Wolff: Non-Red Bull victory a ‘breath of fresh air’ for F1

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has labelled Ferrari’s victory at the Singapore Grand Prix as a “breath of fresh air” for Formula 1.

Carlos Sainz prevailed at the Marina Bay Circuit to take the win, crossing the line ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

It marked the first time this year that Red Bull failed to win a Grand Prix, having taken to the top step of the podium at the previous 15 races, stretching back to last season’s finale in Abu Dhabi.

Red Bull struggled throughout the weekend in Singapore, with reigning World Champion Max Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez dropping out of qualifying in Q2.

Both drivers advanced into the points on race day, but neither could compete at the front for the race win.

Small positives

Mercedes challenged Ferrari for the victory using an alternative tyre strategy, but couldn’t launch an attack on Sainz in the final laps for the win.

On the last lap, George Russell hit the wall while running in third place, allowing Hamilton through for the podium.

Although it lost out in the fight for the victory, Wolff believes it’s a positive for F1 that someone other than Red Bull was able to win.

“I think they [Red Bull] have been so strong, they have won all races this year,” Wolff told media including RacingNews365.

“We must not forget we have this outlier here in Singapore which was a difficult track for us in the past in dominant years.

“I have no doubt that they will be strong for the conventional race tracks.

“It’s a breath of fresh air that we have a different winner, we have a podium without them so you've got to take the small positives in a year of Red Bull dominance.”