"The scandal became public the following year when Piquet was dropped halfway through the season, and he owned up. In the fallout, Briatore was issued a lifetime ban from the sport, with a five-year ban for the team's engineering boss, Pat Symonds. Those were later overturned, and Symonds went on to serve as F1's CTO before recently becoming an advisor to the nascent Cadillac Team."
"Even without possible RF interference or race-fixing, past Singaporean races were often interrupted by the safety car. The streets might be wider than Monaco, but the walls are just as solid, and overtaking is almost as hard. And Monaco doesn't take place with nighttime temperatures above 86°F (30°C) with heavy humidity. Those are the kinds of conditions that cause people to make mistakes."
"Last time, I cautioned McLaren fans not to worry about a possibly resurgent Red Bull. Monza and Baku are outliers of tracks that require low downforce and low drag. Well, Singapore benefits from downforce, and the recent upgrades to the Red Bull have, in Max Verstappen's hands at least, made it a competitor again. The McLarens of Oscar Piastri (leading the driver's championship) and Lando Norris (just behind Piastri in second place) are still fast,"
Flavio Briatore received a lifetime ban and Pat Symonds a five-year ban after a scandal, though those penalties were later overturned; Symonds later served as F1's CTO and became an advisor to Cadillac Team. Singapore races were often interrupted by safety cars because narrow street walls and humid nighttime conditions increase driver mistakes despite wider streets than Monaco. A 2023 layout change removed a chicane, lengthened a straight, eliminated a crash hotspot and yielded caution-free running since. Red Bull upgrades restored competitiveness in Max Verstappen's hands. McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris remained quick but no longer held several-tenths advantages. Verstappen started on soft tires while nearby rivals chose mediums.
Read at Ars Technica
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