The Singapore GP proved one thing: Carlos Sainz is a mastermind. The race weekend—from start to finish—was the Carlos Sainz show. After leading two of the three practice sessions, he secured pole position on Saturday. With that under his belt and Red Bull nowhere near him to ruin his party, the race was his for the taking. Given that he was going to be a two-time race winner, he took that opportunity with both hands. As the Spaniard cruised along on his merry way, he helped out his best friend, Lando Norris, as well.

Despite securing his best starting position in Singapore—a P4—Norris wasn’t too optimistic about a podium. Even so, he laid down a four-step plan to get there, and it worked like a charm. Well, not technically. What worked like a charm was the double-act he and Sainz put up in the dying stages of the race. While Norris credited Sainz for his generosity, turns out the Brit had to use his genius, too!

Lando Norris ensured Sainz wasn’t the only mastermind in Singapore

Sainz and Norris were running in P1 and P3, respectively, when a Virtual Safety Car came out on Lap 44 of 62. George Russell (in P2) and Lewis Hamilton (in P4) pitted for fresh Medium tires, aiming for the win. When racing resumed, the W14s were on Lando’s tail with five laps to go, having overcome a 16-second deficit. Carlos knew that if they’d overtake Norris, he’d be—in his words—“dead meat.” To avoid that, he ensured he gave his former teammate DRS to defend. It worked out brilliantly as the two best mates crossed the line 1 and 2. 

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In the post-race interview, Norris said, “Carlos was very generous, trying to help me get DRS. It helped my race and helped his. We knew it would be tough when Mercedes boxed.” Later, he revealed it wasn’t just Sainz’s help that got him the podium. On the F1 Nation Podcast, Tom Clarkson asked Norris what he’d been focusing on in the dying stages—the win or protecting P2. Norris replied, “It was protecting P2. George couldn’t overtake me, he struggled to overtake me when he had a five-, six-tenth-a-lap advantage. So the chance of me getting ahead of Carlos with a one-tenth advantage… there’s no chance.”

He then revealed how he used his head to protect that position. “I think Carlos played it smart. There was no need for me to try and attack him. The more I attacked him, probably the more vulnerable I would’ve been from both the guys behind. I wouldn’t be sitting here. We wouldn’t be on the podium if I’d played it differently,” explained Norris. He was already on old, hard tires. Had he tried to attack, it most likely wouldn’t have ended well for the Brit.

Ex-Ferrari Boss Exposes Carlos Sainz’s Selfish Motives Moments After Lando Norris Credited Success to Old Friend

Ultimately, he did get that podium. Best of all, he shared it with his best friend, who revealed what it was like to share the podium with Norris.

Carlos Sainz couldn’t have been happier about Norris’ P2

The last time the former McLaren teammates shared a podium was at the 2021 Monaco GP. It was Sainz’s first podium for Ferrari, and while he secured P2, Norris came home in third. At the Singapore GP, Carlos got the opportunity to cross the line with his best mate right behind him and took it. With how the post-race celebrations went, it was clear how delighted ‘Carlando’ was to share yet another podium.

In the post-race press conference, the Ferrari man revealed, “It always feels a bit better when you have someone that you get on well with and that you respect, both as a driver and as an athlete. As a person, it always feels better to share those good moments. And don’t get me wrong, I think if he would have had a chance to pass me at any point he would have gone for it, for the win.”

Do you think Lando Norris could’ve gotten that P2 had it not been for Carlos Sainz?

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