Back under the lights of Singapore; Plenty to play for between McLaren teammates and more

We returned to the fabulous lights in Singapore for one of the best night races in Formula One. It was to be a good race with previous years proving exactly that.

Mercedes driver George Russell was an odd pole position but given the pace of that car it was partially to be expected. Alongside Russell was Max Verstappen in P2 and Oscar Piastri starting in P3. Qualifying proved there was plenty up for grabs, with Ferrari struggling and McLaren’s Lando Norris starting from P6.

Mercedes Driver George Russell takes pole position ahead of RedBull's Max Verstappen and McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

It was a very unfortunate qualifying session for the Williams duo, with a decent result of P12 and P13, until a post qualifying disqualification caused them to drop to the back end of the grid. Alex Albon would start from the pit lane with Pierre Gasly, whilst Carlos Sainz was to start P18.

The race was varying emotions depending on who you support. For the George Russell fans, it was another win under his belt in the 2025 season, with teammate Kimi Antonelli who started in P4, and finished in P5. This was a very good result for the duo, given their cars ability to work well on most high-speed street circuits as well as their ability to defend track position well during pitstops.

The top 3 drivers at the Singapore Grand Prix; Max Verstappen, George Russell and Lando Norris.

For RedBull Racing, it was another podium opportunity for their champion Max Verstappen, finishing P2 and having the time of his life defending against the driver in P3, Lando Norris. For close to 30 laps, Verstappen was forced to defend that P2 stop from Norris, whilst he was desperate for a charge and those extra points which were to be vital to his championship. Yuki Tsunoda was a quiet runner, unfortunately finishing outside the top 19, in P12. It was a tough race, with minimal overtaking spots, you must be very committed.

Whilst Lando Norris was battling Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri was in his own battle. This however was with frustrations towards his teammate during a lap one incident, in which Piastri was not too happy about the result. Various comments were brought up on the radio, regarding the “fairness of such a move”, with fans even questioning the ‘Papaya Rules’ concept. Piastri would finish just out of podium position in P4.

McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri getting into a scrap at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Whilst tensions were heard and seen, by the end of the race McLaren would be declared the constructors’ champions for the 2025 season as well. The celebrations would begin following the podium result.

McLaren team celebrating their 2025 Constructors championship win on the podium in Singapore.

Ferrari were a team in a battle with themselves. It was a tough weekend, with double points scored, but brakes not working and frustrations occurring. Charles Leclerc was forced to stick behind Kimi Antonelli, struggling to find any way around the young driver, whilst Lewis Hamilton was stuck behind his teammate. Lewis Hamilton eventually switched to new soft tyres to try and catch Antonelli, whilst this may have worked, the brakes would not allow it. Hamilton would have no brakes for the remaining two laps, receive a 5 second time penalty and drop to P8, Leclerc finished in P6.

The Ferrari duo Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with a tough race result from the Singapore Grand Prix.

The driver who did manage to catch up to the stricken Ferrari was the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso. This was going to be a feat, with a large 40 second gap, but due to the car’s issues, it was easy. He would finish ahead of Hamilton due to the penalty in P7. His teammate Lance Stroll was another driver who could’ve had a good weekend, if they had managed to get past all the traffic and battle against those ahead of him, but in Singapore that is not easy. Stroll finished in P13.

Some drivers that managed to sneak into the top 10, very stealthily was the Williams of Carlos Sainz. He had a difficult task starting from P18, but given the experience he has as a driver, if anyone could do it, Carlos could. He managed to beat some great drivers for that singular point finishing in P10. A driver that stayed quite under the radar but still finished in the top 10 was Ollie Bearman. He had a great weekend, it was going to be a difficult task for the young driver, but he excelled, having started from P9, and finishing in P9, a very good weekend for himself and the team.

Sainz’s teammate Alex Albon would have a tough result, only managing a P14 finish. This however was still very good, considering the conditions they were put in and having to start from the pitlane. Esteban Ocon was a driver that had a weekend to forget, having ended up P18. It was not the result him or the team would have wanted, especially given that his teammate maintained his position from qualifying.

Williams duo Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz with a tough situation following their disqualification from Qualifying, but better results in the race.

Racing Bulls were a team we were watching to see what they could do in Singapore. With their previous results at the last few races, it was going to be intriguing to see what they could do. Liam Lawson was one that was quite involved with battles on the track, between himself, Colapinto and even Albon. He managed to maintain composure and work through it and finish P15. His teammate Isack Hadjar, having started P8, would’ve wanted a better result, but given the problems with his car that he was fighting with, it was not easy. He still managed to maintain track position and fight for that and would ultimately finish just outside the points in P11.

The Alpine pairing of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto had a semi quiet weekend. In their own on track, there was not much going on around them with very little they could do. It was going to be a big ask of this duo, and given their cars ability, was not going to happen. Colapinto would finish in P16, ahead of Gasly in P19.

Nico Hulkenberg unfortunately had a bad result, with a spin halfway through the race, that would cause him to be quite far behind. He only managed a P20 finish, whilst his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto also had a tough result finishing in P17. Both drivers did fly a little under the radar, given the lack of stream time for them.

Nico Hulkenberg with an unfortunate spin, that would drop him to the back of the field.

We are coming up to the last few races for this season. Before we start celebrating and getting to the intense side of the championship we must return to Austin, Texas for the US Grand Prix. The excitement of COTA is back, and it will be interesting with another sprint race weekend taking place between October 17-19.

The Race Start at the US Grand Prix in 2024.