Red Bull’s Max Verstappen makes late push for World Drivers’ Championship contention

The GIST: Feel that? It’s the temps emanating from this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix (GP). Not only has Sunday’s 8 a.m. ET race already been given a heat hazard declaration, but the race for the World Drivers’ Championship (WDC) is also scorching hot, especially with just seven GPs to go.
🏆 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has entered the WDC chat: It’s been a two-horse race for most of the season, but the four-time world champ dominated F1’s last two stops, winning in both Italy and Azerbaijan. Verstappen’s now just 69 points (aka less than three race wins) behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and 44 points behind Piastri’s teammate, Lando Norris.
- What’s more, both McLaren drivers have aided in Verstappen’s title resurgence: Piastri crashed out of the race in Azerbaijan, while Norris managed just six points after a disappointing seventh-place finish.
🇸🇬 The Singapore GP is notoriously tricky: There’s a myriad of reasons why this night race poses a unique challenge for drivers. An unforgiving and twisting street circuit, Singapore’s also the longest, hottest race on the calendar. And it’s been a thorn in Verstappen’s side — despite winning 67 career races on 26 different tracks, he’s never finished on the podium in Singapore.
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