Lando Norris wins F1 Singapore Grand Prix despite hitting wall twice – as it happened

That’s all from this live blog. We’ll leave you with Giles Richards’ report from Singapore. Thanks for reading.

The drivers have accepted the acclaim on the podium, so now is a good time to remind you that the next GP is the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on the weekend of 18-20 October.

A bit of a break before it all hots up and the final six races of the season get going.

Norris and Piastri have combined superbly this season to put McLaren in charge of the constructors’ race for the world title.

1. McLaren – 516 points

2. Red Bull – 475 points

3. Ferrari – 441 points

4. Mercedes – 329 points

5. Aston Martin – 86 points

6. RB – 34 points

7. Haas – 31 points

8. Williams – 16 points

9. Alpine – 13 points

10. Sauber – 0 points

Here’s how it looks after the race, with that gap tightening at the top:

1. Max Verstappen - 331 points

2. Lando Norris - 279 points

3. Charles Leclerc - 245 points

4. Oscar Piastri - 237 points

5. Carlos Sainz - 191 points

6. Lewis Hamilton - 174 points

7. Sergio Perez - 144 points

8. George Russell - 140 points

9. Fernando Alonso - 62 points

10. Lance Stroll - 24 points

11. Nico Hulkenberg - 24 points

12. Yuki Tsunoda - 22 points

13. Alex Albon - 12 points

14. Daniel Ricciardo - 12 points

15. Pierre Gasly - 8 points

16. Oliver Bearman - 7 points

17. Kevin Magnussen - 6 points

18. Esteban Ocon - 5 points

19. Franco Colapinto - 4 points

20. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points

21. Logan Sargeant - 0 points

22. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points

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“It’s always tough around here, very warm … and I’m looking forward to a nice rest,” says a visibly drained and disappointed Verstappen.

“A few too many close calls,” reflects Norris, the winner. “The car was mega, we were flying the whole race, still tough but very fun, I’m still sweating. Nice to have Oscar here too on the podium, he drove well today.”

George Russell was fourth, Charles Leclerc was fifth and Lewis Hamilton sixth, with the Spanish duo of Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso mopping up the rest of the points, along with Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez who were ninth and tenth respectively.

Thanks Daniel.

“Well done on the strategy,” is the message from Oscar Piastri to Team McLaren over the comms. It’s another podium finish for the Australian, with Norris the winner and Verstappen coming home in second.

I’m afraid I need to depart now, as I’ve a funeral to attend. Here’s Dominic Booth to chill with you as we reflect on the race and look forward to the next.

Daniel Ricciardo, driving in what might be his final race, steals the fastest-lap point! Who knows how crucial that’ll be come the end of the season? But for now, let us celebrate the title race that we and the sport deserve, Verstappen’s lead at the top cut to 52 points.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull will be second and Osscar Piastri of McLaren third.

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Lap 62/62 Norris did superbly to start well and hold the lead round turn one; from there, it’s been a procession.

Lap 61/62 Norris’ McLaren is supersonic, another fastest lap helping him to a lead of 21.9 as he begins his final lap.

Lap 60/62 Norris cruises, Magnussen quits – it’d be funny had he done so while still owning the fastest lap – and Ricciardo comes it to make a third change, looking, perhaps, to skank a fastest-lap prize.

Lap 59/62 Can anyone set a lap faster than Norris’? Leclerc has youngish tyres but he’ll need to pass Russell first; he’s got DRS in that regard but Russell shuts the door.

Lap 58/62 Ultimately, it feels like Verstappen will do enough to get home this season but it doesn’t seem like his car has another win left in it. So if Norris can qualify well, he’s a very real chance of nicking it. Oh, and Leclerc is hacking at Russell seeking to pilfer fourth place.

Lap 57/62 Norris is putting an exclamation mark next to his win, the fastest-lap icon again sat next to his name. He’ll be starting to believe.

Lap 56/62 Norris bangs out another fastest lap but will know he’s been lucky today, well though he’s driven this weekend, having clipped the wall twice. Next time, he might not be so lucky.

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Lap 55/62 The top seven looks set now, the smallest gap the 3.25s between Leclerc, fifth, and Russell, fourth. What’s been most notable about this race is how routine Norris has made it.

Lap 54/62 Norris zooms on, but Magnussen, last, has just set a fastest lap. But just as I’m about to suggest the leader come in, having a stop in hand on Verstappen, he beats the time anyroad.

Lap 53/62 Verstappen is now far enough ahead of Piastri not to have to worry about an attack; he’d probably have taken second at lights out.

1. Norris

2. Verstappen

3. Piastri

4. Russell

5. Leclerc

6. Hamilton

7. Sainz

8. Alonso

Lap 52/62 Lando, man! Another fastest lap means he leads by 28.650 and the extra point you get for that is a decent wrinkle in the overall picture of things – especially in races like this, where the identity of the winner has been known from the first turn.

Lap 51/62 That didn’t take long: Leclerc passes Hamilton and sits fifth; Norris bangs out another fastest lap and he’s absolutely loving life. Magnussen, meanwhile, hits the wall and flattens a tyre; I don’t think it’ll eventuate a safety car because the car makes it to the pits.

Lap 50/62 Leclerc, fourth, is within 1.423s of Hamilton, fifth and I’d expect them to swap places before the end of this. He’s on absolute flames, the gap lowered to 0.415 in the time it takes me to type that.

Lap 49/62 Maybe he should hit the wall more often! Nozza sets a new fastest lap which tells us how nifty his car is, if we didn’t know already, but also that perhaps he’s had his mind focused by that wall situation having drifted. Cav will not be impressed.

Lap 48/62 Ahem. Norris contacts the wall for a second time and again does well to escape; he’ll need to think about that because it wasn’t a glancing blow and on another day might’ve cost him the race.

Lap 47/62 Leclerc, sixth, sets a fastest lap, and even without a pit, Norris might have a hack at it late doors once his fuel tank is almost empty.

1. Norris

2. Verstappen

3. Piastri

4. Russell

5. Hamilton

6. Leclerc

7. Sainz

8. Alonso

9. Hulkenberg

10. Perez

Lap 46/62 Piastri trails Verstappen by 18.709s, and might just have time to challenge for second; that’d be a fun intervention, because Norris could really use narrowing the gap at the top by more than seven points.

Lap 45/62 Piastri has to go around Russell … and the Merc has nothing for the McLaren! He takes third and looks good for a third podium on the spin.

Lap 44/62 McLaren might think about pitting Norris to get fresh tyres and go for Piastri’s fastest-lap point; currently, if he wins every race from pole along with every fastest-lap point, Verstappen coming second to him, they’ll start the final weekend level at the top.

Lap 43/62 Ferrari order Sainz to let Leclerc by and he does, as Piastri sets a fastest lap; Norris won’t like that because he’ll want the bonus point. But he leads by 23.970s, and I’m sure he’d’ve taken that.

Lap 42/62 Another fastest lap to Norris, who is punishing the field; Piastri closes on Russell, eating up a second in one go-around so, with the gap 2.621, there’ll be a tussle in three laps’ time.