Did Ricciardo just become the fifth F1 driver to set fastest lap in his final race? · RaceFans

Lando Norris dominated the Singapore Grand Prix, leading every lap of the race for the first time in his career.

He took pole position the day before, ending Ferrari’s run of three consecutive poles on the Marina Bay circuit. Norris now has six career poles and three grand prix victories, both matching the tallies of 1961 world champion Phil Hill. He also finally kept his lead from pole position, something he failed to do on all seven previous attempts.

Norris held the fastest lap of the race until Daniel Ricciardo nabbed it off him on the penultimate tour. Ricciardo finished well outside of the top 10, and therefore did not score the bonus point which comes with it, so his team’s motivation for instructing him to set the fastest lap time was a cause for some speculation.

The most significant consequence of this for Norris was the loss of a potentially vital championship point. However it also cost him the chance to join the elite group of drivers who achieved ‘grand slams’ during their careers: Leading a race throughout from pole position and setting the fastest lap. Fewer drivers have achieved grand slams than won world championships, and Norris would have been only the 27th driver in F1 history to do so.

Ricciardo’s fastest lap was the first for Red Bull’s second team in their latest identity, RB. They scored two during their 83 races as AlphaTauri but only one during the 268 races they contested as Toro Rosso. Ricciardo now has 17 fastest laps, matching the tally of Rubens Barrichello.

There is widespread speculation Ricciardo will not return to the cockpit of the RB after this weekend. If so, he will become the fifth driver in F1 history to end his career with a fastest lap.

Did Ricciardo know that was his final race but not tell anyone? Most drivers who ended their careers with a fastest lap didn’t know it was their last race at the time. In fact the only driver who knew he signed off his career with a fastest lap was Ricciardo’s fellow Australian Mark Webber, in the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix.

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The other drivers all expected they had more races to run. Richie Ginther set the fastest lap in the 1966 Mexican Grand Prix, returned to race in Monaco the following year, but failed to qualify, and retired.

As you might expect the remaining two examples are more unfortunate….