple of years ago. That was a bit of a missed opportunity, but we more than made up for it today.

Acknowledging Friday's woes, and admitting to being wary of Verstappen's choice to start on the soft tyre, Russell reflected on his W16's rapid pace and good feeling, which allowed him to capitalise in qualifying and in the race.

He continued: “Friday was a really tough day for me for many different reasons and I wasn’t feeling comfortable, but by the time I got to Q3, I felt great in the car and that’s when it matters.

“I was a bit nervous at the beginning when I saw Max on the soft, but that first stint was great from us and extended the gap," he concluded.

Rain hit the track until an hour before the race, which Verstappen argues played a role in his inability to capitalise on his soft tyre selection for the start.

He said: “The track only just got dry and starting on the dirty side of the grid, we opted to try something different because normally if you just pass Turn 1, you just stay there unless something crazy happens.

After his switch to the hard compound Verstappen displayed blistering pace, catching up to Russell by around 3 tenths a lap. Nevertheless the struggles he endured behind the wheel of his RB21 eventually made him realise a win was out of the question.

He continued: “I think that worked out but unfortunately I think the whole race was quite difficult, more difficult than I hoped for, for a lot of different reasons. A few things that we need to understand why they went wrong today.

On the first lap of the race, Norris got off to the best start, leapfrogging Andrea Kimi Antonelli and going side by side with teammate Oscar Piastri into Turn 1. At Turn 3, Norris barged his way in colliding with the Australian in the process, which elicited an angry reaction from the championship leader.

For the British McLaren driver, it was only "good racing."

He said: "It was slippery. It was still wet in a lot of places. But it's racing. I put it on the inside, I had a small correction, but nothing more than that. 

Norris was feeling unwell going into the weekend, but when asked if this had played a role in his performance he dismissed it outright, highlighting the battle with Verstappen for P2 and stressing his pace might have been enough to put pressure on race winner Russell.

He said: "Not too bad. I could go again! It was a tough race. 

"But I'm happy with today. I got forward two positions, we won as a team the constructors' once again, so I'm happy about that," Norris concluded.

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