Why Perez & Ferrari will hope to break Verstappen's streak: What to watch for at 2023 Singapore GP

The Singapore Grand Prix is the first stop on F1‘s intercontinental trip through Asia and the Americas as the 2023 season winds to a close — Max Verstappen‘s third world championship edging ever closer.

While the Dutchman has been in commanding control of the title race since the series left Monaco, he may be facing his fiercest challenge yet on the streets of Marina Bay. Renowned as a street circuit specialist, Sergio Perez could be Verstappen’s biggest threat to his record-setting win streak, but while the Mexican may be held back by team orders, the same can’t be said for the likes of Ferrari, Aston Martin or Mercedes.

The Singapore GP itself is often regarded as one of, if not the, toughest race the F1 calendar has to offer: the ‘Monaco of the East’ often held in hot and humid conditions where drivers can lose up to four kilograms in bodyweight. Lapses in concentration can be common, leading to moments of chaos and controversy. Will the same be said for 2023, with a new track layout in place?

Here are the headlines to watch out for at the 2023 Singapore GP.

 

Can Perez maintain his reputation as street circuit specialist?

It’s no secret that Sergio Perez has undergone a recent dip in form after starting the season on title-winning form — splitting the first four race victories equally with his Red Bull team-mate. Since then, the Mexican has slipped 145 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ standings and has been left battling for scraps against inferior teams.

But having found polarising success on street circuits in the past — winning in Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia — Perez’s next trip to Marina Bay signifies a shot at redemption. As written by Mark Hughes for Motor Sport, the Mexican’s advantage is due to his “simpler driver style”, which allows him to shave Armco and concrete barriers thanks to his handling of oversteer and very delicate throttle foot to optimise traction.

If Perez can put all the pieces together and replicate some his past performances, Red Bull’s biggest threat to Verstappen’s win streak could come from its very own garage.

 

Could new circuit changes make Marina Bay easier for drivers and strategists?

Marina Bay will take on a new look in 2023: city construction forcing the circuit to replace the former Turn 16 chicane with a 400m-long straight. Not only will this make each lap faster — cars finding up to eight seconds in qualifying trim — but it could also present new overtaking opportunities and less physical load on drivers and their cars.

“That will change the nature of that circuit quite a lot,” Dave Robson, head of vehicle performance at Williams, told Motor Sport. “Not so much in terms of the downforce level I don’t think, but in terms of braking is always difficult there.

“The energy the brakes have to deal with, the rear tyre degradation is always really difficult by the time you get to the last sector.”

Pirelli has noted the changes to the circuit and remains hesitant to suggest a good tyre strategy: “We’ll wait to see if this change has an effect on strategies, because in theory at least it could create an overtaking opportunity – with passing notoriously difficult unless you have a much faster car,” says Pirelli’s head of motor sport Mario Isola. “But the rear tyres need to be carefully managed during the traction phase when exiting slow corners.”

For the drivers, the weekend will still be as hot and humid as ever, but will only have to tackle 19 corners instead of the usual 23. A rare break — kind of.

 

Liam Lawson’s steady and impressive progress

With the absence of Daniel Ricciardo expected to continue until further notice, Liam Lawson‘s performance for AlphaTauri could continue to climb following positive results in his first two F1 starts.

The Kiwi finished 13th at Zandvoort after just one practice and qualifying session and took his impressive start one step further at Monza, besting temporary team-mate Yuki Tsunoda to 11th.

Should he pull off a similar result in Singapore, Lawson could begin to mount pressure on both Red Bull and AlphaTauri to consider him for an F1 seat in 2024 — the latter currently having no drivers confirmed for 2024.

“Liam has been with us for a while,” Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko told ServusTV. “He is a tough but very smart man in a fight, a bit like Bruce McLaren.

“The speed was there [last weekend in Italy], and that is a good sign. However, he is now still driving in the Japanese championship. Will he get a [full-time] seat instead of [staying] a reserve driver? That could happen quickly.”

It’s currently unknown which race could be Lawson’s last before Ricciardo returns, but further progress in Marina Bay could place the ball firmly in Red Bull’s court.

 

Alfa Romeo’s big update

Alfa Romeo has claimed to have “turned the tide” after an impressive tenth-place finish in Monza — Valtteri Bottas finishing inside the points for first time since the Canadian Grand Prix.

According to team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the performance has inspired new life into the Italian marque and its aim of besting Williams in the constructors’ standings by the climax of the season in eight races time. A new “important package” hopes to be the driving force.

“We are bringing a new, important package to Singapore, which asked a lot of effort from our home team over the past months,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll help us in the chase for more points finishes. It’ll be crucial, on a track like Singapore with its peculiar layout and climate conditions, to get the feeling right from the start, and improve our performances throughout the sessions.”

Alfa Romeo is currently 11 points adrift of the midfield fight — Williams’ advantage courtesy of a resurgent Alex Albon — but a good result in Singapore could drastically close the gap.

 

Could Ferrari be Red Bull’s biggest challenger in Singapore?

By no means have Red Bull shown any signs of cracking during the European leg of the 2023 F1 season, maintaining a perfect string of race results ever since the lights went out in Bahrain. But with just eight grand prix remaining and an era-defining record on the line — the Milton Keynes marque still on track to become the first team to win every race of an F1 season — Singapore could be Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s biggest challenge.

“Like every race, we have had a competitive car everywhere so why should that not be the case in Singapore?” Helmut Marko told Motorsport.com.

“But I have to say Ferrari and especially Leclerc is a specialist around there. If they are faster in qualifying, then it could become a problem for us because overtaking in Singapore is very difficult.

“But I’m still optimistic that the package we are bringing to Singapore is good enough to win.”

Alongside Verstappen’s current run of form, Sergio Perez’s past performance on street circuits should present a tough obstacle for any team wishing to capture the top step of the podium in Marina Bay. But after a positive result on home turf at Monza, could the Scuderia finally be edging toward racing-winning form?

 

New looks for Williams and McLaren

Some F1 teams have been fun and frequent with their livery designs in 2023, with two more set to appear on the streets of Singapore.

Following a fan-vote that attracted over 180,000 entries, Williams will be running in the zenith blue and tangerine orange of Gulf — a company with historic links to high-end motor sport. Last appearing on McLaren’s 2021 Monaco entry, many will be keen to see how Williams’ iteration matches up.

McLaren itself has gone for a slightly more subtle approach, introducing a predominately black design into its usually orange livery in conjunction with team sponsor OKX. This will be the third custom livery the Woking team has run this season: its “Triple Crown” design was a hit in Monaco and Spain. It also gave a nod to its most recent championship years with a chrome design at Silverstone.