Christian Horner didn’t hold back after McLaren’s Lando Norris clinched victory at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, calling the British driver a “lucky b*****d” after Norris clipped the wall twice on his way to beating Max Verstappen by a staggering 20 seconds. Despite those close calls, Norris held on to secure a crucial win at the Marina Bay Circuit, keeping his title hopes alive.
Norris, starting from pole, launched brilliantly off the line and immediately broke DRS from Verstappen, establishing a lead that ballooned to nearly 30 seconds at one point. But his charge wasn’t without drama: two brushes with the wall during the race left him with front-wing damage. However, the 24-year-old managed to escape unscathed, much to the frustration of his Red Bull rivals.
“He’s a lucky b*****d,” Horner told the media, including Total-Motorsport.com, after the race. “Hitting the wall is usually a wake-up call, and he hit it twice. Somebody’s definitely smiling on him.”
Norris’s victory trimmed Verstappen’s championship lead to 52 points, with just six Grands Prix and three Sprint Races remaining. This puts the Dutchman in a position where he could still clinch his fourth consecutive title even if he finishes second to Norris in all remaining events.
Red Bull had anticipated a challenging weekend on the twisty streets of Marina Bay, but Verstappen’s second-place qualifying result was a welcome surprise. He maintained his position in the race, securing 18 valuable points and finishing ahead of both Mercedes drivers and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who briefly threatened Verstappen with an alternate tyre strategy.
Despite being outpaced by Norris, who often lapped almost a second faster, Verstappen’s result was still crucial in the broader championship picture, minimizing the damage and keeping his lead relatively intact.
However, the weekend wasn’t as kind to Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship. McLaren’s 1-3 finish allowed them to extend their lead to 41 points over the defending champions. Despite the setback, Horner remained defiant, emphasizing that Red Bull is still very much in the fight.
“McLaren is the benchmark car right now, and we’ve got some catching up to do,” Horner admitted. “But we’ve got the people and the capability to do that. We’re going to fight all the way to the end of the championship. We’re 52 points ahead with six races to go. There’s a lot of racing left, and we’re not giving up.”
With two triple-headers remaining, Horner insists that Red Bull is far from out of contention and will continue pushing hard to reclaim dominance. “We’re still fighting for both championships. We took a hit today, but there are circuits coming up where we’ve performed well in the past. Everyone in the team is massively motivated, and we’re going to keep pushing until the end.”
As the battle heats up, all eyes will be on the next rounds as McLaren and Red Bull continue their fierce fight for F1 supremacy.
