After winning his last five races in a row, Max Verstappen looks to move one step closer to Sebastian Vettel's all-time record of nine on the bounce at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.
The Dutchman could also win the Drivers' Championship this weekend, but it will require a number of unlikely permutations to go his way.
Race preview
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After a three-week break, the final stint of the season is upon us.
Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix last time out, followed closely by Charles Leclerc in second and George Russell in third, to edge him ever closer to back-to-back world titles.
However, for the Dutchman to win the Championship this weekend there are a few scenarios that will need to go his way. The first is if he wins with the fastest lap, and Leclerc finishes eighth or worse, and Perez fourth or below.
Verstappen can also be crowned champion if he wins the race without the fastest lap, but in this event Leclerc would need to finish ninth or lower, and Perez fourth or lower.
However, this race promises to be something different entirely. Going from the low downforce, high speed circuit of Monza to the twisting and turning roads of Marina Bay Street Circuit could give fans the most intriguing race weekend since Silverstone back in July.
Red Bull will be right up there with lap times, but the nature of the track lends itself to Ferrari and Leclerc in particular. The Monaco native has not won a Grand Prix since Austria back in July, but the stars should be aligning to put the odds in his favour this weekend.
In the high temperatures, Mercedes will have the edge if they can continue to minimise tyre degradation, something their underwhelming car arguably does better than any of the other teams.
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Expect McLaren and Williams to struggle here, where aerodynamic frailties could hurt them like it did at Monaco earlier this season, while the low speed corners are also likely to cause problems for McLaren's Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in particular.
Perhaps more interesting will be the performance of Ricciardo after learning that fellow countryman Oscar Piastri will take his seat for the 2023 season, and with three seats still available to him - Alpine, Haas and Williams - a strong showing here will prove the Australian still has what it takes to compete in Formula 1.
The likes of AlphaTauri and Aston Martin will be in with a shout of being best of the rest here, as the former are strong in slow speed corners, and the latter will look towards their new wing that they introduced in Hungary earlier this season.
Alpine have shown their quality in cornering speed this season and with veteran driver Fernando Alonso behind the wheel, his experience at managing tyre degradation could be the key to getting Alpine some crucial points in their battle with McLaren.
Alfa Romeo and Haas will also look to finish in the points in Singapore, with eighth or ninth likely to be the best result they can hope for, and a lot will come down to which team finds the right balance when running higher downforce.
Finally, the weather will be worth keeping an eye on. The stamina of the drivers will be tested to the maximum where temperatures will hit 30 degrees Celsius and humidity 80%, with the weekend forecast also predicting heavy showers around the time of the race.
Track Guide
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The Marina Bay Street Circuit has two DRS detection zones: the first after turn four, and the second just before 22. The latter DRS zone provides the best chance of overtaking going into turn one, on a track where overtaking is at a premium.
Despite the difficulty in overtaking, braking into turn seven or going into turn 14 will prove the best opportunity, but with cars being able to follow closer than in previous seasons this could allow for more overtaking chances.
In terms of average speed, the Singapore track is the second slowest on the calendar just ahead of Monaco, where drivers can expect to drive at full throttle for under 40% of their laps.
The undercut is strong on this track, so we could see plenty of tactical battles and different tyre strategies on the pit wall, particularly at the front of the grid with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.
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While Max Verstappen's recent form suggests he is the man to beat, the Singapore circuit undoubtedly favours Ferrari with the higher downforce required, so Red Bull's race strategy proficiency will need to be at its best once again if Verstappen or Sergio Perez are to take the chequered flag on Sunday.
The track should favour Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari, as the higher downforce and 23 corners will allow Ferrari's superior low speed grip in the corners to thrive. Red Bull have been more dominant in low downforce tracks like Spa, or Monza last time out.
Pirelli have announced that the C3, C4 and C5 compounds will be used for the Grand Prix, but with the new 18-inch tyres it will be interesting to see which teams can limit tyre degradation and find the best balance, especially with the tendency of the cars to understeer this season.
Since 2008 there have been 12 races held in Singapore, with Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso winning 11 of them. All three will line up on the grid this weekend, which is a testament to their longevity in Formula 1.
Qualifying Results
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1. Charles Leclerc
2. Sergio Perez
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Carlos Sainz
5. Fernando Alonso
6. Lando Norris
7. Pierre Gasly
8. Max Verstappen
9. Kevin Magnussen
10. Yuki Tsunoda
11. George Russell
12. Lance Stroll
13. Mich Schumacher
14. Sebastian Vettel
15. Zhou Guanyu
16. Valtteri Bottas
17. Daniel Ricciardo
18. Esteban Ocon
19. Alex Albon
20. Nicholas Latifi
In a superb and frenetic qualifying session, Charles Leclerc took the fastest lap ahead of Sergio Perez in second and Lewis Hamilton in third.
After intermittent heavy rain throughout the day, puddles of standing water would not clear, giving teams a headache of whether to stay on intermediate tyres or opt for the slicks.
Q3 was where the excitement really ramped up, with drivers switching the soft tyres to achieve the fastest lap, and seeing the drivers perform on such a knife-edge made for an exhilarating final session.
It was however Charles Leclerc who managed the conditions best, as he took pole position by just two one-hundredths of a second over Perez and five one-hundredths over Hamilton.
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen was told to abort a lap that looked destined to see him take pole after Red Bull had not given him enough fuel to complete his final lap, much to the Dutchman's audible frustration. We have seen what Verstappen can do from further back in the grid, but a win from here seems improbable.
Lando Norris performed miracles in the McLaren, parking it on the third row for Sunday's Grand Prix, while his teammate Daniel Ricciardo failed to even make it out of Q1.
The likes of Pierre Gasly, Kevin Magnussen and Yuki Tsunoda can also be delighted with their qualifying result as all three made it into Q3.
However, disappointing results for George Russell in 11th and Valtteri Bottas in 16th will leave both with a lot of work to do on a track where overtaking will be difficult.
Driver Standings
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 335
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 219
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - 210
4. George Russell (Mercedes) - 203
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 187
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 168
7. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 88
8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) - 66
9. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) - 59
10. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) - 46
11. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) - 22
12. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) - 22
13. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) - 20
14. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) - 19
15. Mick Schumacher (Haas) - 12
16. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) - 11
17. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) - 6
18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 5
19. Alexander Albon (Williams) - 4
20. Nyck De Vries (Williams) - 2
20. Nicholas Latifi (Williams) - 0
22. Nico Hulkenberg (Aston Martin) - 0
Constructor Standings
1. Red Bull - 545
2. Ferrari - 406
3. Mercedes - 371
4. Alpine - 125
5. McLaren - 107
6. Alfa Romeo - 52
7. Haas - 34
8. AlphaTauri - 33
9. Aston Martin - 25
10. Williams - 6
We say: Charles Leclerc to win
Despite Red Bull's recent dominance, particularly that of Max Verstappen, this track suits Ferrari due to the high downforce required.
The key will be in qualifying and whether Ferrari can lock out the front row, because with overtaking likely to be at a premium, expect the pole sitter to be a clear favourite to also take the chequered flag on Sunday.
