George Russell produced a commanding drive under the lights of Marina Bay to win the Singapore Grand Prix for Mercedes on 5 October, while McLaren celebrated a second consecutive constructors’ championship despite early drama between their drivers.
Starting from pole, Russell controlled the race from start to finish, finishing 5.4 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to claim his second win of the season.
“It feels amazing,” said Russell. “We don’t really know where this performance came from, but I’m really happy. I was nervous at the start seeing Max on soft tyres, but that first stint was great for us.”
Lando Norris finished third after late pressure on Verstappen but still collected enough points along with fourth-placed teammate Oscar Piastri to seal McLaren’s title.
“It was a tough race,” said Norris. “Max didn’t make any mistakes. I gave it my all, got close, and gained two places. We won as a team, the constructors’ once again.”
Piastri’s lead in the drivers’ standings was trimmed to 22 points over Norris, while Verstappen remains 63 points behind the Australian with six races left.
“I think second was the maximum today,” admitted Verstappen. “It was a difficult race for a number of reasons.”
McLaren tension at the start
The race began with controversy as Norris clipped Verstappen’s Red Bull while diving up the inside of Piastri on the opening corner. The move slightly damaged Norris’s car and angered Piastri, who accused his teammate over the radio of “barging him out of the way.”
Norris later defended his manoeuvre: “It’s racing. I went for the inside, had a small correction, but it was just good racing.”
The stewards took no action, though McLaren confirmed the matter would be reviewed internally. “First lap tensions are high,” said Piastri. “We’re encouraged to share our views, and I did that. I’m sure we’ll discuss it more.”
Verstappen was the first of the front-runners to pit, pushing hard to stay ahead of Norris, who stopped seven laps later. Norris, as McLaren’s lead driver, was called in before Piastri, whose frustration only grew after a slower pit stop cost him time.
Top ten finishers
Behind the leading quartet, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli finished fifth, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in sixth and Lewis Hamilton seventh after a post-race penalty for track limits dropped him from sixth place. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso inherited seventh, Haas’s Oliver Bearman took ninth, and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, starting from the back after Williams’ disqualification completed the points in tenth.
