Singapore F1 GP 2023 Results: Max Verstappen's Win Streak ...

LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images

It turns out someone besides Max Verstappen is allowed to win a Formula 1 race.

And so is another team besides Red Bull.

For the first time in 2023, a non-Red Bull driver won a grand prix when Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. captured Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix in thrilling fashion. He faced a daunting challenge from McLaren's Lando Norris and the Mercedes tandem of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on the final laps but did just enough to secure the victory.

Norris ended up in second, while Hamilton completed the podium in large part because Russell went into the barrier on the final lap in a disappointing end to what was a brilliant race by the 25-year-old.

Perhaps most notably, Verstappen's 10-race win streak came to an end as Red Bull finished off the podium with his fifth-place showing.

The story coming into the race was whether Red Bull would continue its dominance. After all, it won the first 14 races of the year with Verstappen taking 12 of them and Sergio Pérez prevailing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Verstappen's most recent victory at the Italian Grand Prix gave him 10 consecutive victories, which surpassed Sebastian Vettel's for the longest winning streak in F1 history.

Yet Sunday was an uphill battle from the start for Red bull following a disappointing qualifying effort on Saturday.

Verstappen qualified in P11, while Pérez wasn't far behind at P13. That was all the more problematic for the dominant team because of the nature of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, which doesn't lend itself well to overtaking given the tight track. While Verstappen came back in Miami and Spa earlier this year, doing so in Sunday's race would have been even more impressive.

Sainz took pole position with Russell was in second.

Sainz capitalized with an ideal start and maintained his advantage, and Ferrari seemed to shift its attention toward his pursuit of victory at the expense of teammate Charles Leclerc:

To Verstappen's credit, he climbed as high as second place in the early going but was eventually passed by Hamilton, Norris and others. After pitting for new tires, the runaway leader in the driver standings found himself all the way back in 15th place.

The biggest question for the final laps was whether Sainz could hold off the Mercedes tandem of Russell and Hamilton. It helped his cause that Ferrari teammate Leclerc was in third place as an obstacle for the Mercedes drivers, but the challengers also had newer tires and a faster pace.

They eventually passed Leclerc, setting up the showdown between Sainz, Norris, Russell and Hamilton.

Yet Sainz held off all challengers and will take plenty of momentum into the Japanese Grand Prix.