Who is the fastest in the whole country?

The 4.94 km long Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore presents the teams and drivers with a whole range of challenges – and that's just from the perspective of a single lap.

Because the track is partly twisty and has high downforce, straight-line speed is not one of the most important performance factors for a car. This is reflected in the speed difference of less than 9 km/h between the fastest and slowest competitors in qualifying.

However, the top speed of 306.7 km/h recorded by Lando Norris at the speed trap at the end of the main straight at Marina Bay shows us that the controversial MCL38 flexi-rear wing seen in Baku and ‘stiffened’ this weekend may not be the ‘magic bullet’ that many thought it was.

Balance and traction are the most important advantages of a car in Singapore, but there is nothing wrong with having a practical advantage over the competition in terms of top speed.

A look at the qualifying data shows that Norris had the edge in the first two sectors of Q3, but was only fourth fastest in the third sector, which was led by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes, while Max Verstappen put in a consistent performance throughout, taking second place overall.

Traction is obviously a strength of the McLaren car, but Norris' shining example in Q3 was his speed through the 16/17 Marina Bay corner complex, which he owes largely to his MCL38's ability to ride over kerbs.

On a track that takes no prisoners and has seen a safety car deployed at every race, it would be simplistic to say that Lando can only lose the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.

Most likely there will be a neutralisation, or perhaps even several, which means tactics will come into play. That means Pirelli's forecast for a one-stop race in ideal circumstances – with a medium-severity scenario being the fastest route – will require a bit of fine-tuning over time.

The weather is also one of the imponderables, but the forecasts predict a dry, albeit cloudy day.

In summary, teams must once again be ready to make the most of every opportunity that presents itself.

By the way, we will keep an eye on Hamilton.

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