Rains, some more rains, then some quali runs, fine ones at that and then more rains right before the start of the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix.
And now? We finally have a race on our hands, one that most likely will begin behind the safety car and if not, then will likely be riddled with drama and action as is so often the case in contests blunted by inclement weather.
Saturday at Singapore was about some fantastic battles for the front low lock out. And given their impressive performances at the venue, it’s hardly as surprise that Ferrari have bagged pole thanks to Leclerc.
But can now the likes of Perez and Lewis bag their chances and stop Ferrari from doing a repeat of their 2019 form?
Having said that, which drivers need to deliver a strong Singapore GP of 2022?
Yuki Tsunoda
If there’s a driver who’ll certainly be wanting to drive a strong race at Singapore- then it will be Alpha Tauri driver and F1 newcomer Yuki Tsunoda.
For someone who immediately scored points in his maiden F1 race, circa Bahrain, 2021), the avid Japanese racer would like to convert his strong P10 start on the grid into points.
Though make no mistake; if Saturday was a decent run for the Sagamihara-born youngster, then Sunday’s Grand Prix will be challenge in itself given the inclement weather punctuated by incessant rains.
Can Yuki, who enters his first ever Singapore assignment at the back of results like the DNF at Zandvoort and the 13th at Spa-Francorchamps, finish the contest well?
He’d be mindful of doing much better than his P14 result at the most recent F1 race (Monza).
Lewis Hamilton
There are drivers. There are legends. Then there’s Sir Lewis Hamilton, the Mercedes icon beginning his Singapore GP from third on the grid.
If the 2022 season for the sport’s most statistically successful driver could be summed in a simple expression, then perhaps it would suffice to say – 2022 has been a year that’s seen Lewis being challenged like he’s never been before. And yet, it’s also the season where he’s bounced back in such fine fashion!
Gone are the days where the persistent porpoising problems chewed up his peace of mind.
This is Hamilton at his prime. And how?
Despite suffering from massive pressure stemming from a lack of competitiveness in that Mercedes, Hamilton has managed a fighting third here at Singapore.
For someone who’s 37 and hence isn’t getting any younger; beating drivers several years his junior in bagging a seconds row start to the race isn’t that bad a performance – is it?
Amongst the most experienced drivers on the current grid, Hamilton would like to sign off the 2022 Singapore GP on a high and bag some impressive points. How about a podium finish, Lewis or maybe even a race win?
Interestingly, the last that LH44 prevailed at the famous Marina Bay was in 2018.
Kevin Magnussen
K-Mag, as he’s famously called begins his Singapore challenge from ninth on the grid. If that’s not an impressive job considering the Danish driver doesn’t have a supremely fast car, then what is?
What must be said and in no uncertain terms is that Kevin Magnussen is one of the drivers who simply cannot be doubted or undermined and especially where it comes to the Marina Bay?
So how’s that?
He was the man who set the fastest lap of the contest back in 2018 Singapore GP, when on lap 50 with just 11 more to go, Magnussen was in a league of his own. And that too in a Haas; lest it is forgotten.
Today he begins from 9th on the grid, it must be reiterated and stands an excellent chance at scoring some fine points for his Gunther Steiner-led team.
Charles Leclerc
Leclerc must win. It’s as simple as that. Not some fanboy call that overpowers the mind of a rational journalist but a rational response of who else, but the Tifosi?
With nine against his name, Ferrari’s star driver Charles Leclerc now has the most number of poles in a single season than any other driver since the great Michael Schumacher.
And at the 2022 Singapore GP, it’s Leclerc – not Verstappen – on pole.
Can that now lead to a race win? It must. For there’s no other way; Ferrari cannot win the driver’s title anymore, well it’s not that straightforward anymore given Max’s majestic form. Isn’t it?
Why not bag a win and get some fans dancing endlessly into the night whilst also reducing the mountain of a gap there is to the King of Red Bull?