While this year’s Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix was an incident-free race with no safety cars deployed, there were significant moments that took the fans on an emotional rollercoaster.  

Some of the key moments include McLaren’s Lando Norris dominating the Singapore Grand Prix from start to finish, Carlos Sainz’s crashing in qualifying, and Daniel Ricciardo’s emotional post-race interview. 

We dove into the biggest talking points across social media with Brandwatch Consumer Research and here’s what you need to know. 

Real-time insights

We looked at the minute-by-minute social data from the qualifying session and the race itself to see which moments got the internet talking. 

The Singapore Grand Prix qualifying session saw a mix of emotions. The conversation started to grow rapidly from 9.21 pm onwards. At 9.42 pm, there was a notable spike in mentions when Sergio Perez was knocked out in Q2, while Yuki Tsunoda impressively made it to Q3 for the 9th time this year. 

Another notable spike in mentions happened at 9.52 pm, when Carlos Sainz's (last year’s winner of the Singapore Grand Prix) had an unfortunate crash at the final corner during Q3, leading to a red flag. This had a negative impact on Ferrari’s grid position as his teammate Charles Leclerc had his only lap time deleted for exceeding track limits, placing him in P13 for the finals. 

The most significant spike in mentions came at 10.18 pm, when Mclaren’s Lando Norris secured the pole position, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton following close behind.

It was a clean race around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, the first in its 15-race history not to see a safety car deployed. 

The conversations were growing steadily as the race got underway at 8.00 pm, with a small spike at 8.06 pm, when Lando Norris made a thrilling start to take the lead from Max Verstappen. Norris started from the pole position and led the race after the first lap. 

The conversations did not increase significantly and remained at a steady pace until 9.47 pm, when there was a huge spike as Lando Norris won the race, with a massive 20.945 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Max Verstappen. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri came in third in the sweltering night race that ran over 62 laps. 

There were several heart racing moments leading up to the victory. Daniel Ricciardo strategically secured the fastest lap in what could have been his final F1 race, impacting the race outcome. Lando Norris had a few late brushes with the wall and nearly hit the barriers at turn 14, which could have ended his race. Despite challenges, Norris secured his third win of the season, narrowing the points gap in the title race.  

We used Brandwatch data to see which teams and drivers saw the most mentions during the race weekend. 

Surprisingly, even though McLaren won the race, Ferrari had the biggest share of voice of all the teams with 32,000 mentions and 37% of the team-related conversation. Ferrari faced setbacks in the Singapore qualifying when Charles Leclerc's lap time was deleted, and Carlos Sainz crashed out, leading to a challenging session for the team. The incidents highlighted the team's struggles during the crucial qualifying round, causing a lot of fan chatter online. 

McLaren and Red Bull Racing took the second and third place in terms of share of voice for team-related conversations. Fans cheered online as McLaren’s driver Lando Norris secured pole position and delivered a commanding lights-to-flag victory. 

Red Bull faced challenges in the race as Max Verstappen struggled to match McLaren's pace. Verstappen's performance raised concerns within the team, and it highlighted the need for Red Bull to address the performance of their car in order to stay competitive. 

Lando Norris was the most mentioned driver, with over 59,000 mentions, taking up 24% of the share of voice for driver-related conversations. By securing the pole position and leading every lap, Norris' performance underlines his growing influence in the championship battle and makes him a force to be reckoned with. 

The second and third most mentioned drivers were Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. Max Verstappen faced setbacks at the Singapore Grand Prix, from penalties for swearing to challenges on the track.

Carlos Sainz’s 200th race start at the Singapore Grand Prix marked a significant milestone in his Formula 1 career. Despite challenges such as a crash in Q3, Sainz's legacy continues to grow, showcasing his determination and commitment to the sport. 

Daniel Ricciardo was the fourth most mentioned driver, winning the “Driver of the Day” title. His performance at the Singapore Grand Prix was a rollercoaster of emotions. From setting the fastest lap to potentially facing his last race, Ricciardo's future in F1 remains uncertain. Despite a painful Q1 exit and speculation about his replacement, Ricciardo's resilience and support from his fellow drivers has shone through. His emotional post-race interview certainly got the fans talking as they showed their support. 

Finally, let’s not forget our guest driver, who showed up unannounced, and was dubbed as the fastest driver on the track - The Godzilla!

Round up:

Utilizing social listening tools to follow live events is ideal for any brand wanting to follow the action closely. With live events, fan conversation changes by the minute depending on who’s winning – or if there are any exciting hiccups throughout the event. Brands can benefit from tracking peaks in conversation to identify opportunities to get involved, or even to monitor crises. 

Want to get insights from last year's race? Read our blog about the 2023 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix.