FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

Consistent drivers with the best car see McLaren on verge of sealing title in S'pore

- Kimberly Kwek Sports Correspondent

Less than a year ago, McLaren ended a 26-year wait for the Formula One constructors’ championship in dramatic fashion, clinching it at the Abu Dhabi finale as Lando Norris’ victory saw them edge out Ferrari to the title by 14 points.

Now, the Woking-based outfit find themselves on the cusp of a 10th constructors’ championship with seven rounds to go and retaining the title seems inevitable.

The numbers alone underline the scale of the team’s dominance, with 12 wins from 17 races — seven of which were 1-2 finishes — seeing them build a commanding 623-point total, 333 points over nearest rivals Mercedes.

Under the floodlights at the Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, McLaren can secure back-to-back titles if just one of several scenarios plays out at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Oct 5: Attaining a single podium finish, or if both Mercedes fail to outscore them by 31 points and Ferrari do not gain 35 points on them.

Should they achieve the feat, it would be their first successful constructors’ title defence since Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger powered them to four consecutive crowns between 1988 and 1991.

Even for McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, their supremacy this season was unexpected. The Italian said at the Hungarian Grand Prix in August that he was surprised by their level of competitiveness.