A small habit of Lando Norris nearly sent his championship dreams up in smoke during the demanding Singapore Grand Prix.

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A small habit of Lando Norris nearly sent his championship dreams up in smoke during the demanding Singapore Grand Prix.

Norris, who finished the race over 20 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, managed to cut the championship gap to 52 points. However, his race on the Marina Bay circuit wasn’t without drama, as he narrowly avoided disaster twice. First, he ran wide at a right-hand corner, coming dangerously close to slamming into the wall. Then, a second brush against another wall nearly ended his race – a heavier impact could have pushed Verstappen’s lead to a staggering 84 points, effectively crushing Norris’ title hopes.

It was after this second scare that his race engineer, Will Joseph, jumped on the radio with a simple but crucial message: “Full concentration, and take a drink.” The latter part is particularly significant because Norris has a habit of avoiding fluids during races – something that seems minor but can have big consequences, especially in a grueling race like Singapore.

Known as the toughest grand prix on the calendar due to its extreme heat and punishing track, Singapore tests drivers' endurance to the limit. Many racers, including Norris, are left dehydrated after battling the demanding conditions. Post-race, Norris admitted to feeling “dizzy,” largely due to his habit of not hydrating during races. He’s even gone so far as to race without a drinks bottle in his car – though in Singapore, he did have one. Still, he shared with Racing News 365 that drinking during a race is rare for him.

"I don’t drink ever during a race," Norris explained. "I think I’ve only used the water bottle twice in my Formula 1 career, and both of those times I was really sick – like in Barcelona a couple of years ago. I just struggle to drink and usually forget about it. I’m not a fan of drinking during the race."

Norris’ struggle with hydration goes hand in hand with his pre-race jitters. “I get excited and nervous before every race,” he confessed. “On Sundays, I barely eat or drink anything because of the nerves and the pressure.”

This physical toll isn’t unique to Norris. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell of Mercedes also experienced the brutal effects of Singapore, with team boss Toto Wolff revealing the duo suffered from "borderline heatstroke" post-race. They were so drained they couldn’t even complete their media duties afterward.

“They weren’t feeling well—borderline heatstroke or something similar, even though they had been drinking water,” Wolff shared. “They couldn’t make it to the media pen. But there were no bad feelings, just the doctors checking on them. They're all good now.”

The Singapore GP once again proved that even the smallest habits or oversights can have major consequences when racing in the punishing conditions of Formula 1.