Welcome to the Singapore Grand Prix – 2025
Norris looking to channel Ryder Cup to come back
Lando Norris says the US team’s unexpected comeback to challenge on the final day of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black underlines why never giving up in sport is crucial as he bids to energise his own title bid in F1.
After a tough start to the Ryder Cup, the US team came back to finish two points behind the Europeans 15-13 during the final session on Sunday, as they attempted to win back the trophy. Norris faces his own comeback challenge for the title against McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, who leads by a reduced margin of twenty-five points or one Grand Prix win, after the Briton outscored him over the past two races.
Norris told Sky Sports in an interview that airs this weekend, he spent his weekend off from F1 “binge watching the whole of the Ryder Cup every day!”
On lessons he can learn from Team USA’s Sunday comeback, Norris said: “You can never say never, right? I guess last weekend was a really good example of don’t give up until you know it’s over. I think America proved that after a good battering on Friday and Saturday, what they can still do, what they can still achieve, and it’s very close to them almost winning.”
“I guess it’s a similar situation in terms of, as they had seven hours left or a day left, for me, we’ve still got seven races, we’ve got the Sprints. There’s still so much opportunity and 20 points or whatever it is, it’s not a lot.”
As Norris pointed out, he has bounced back, most noticeably from the collision with teammate Oscar Piastri in Montreal and his retirement in Zandvoort.
Stella compares Piastri to Schumacher
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has compared Oscar Piastri to bounce back from his uncharacteristic scrappy weekend in Baku. The championship leader had his worst weekend of the season, crashing out of qualifying and on the opening lap a fortnight ago in the Azerbaijani capital.
That meant that his lead over teammate Lando Norris was reduced to just a race win, as Max Verstappen took a second successive win, as Red Bull hopes that he could pull off a historic comeback to win a fifth successive drivers’ title. Ahead of this weekend, Stella has confidence that Piastri will return to form.
Stella, who was Michael Schumacher’s performance engineer at Ferrari from 2002-2006, told Sky Sports, “I’ve worked with multi-champion drivers and in every season, even the most dominant, even one of the best drivers in the history of F1, like Michael Schumacher, I have seen events like this.”
“Events in which the most you take away is the learning, because things become, for some reason, difficult, and as soon as you misjudge the grip available, you get highly punished. So, a one-off for what has been probably the most solid driver in this season, a one-off weekend in which things don’t go your way, and you ultimately have lots to review.”
“So, it’s no surprise, no exception that we should be worried about, because this has happened to pretty much all champions, even the ones with the best track record.”
The incidents in Baku were his first since his spin in the rain at the opening race in Melbourne. In the following fifteen rounds, he avoided major mistakes and his fourth place in Canada the only time he was outside the top three. Stella reiterated after the race in Baku that he believed Piastri had already moved on from his errors.
Verstappen refusing to get carried away
Max Verstappen is refusing to get carried away with talk of a championship comeback after successive F1 victories slashed his deficit to McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. His back-to-back wins have allowed him to close the gap to sixty-nine points with seven weekends and just under two hundred points remaining.
Asked for his thoughts arriving in Singapore, and how significant the event could be for the title race, with the Dutchman never winning at Marina Bay before, Verstappen replied: “It’s like any other, I just try to do my best. Of course, I know in the past this has not been particularly our strongest track, plus sometimes a bit unfortunate to [not] get a better result around here. I’m relaxed, just having fun, here and outside of F1. In that sense, [it’s been] a good season.”
Pushed on whether he feels winning the title is a possibility, he added: “I’m not really thinking about that, to be honest. It’s a big gap, but for me, I just see it race by race. I try to do the best I can, and I know that if the car is capable of winning, we will win the race – it’s as simple as that. At the same time, if we’re not able to win the race, then that’s it as well.”
Last weekend, Verstappen took part in a GT3 race where he won on his debut around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Adding “This was already my plan, and [there are] things that I wanted to do outside of F1, but it takes times to prepare these kinds of things. Finally, that came together.”
