Carlos Sainz takes checkered flag at 2023 Singapore GP

The skies were clear, and the track bone-dry on the evening of 17 September 2023 - a far cry from what Singapore’s CBD had experienced a year prior.

But as the lights went out on the Marina Bay Street Circuit (or rather, continued to flood it), there was no shortage of drama and action awaiting across across the two-hour race that saw Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz eventually winning the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix (GP) from pole position. With this trophy, Sainz notches his second Formula One win. 

Starting from pole, Carlos Sainz steadily maintained his lead over the two-hour race to emerge champion of the 2023 Singapore GP (Image copyright: Singapore GP)

An excellent start by both Ferrari drivers allowed Sainz to hold onto the lead right off the line, while teammate Charles Leclerc vaulted past George Russell right before Turn 1 to form up just behind him. 

The two Ferrari drivers were followed immediately by the two Mercedes drivers initially too - although Lewis Hamilton, who moved up into third after leaving the track for the run-off on the first corner, was ultimately forced back down to fifth after having to let both Russell and Lando Norris through.

The race also saw its first retirement as early as between laps one and two, when Alpha Tauri driver, Yuki Tsunoda, suffered a puncture after making contact with Sergio Perez.

But the night's first real drama arrived in lap 21, when a safety car was called due to debris on the track from Logan Sargeant's slight head-on collision with a barrier. (This point also marked the official lengthening of Singapore's uninterrupted record for having a safety car come out in each of its GPs.) 

Debris from Logan Sargeant's slight nudging into a barrier saw the actual safety car getting activated in Lap 21 (Image copyright: Singapore GP)

With all cars except for the Red Bulls taking the chance to go into the pits for tyre changes, the order was shaken up rather heavily for the first time in the race. Eventually, however, both Mercedes drivers, Norris, and Leclerc found themselves battling it out again at the front, as Sainz continued to lead. 

Further retirements were still to come during the GP. After turning in a strong performance through the night, Esteban Ocon (who happened to be celebrating his birthday on race day) found himself grinding to a halt in Lap 43; Valtteri Bottas also did not finish the race. Both incidents triggered a virtual safety car. 

The most hair-raising moments of the evening were undeniably experienced during the last few laps, which saw Sainz, Norris, Russell and Hamilton separated by just four seconds while battling for the podium, with the two Mercs yapping ferociously at Norris' tail on their fresh medium tyres. At that point, fifth-placed Leclerc was trailing by more than 10 seconds behind.

Mercedes driver George Russell had been clear throughout the night that he was gunning for a win - but ultimately crashed out of the race right as it was about to conclude (Image copyright: Singapore GP)

As the battle raged on into Lap 62, however, four suddenly became three when Russell sent his car into a wall after clipping a wall before entering Turn 10 - ending the Briton's race mere moments before he would have crossed the finishing line. As the fireworks lit up the skyline in celebration of Sainz's scarlet win, Norris was only 0.812s behind, followed by Hamilton, less than half a second later.

Sainz's remarkable showing on Sunday evening gives Ferrari its fourth win in Singapore - following its successes in 2010, 2015 and 2019 - and with Leclerc in P4, means the team wraps up the weekend with one of its best showings in 2023. Ferrari still trails second-placed Mercedes, but the gap between them has now been narrowed to just 24 points.

Just as significantly to the current year, however, today's results bring Red Bull's record-breaking winning streak to an end after 15 GPs (the last 10 of them, won by Verstappen). It also injects a fresh shot of adrenaline into a season many have grown to see as stagnant due to its dominance. 

The team, which is still far and away the leader of the constructors standings, struggled to find good pace all weekend, with current World Drivers Championship frontrunner, Max Verstappen, ending the race at fifth despite executing a couple of characteristically brave overtakes midway. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez, who won the 2022 Singapore GP, was further behind still at eighth place.

Finishing second at the 2023 Singapore GP, Lando Norris (left) has helped McLaren attain its first podium in Singapore since 2012, while also clinching his third podium of 2023 (Image copyright: Singapore GP)

Aston Martin also leaves Singapore on a disappointing note. Its announcement to pull Lance Stroll from the race mere hours before it was set to begin had already meant that it went into tonight fighting with one hand tied behind its back - and in 15^th place eventually, Fernando Alonso was unable to reverse those fortunes.

Other teams had more to celebrate. Norris' second place gives McLaren its first podium in Singapore since 2012 (and his third podium of 2023), while first-timer in Singapore, Oscar Piastri, was able to move up the leaderboard to finish seventh. 

Meanwhile, Liam Lawson, who has now officially completed (only) three Formula One races after Singapore, continued his stellar performance over the weekend to net points for Alpha Tauri, while simultaneously earning his maiden points in the championship. The Kiwi driver is currently standing in for Daniel Ricciardo, who is nursing several hand fractures following a crash in the Dutch GP.