RACE REPORT | F1 Singapore 2025

George Russell dominated the Singapore Grand Prix to take a composed victory, while Max Verstappen battled through handling problems to finish second and Lando Norris claimed third as McLaren sealed the Constructors’ Championship.

All drivers started on slick tyres, though parts of the Marina Bay Street Circuit were still damp after earlier rain. Russell began from pole with Verstappen alongside and Piastri in third. Hamilton had a nervous formation lap, sliding wide at Turn 13.

When the lights went out, Russell launched cleanly, while Verstappen defended hard from the McLarens. Norris surged forward from fifth, brushing Verstappen’s rear tyre before clashing wheels with teammate Piastri. The contact damaged Norris’s front wing and left Piastri frustrated. “That wasn’t very team-like,” he said over the radio. “Are we cool with Lando barging me out of the way?” The stewards took no action, but tension rose in the McLaren garage.

Behind them, Leclerc climbed from seventh to fifth by passing Antonelli and Hamilton. Rookie Isack Hadjar briefly held eighth before Alonso forced his way through, later overtaking Bearman to move into the points.

Russell quickly built a gap, leading Verstappen by five seconds by lap 10. His medium tyres lasted better than Verstappen’s softs, while the top ten remained steady. Gabriel Bortoleto pitted on lap 14 for a new front wing after early contact, joined by Tsunoda, while Norris reported a light brush with the wall at Turn 17.

McLaren attempted to bluff Red Bull with a fake pit call for Norris on lap 18, but Verstappen stayed out. The Dutchman eventually stopped on lap 20 for hard tyres and rejoined in seventh, complaining that “everything” was going wrong. Leclerc pitted soon after, followed by Hamilton on lap 25, allowing Verstappen to move back into the top five. Russell came in on lap 26 for hard tyres, rejoining third. Antonelli stopped the same lap and rejoined seventh.

Norris pitted on lap 27, emerging just behind Verstappen in fourth, while Piastri lost time with a slow stop and fell behind his teammate. After the first pit cycle, the order was Russell, Verstappen, Norris, Piastri, Leclerc, Antonelli, and Hamilton.

Verstappen began to close on Russell, cutting the gap from nine seconds to under three with 30 laps to go. Norris also had strong pace, while Verstappen wrestled with a difficult Red Bull, calling it “horrible to drive.” Alonso, meanwhile, battled Hadjar for position and proudly called himself the “hero of the race” over the radio. Hulkenberg had a spin at Turn 7 but avoided contact with the barriers.

In the final stint, Russell reasserted control, stretching his lead back to over four seconds. Verstappen complained about blue flags while lapping Stroll, and Norris closed in again, with Piastri a few seconds behind.

The final laps produced close racing. Norris attacked Verstappen with nine laps to go but couldn’t make a move stick. Piastri closed up but stayed fourth. Antonelli overtook Leclerc for fifth, while Ferrari later asked Leclerc to let Hamilton through to chase the Mercedes rookie.

Russell stayed calm at the front to claim victory by over five seconds. Verstappen finished second, Norris third, and Piastri fourth — securing enough points for McLaren to clinch the Constructors’ title with races to spare.

Antonelli’s strong fifth-place finish capped a mature drive, with Leclerc and Hamilton in sixth and seventh. Alonso, Bearman, and Sainz rounded out the top ten.

Race results

1st George Russell (Mercedes)
2nd Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +5.430
3rd Lando Norris (McLaren) +6.066
4th Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +8.146
5th Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +33.681
6th Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +45.996
7th Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +1:20.251
8th Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1:20.667
9th Oliver Bearman (Haas) +1:33.527
10th Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1 lap
11th Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +1 lap
12th Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +1 lap
13th Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +1 lap
14th Alexander Albon (Williams) +1 lap
15th Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1 lap
16th Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1 lap
17th Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) +1 lap
18th Esteban Ocon (Haas) +1 lap
19th Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1 lap
20th Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber) +1 lap