Verstappen has never won in Singapore, with second his best result (in 2018 and last season). As for what he can take from the experience and apply to his driving more generally, Verstappen said: “I’ve done that already for a lot of years on the simulator, driving these kinds of cars. There is also learning the track better in the wet, damp, knowing every kerb, every bump, even more from new tyres to old tyres, high fuel, low fuel, dealing with traffic…”
“Everything felt super natural because I’ve been doing this for many years on the sim, multi-class racing, and it is exactly the same.
Russell new contact with Mercedes must be “done right”
George Russell says that his new contract with Mercedes must be “done right”, but does not expect negotiations to run into the post-season. The Englishman, who is the most high-profile driver without a seat confirmed for 2026 though it appears to be “a formality,” says CEO and team principal Toto Wolff.
Russell said, ahead of this weekend’s race, “I think for any driver, when you get to a certain point in your career, things have be done right.. Every time you renew a contract, it’s the most important one of your life, and it has to be done with good care. There’s nothing to worry about. It will get done.”
“It’s just about something that’s fair, mutually beneficial. I think that’s what we all will chase. It’s obviously different for certain drivers who may have a bit more power, may have a bit less power. No more updates, nothing to report and I’ll be glad to tell you all once there is.”
The length of the contract and the way this has dragged on for months may be a sign of how much Mercedes back him, given Verstappen could become available if Red Bull are not competitive in 2026 when new regulations begin. It is still widely expected that the deal will be done before Abu Dhabi.
Russell added, “Things are moving and progressing. As I’ve said on numerous occasions before, it’s not like we sit at home on the sofa with our feet up and nothing else is going on. There is no danger of that [not having a contract going into the winter] happening but if it does, it does. But I don’t expect it to.”
Hamilton “overwhelmed” support following Roscoe’s death
Lewis Hamilton has spoken out about the “overwhelming” support he has received from the paddock and fans following the passing of his beloved bulldog, Roscoe. Earlier in the week, the seven-time champion confirmed his dog and companion of thirteen years died on Sunday after a period in ITU.
He wrote, “After four days on life support, fighting with every bit of strength he had, I had to make the hardest decision of my life and say goodbye to Roscoe. He never stopped fighting, right until the very end. I feel so grateful and honoured to have shared my life with such a beautiful soul, an angel and true friend.”
“Bringing Roscoe into my life was the best decision I ever made, and I will forever cherish the memories we created together. Although I lost Coco, I have never been faced with putting a dog to sleep before, though I know my mum and many close friends have. It is one of the most painful experiences, and I feel a deep connection to ever”
Hamilton received messages of support from many of the other drivers on the grid, as well as the teams, the FIA, and F1 itself, which he has described as “heartwarming to receive”.
Speaking ahead of the weekend in Singapore, he said, “Yeah, lots of messages. Quite overwhelming, to be honest, to see just how many people Roscoe touched around the world, and really heartwarming to receive. I’ve not been able to reply to everybody, but he was the most important thing in my life, so it was a very difficult experience.”
He added that so many people have gone through this with a pet which gives you love and it was an amazing experience. But he was looking forwards to the weekend.
Asked if he wanted a good weekend for Roscoe, he said there was a lot of people who deserved a good result from his side, Ferrari and the tifosi. Adding “I think it’s in moments like that where you really see people show up for you. And that’s been, as I said, really overwhelming to see and really well welcomed.”
Talking Points Singapore
Round eighteen brings F1 to its original night race around the streets of the city-state of Singapore, the three-mile circuit winds it way around the main business district under the lights in Marina Bay. Sometimes called the Monaco of the East, the race is one of the most difficult physically and mentally for drivers.
Following McLaren’s tough weekend in Baku and Max Verstappen’s back-to-back wins, there is questions whether he could mount a late comeback to take a fifth successive drivers’ title. His hopes appeared to be over when McLaren picked up where they’d left off before the summer break in Zandvoort as Oscar Piastri won to stretch his advantage over third-placed Verstappen to a hundred and four points.
Piastri was completely out of sorts, crashing out of qualifying to leave himself ninth on the grid, before jumping the start of the race and then shunting into the barriers once more on the opening lap to end the weekend pointless.
