F1 LIVE: Toto Wolff sides with Christian Horner after ‘heartbreaking’ Lando Norris meeting
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Max Verstappen's nearest challenger, Lando Norris, closed the gap to 52 points in the Drivers' Championship with a dominant victory in the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday. But there are only six races left for the McLaren star to reel in his Red Bull counterpart and stop him winning a fourth consecutive world title.
Further down the pack it was likely Daniel Ricciardo's final race as an F1 driver. The Aussie is set to be replaced by Liam Lawson at VCARB for the remainder of the year and he bid an emotional farewell, clinching the fastest-lap bonus point right at the death.
Drivers now have plenty of time to reflect on the action in Singapore as the next race, in Austin, is almost a month away.
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Toto Wolff sides with Christian Horner
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has sided with Red Bull boss Christian Horner in the argument over Daniel Ricciardo's fastest lap at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Ricciardo was the last finisher across the line and any driver outside of the top 10 is not awarded the fastest-lap bonus point. All it accomplished, therefore, was taking a point away from McLaren's title-chaser Lando Norris.
Given that the competitor Norris is hunting down, Max Verstappen, drives for Red Bull, and Ricciardo was competing for VCARB, which is owned by the same company, McLaren chief Zak Brown felt that there was unfair collusion at play.
Horner disagreed, pointing out that Ricciardo's fastest lap would have earned him a financial bonus from his final F1 race.
And Wolff went against Brown by suggesting there was nothing wrong with the strategy.
"I think you've got to probably play all strategies that you have," he said. "I don't think was a dirty play. Not at all, it could come down to a point, it was within the regulations. The drivers weren't unfair with each other. It's no big deal."
Rumours of F1 name change in 2025
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber could change their name in 2025, one season before they become a works Audi team.
F1 journalist Julianne Cerasoli claims that the 'Stake' element may be left behind after the sponsor was dropped from the name during several race weekends in countries with strict gambling laws.
"There are still a lot of uncertainties about that team with new faces arriving at every race," Cesaroli told the Pit Pass Podcast.
"I heard that it’s even possible that Stake is not staying, maybe only Kick will stay. It’s part of the same company, but we might have changes in the livery, even in the name, whatever name we call that team before, it’s finally going to be Audi."
Brundle offers Verstappen advice
F1 hero Martin Brundle has advised Max Verstappen to think about the 'responsibility' that comes with being such an influential figure before swearing 'gratuitously'.
Brundle accepts that bad language in the heat of the moment is unavoidable but Verstappen landed himself in hot water for swearing during a press conference in Singapore.
The FIA handed him a form of community service as punishment but Verstappen hit back by answering questions bluntly in an official press conference and staging his own media congregation in the paddock.
"They are icons, champions, opinion formers, and they should think about the responsibility which comes with that privilege, especially with so many young fans watching," Brundle wrote for Sky Sports.
"Nobody wants to take any energy, emotion, or freedom of speech out of it, but gratuitous swearing away from the heat of the moment is not necessary."
'Heartbreaking' Lando Norris meeting comes to light
Lando Norris met with former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo behind closed doors after the Singapore Grand Prix, and it was said to be an emotional affair.
The pair spent two seasons racing alongside one another at McLaren in 2021 and 2022.
Now, Ricciardo's F1 career is likely to be over as VCARB prepare to draft in Liam Lawson for the final few races of the season.
And F1 photographer Kym Illman claims, via his YouTube channel, that Norris paid him a late-night visit.
"Just after midnight, Lando Norris came down to see Daniel," Illman explained. "They caught up behind closed doors in the back of the VCARB garage. Was there any media in there? Yeah, Netflix.
"If they weren’t in there, they were very close and I imagine this will be a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking episode to watch come next year. About 10 minutes later, Lando came out and left the paddock."
Christian Horner predicts title fight
Red Bull boss Christian Horner is convinced that the F1 title fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris will go on right until the end of the season.
Verstappen has a 52-point lead over Norris but McLaren have put together a much faster car than Red Bull for the second half of 2024.
"I think that we're gonna fight all the way to the end of the championship," said Horner after the Singapore Grand Prix.
"We’re 52 points ahead with six races to go. But a lot of races, a lot of points on the board. There’s a lot of racing still to happen, and we'll be fighting hard through the next triple-header. And then the final triple-header after that."
Good morning!
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The dust is still settling on Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix and we'll keep you up to date with all the latest reaction, as well as taking a look ahead to 2024's remaining races.
Stay tuned for updates.
