Team ratings Singapore Grand Prix | Ferrari shines, Red Bull Racing jolts

Red Bull Racing 4

A weekend that started with the aftermath of the fuss surrounding Helmut Marko and ended with the worst result in ages: the Singapore Grand Prix was - as this website wrote earlier - a humbling experience for Red Bull Racing. No fewer than three different teams were superior to Red Bull this time (Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren). Indeed, the best car on the grid, which had been defeating every other team with ease all season, was not near the front of the grid at any point. A qualifying session in which Red Bull finished 11th and 13th was embarrassing anyway. Moreover, the tactics - with two drivers on the same tyre at the start - proved disastrous, and it was purely down to the qualities of Verstappen that the final result was not many times worse.

Mercedes 8

It was an equally bold and correct decision by Mercedes to bring George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in for two fresh sets of tyres in the closing stages of the race. Had this choice not been made, Russell would not have got past Carlos Sainz's Ferrari anyway. On the new mediums, both Brits ended up right behind Sainz and Lando Norris. Russell's failure to outsmart the Spaniard and Norris with his better tyres was not the fault of the rest of the team. Only third place for Hamilton - after Russell's unnecessary crash on the final lap - was perhaps disappointing. But Mercedes had a competitive car and an attacking strategy. That is precisely what makes it fun for the neutral viewer.

Ferrari 9

Was this really the same Ferrari team as we saw so many tactical fumbles earlier this season? Everything the Italians did in Singapore was right: the speed in qualifying was excellent - resulting in a pole for Sainz - and consequently, the perfect execution of the Grand Prix. To stand a chance against the stronger-looking Mercedes, sacrificing Charles Leclerc was the best decision to secure a deserved win. The fact Sainz did not storm away from Norris in the closing stages was equally clever. It meant Norris stayed in the Spaniard's DRS, giving the chasing Russell and Hamilton no chance to overtake the McLaren driver - and, therefore, not Sainz either.  Unfortunately for Leclerc, he missed out on the podium in what was a top weekend for his teammate. Nevertheless, a masterclass from Ferrari!

Aston Martin 4

Aston Martin have been telling themselves all season to strike on the rare occasions when Red Bull failed. In Singapore, Red Bull failed, but Aston Martin were unable to capitalise. Far from it. With one driver in the race - Stroll was unable to join after his crash on Saturday - Fernando Alonso really got everything wrong that could go wrong. The Spaniard hobbled along in midfield and saw a pit stop (after a time penalty) go totally wrong as the team dropped the jack too quickly. If there was any prospect of a decent result left, it was gone there too. A fifteenth place in the final standings: among the fastest in the longruns on Friday, totally falling through the ice on Sunday. Aston Martin will have to think hard about how that happened.

McLaren 8

An update on the updated car: McLaren already had a much better car than the one that started the season, but the next set of updates proved to be another improvement. Lando Norris was the only McLaren driver with the new spec, and he delivered immediately. The Brit finished within a second of winner Sainz, but never did it look like Norris would win in Singapore. He did manage to keep behind the onrushing Mercedes on better tyres (thanks to Sainz, by the way). No sadness over a missed opportunity, but genuine joy over a second-place finish at the team. McLaren achieved the best possible result in Singapore.

Williams 7

Williams' weekend started so badly. In the second free practice, the Thai had a problem with its power unit, losing precious track time. Nevertheless, in the relatively short time of FP3, Williams managed to tune the car in such a way that Albon seemed to be on his way to a points finish again during the race. It was due to a clumsy overtaking move by Sergio Perez that Albon was only classified 11th. While Perez received a penalty for his collision with the Williams driver, Albon and Williams earned nothing from it.

Alpine - 6

Alpine had a race with two faces: Esteban Ocon had the right speed to finish neatly in the points, but a technical fault forced him to retire his car early on. Pierre Gasly drove a fairly anonymous race in which he could never catch up with the three fastest teams of the day, and a Verstappen with new tyres was also unstoppable. Nevertheless, sixth place is a nice result for Alpine.

Haas - 7

With two cars in the top ten (and both drivers faster than the Red Bulls), Haas F1's Saturday could not fail. Usually, the team completely sags a day later, but the loss this time was not too bad. Yes, it took a late crash from Russell and a disappointing result from Alonso to finish tenth, but Haas were there this time to take advantage of someone else's misfortune. One point, no doubt, feels like a liberation for Kevin Magnussen in a difficult season.

AlphaTauri 7

Do AlphaTauri have a new leaderboard? While Yuki Tsunoda came to a total of one lap completed in two Grands Prix, Liam Lawson once again showed he is a quick learner. With the right strategy, the New Zealander cleverly managed to collect two points in his third Grand Prix. AlphaTauri should be complimented on this. It seems to have succeeded in constantly improving the long-time worst car from this season to at least a car that is certainly no longer inferior to the Alfa Romeo and the Haas.

Alfa Romeo 4

Alfa Romeo really struggled at a Grand Prix, and not for the first time this season. Valtteri Bottas had to retire with a technical problem, while Guanyu Zhou used an incomprehensible strategy - why bring him in so early on the hards? - stayed far away from the points. Yet another weekend that should be quickly forgotten.