However, Red Bull brought upgrades to the Italian Grand Prix that appear to have changed the game, and Verstappen’s wins in Monza and Azerbaijan combined with a third place and retiring for Piastri, have brought the gap between them down to sixty-nine points with seven rounds remaining.
Verstappen cannot afford errors if he is serious about challenging with six rounds remaining following this weekend. McLaren may have had two retirements in three weekends, one each for Norris and Piastri. Norris failed to capitalise on Piastri’s retirement in Baku. There has also been a variety of reliability issues for both drivers and slow pitstops on Norris’ side.
McLaren now heads to its favoured Singapore circuit, where Norris dominated last year, as it aims to end a resurgent Verstappen’s victory run. The team can be constructors’ champions again if they score thirteen points.
Verstappen is likely to be on the back foot this weekend as the circuit has all the ingredients Red Bull dislikes: a bumpy street track, high downforce, and extreme heat. Verstappen has never won F1’s original night race, while Norris was utterly dominant at this venue last year.
Ferrari is yet to win a Grand Prix this season, and pressure continues to build. The feeling is that the team just needs a solid result after a disappointing season, and drama, mistakes and underwhelming results. Since Zandvoort, it has not gotten any better.
A double retirement in Zandvoort, disappointment in Monza and a Baku race that was fraught with questionable strategy, Ferrari is staring down the barrel of a win-less season – save for Lewis Hamilton’s surprise victory in the sprint in China – which will not be the result F1’s most famous team was targeting.
Ferrari needs to turn its season around, while they have the most wins in Singapore, Marina Bay can de a difficult circuit to tame its characteristics of high downforce and good cornering abilities. Similar high-downforce tracks like Imola and Hungary proved tough for the Scuderia this season. If Ferrari hopes to improve on the fourth place it managed at both, it will take more than a few hopes and prayers come Sunday.
Yuki Tsunoda completed his strongest weekend as a Red Bull driver at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he qualified sixth and finished in the same position to secure his best result in fifteen starts for Red Bull. Together with Verstappen’s victory in Baku, it marked the first time this season that both Red Bulls finished inside the top six.
He looked to benefit from the new floor which looks to improved the unpredictability of the car and the change in technical approach under team principal Mekies, with greater emphasis placed on driver feedback. Tsunoda himself has also spent more hours in the simulator, an effort that is paying dividends.
While he has clearly stepped up at a crucial point in the season, he still needs to consistently replicate the form he showed in Baku to strengthen his position within the Red Bull family. The good news for Tsunoda is that his improvement has come at a time when Isack Hadjar, his main rival for the Red Bull seat – has shown a few shaky performances since stepping onto the podium at Zandvoort.
How does McLaren win the constructors?
Seven Grands Prix and three Sprints remain this season, which means there are 346 points still remaining in the constructors. McLaren goes into this weekend 333 points ahead of Mercedes, which means they need to outscore Mercedes by thirteen points this weekend, meaning if either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri finish on the podium, they will retain the constructors.
Even if Mercedes scored a one-two, the fact that 303 points are still up for grabs after Singapore would result in the gap remaining too large to close. They need to outscore McLaren by 31 points to take the championship to Texas in a fortnight. Ferrari needs to out-score McLaren by 35 points if they are to remain in contention.
Heat hazard declared for the first time
F1 has declared a heat hazard for the first time since the regulations were introduced following the problems with heat in Lusail in 2023. The ambient temperature is expected to reach 31 °C on both Saturday and Sunday, which is the FIA’s threshold for declaring a Heat Hazard.
This gives the teams two options: either their drivers must wear the mandatory cooling vests or their cars must carry more ballast.
Whether the drivers elect to use the vests or not, the rules state that their cars must be fitted with the necessary equipment to make the vests work – specifically the pumps, coolant reservoir and heat exchanger. Should drivers choose not to wear a vest must carry additional ballast.
The rules on this are clear: “The difference in mass between the driver’s personal equipment normally used and any items of a driver’s personal equipment that form part of the system must be compensated by the fitting of 0.5kg of ballast in the cockpit.”
