Source:REUTERS/Caroline Chia
[Saba Sports News] With two laps remaining in the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo, who was in 18th place, was called into the pits to change to soft tires. Ricciardo then set the fastest lap in the final lap, snatching one point from race winner Lando Norris. This meant that Norris only reduced Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship by 7 points instead of 8 points, which could affect this year’s championship race. After the race, McLaren CEO Zak Brown expressed concern about Red Bull having two teams and criticized Ricciardo’s intentional pit stop to set the fastest lap as a phenomenon of “B teams” in F1, calling for fairness in competition within the sport. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes there is nothing wrong with Red Bull’s actions but stated that competing through “dirty” tactics would undermine fairness in F1. In response, some fans believe that both Brown and Wolff’s criticisms are unfounded; what Red Bull did was maximize their interests within the rules and reflect competitive spirit.