Initially, the cooling vests were meant to be mandatory in the event of ambient temperatures reaching 31°C, after testing, several drivers complained that they were uncomfortable. The vests carry a network of tubes through which a coolant flows, but this naturally makes an already tight F1 car cockpit a more cramped environment.
This is why the FIA decided to give drivers the option of not wearing one, creating the ballast rubric in order for those availing themselves of the system not to have a weight penalty.
George Russell was the first to use the current generation of cooling vests in F1, trialling the system in this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix. He credited it not only with improving his comfort in the desert heat, but also with maintaining the mental sharpness needed to drive around a major electrical problem on his way to a remarkable second-place finish.
Alonso to take 2026 “day by day”
Fernando Alonso says he will be taking 2026 “day by day” as speculation regarding his retirement in the next few years continues. The Aston Martin driver has reiterated that he will continue to support his team and is in close contact with team owner Lawrence Stroll as the regulations change in 2026.
Asked in the press conference about a recent interview where he said< “Since I don’t have a crystal ball, I gave an answer that will be valid forever. I think that until May, that’s how I feel right now.”
“If I have a car that I enjoy driving and get some results with, I think that maybe… I mean, I’ll always discuss with Lawrence and the team what their needs are, and the team will come first and me second. I don’t need to race to prove anything. I’m happy with my career, and I consider myself very fortunate to have been here for so many years. Now is the time to help the team and have fun, so that’s something I’ll have to see day by day next year.”
The Spaniard has struggled over the last two seasons with the Silverstone team, but despite this, and being the oldest driver on the grid, he has total confidence in his abilities behind the wheel.
He added, “Better than ever. Yes, I think so. I think so, last year and this year, the car is probably not where we see it in the standings. I think we have some problems behind us and we’ve been dealing with some weaknesses that I don’t think are too obvious from the outside sometimes.”
Cadillac sign three test and simulator drivers
Former Penske IndyCar star Simon Pagenaud is among three drivers signed by Cadillac to work on its simulator programme. Pagenaud will share the role with former Haas reserve and two-time grand prix starter Pietro Fittipaldi as well as Charlie Eastwood, who represents General Motors as a Corvette factory GT driver for sister brand Chevrolet.
Pagenaud hasn’t raced in IndyCar since a crash in Ohio in 2023, since suffering severe concussion in a harrowing IndyCar crash at Mid-Ohio in 2023 and hasn’t raced since. The Frenchman has since acted as a driver coach for former Penske team-mate Scott McLaughlin.
Pagenaud was tapped by GM to conduct IndyCar sim testing at its Charlotte simulator. In recent months, Pagenaud also started supporting the nascent F1 squad with drive-in-the-loop simulator work. He said, “Optimising the technical side of a car and managing relationships with the people in the factory has been my passion since I started racing.”
“I really enjoy talking with engineers, developing the simulator, and making it as realistic as possible. This work gives me the feeling of being useful and contributing my expertise, something I had been missing a little since my accident.”
“My role and my goal are to make the simulator as close to reality as possible and to lay the foundations of the car. I want to help Cadillac project itself towards reality in the most accurate way possible.”
Team principal Graeme Lowdon said, “Our work in the simulator in Charlotte is extremely important for building the team. It is crucial in many respects: consolidating our baseline performance and aerodynamic setups, allowing us to be race-ready during a grand prix weekend, validating systems and protocols, but also establishing clear and efficient communication channels between our bases in the United States, the United Kingdom and, ultimately, trackside.”
Cadillac also enlisted Northern Ireland born Eastwood, who is employed by G as a Corvette factory GT3 driver, and Fittipaldi. The grandson of the three-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi, stood in for Romain Grosjean following his accident in Bahrain 2020.
He wrote on X, “I’m very proud to finally share that I’ve joined Cadillac F1. Over past few months, we’ve been working together on the development of the team’s 2026 F1 car through sim testing and full GP simulations. It’s a privilege to be part of a brand as iconic as Cadillac.”