George Russell wins the Singapore Grand Prix as McLaren seal Constructors’ Championship
- Damian Hall
- Oct 6, 2025
- 5 min read
George Russell produced a composed and commanding drive to win the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix under the lights at Marina Bay. The Mercedes driver held off Red Bull's Max Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris to victory, while McLaren celebrated sealing the Constructors’ Championship after Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri finished third and fourth respectively.
After the race, Russell reflected on the emotional significance of the win, saying it “feels amazing, especially after what happened a couple of years ago. That was a bit of a missed opportunity, but we more than made up for it today. Just so grateful for the team. They did an amazing job this weekend. We don’t really know where this performance came from, but really, really happy. Friday was a really tough day for me for many different reasons and I wasn’t feeling comfortable, but by the time I got to Q3, I felt great in the car and that’s when it matters. I was a bit nervous at the beginning when I saw Max on the soft, but that first stint was great from us and extended the gap.”
McLaren arrived in Singapore with a chance to clinch the Constructors’ Championship, though the challenge appeared difficult with Norris starting fifth and Piastri third. At the front, Russell led the field from pole in his Mercedes, joined on the front row by Max Verstappen. Mercedes Rookie Kimi Antonelli started fourth, while Sir Lewis Hamilton lined up sixth for Ferrari.
When the lights went out, Verstappen’s decision to start on soft tyres immediately set him apart from the medium runners around him, but it failed to give him the traction he needed. The Red Bull driver lost ground off the line, allowing Norris to challenge Piastri into the first chicane. The two McLarens made light contact as Norris forced his way through, with Piastri narrowly avoiding the barrier.
Behind them, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc made a strong start, overtaking teammate Hamilton and Antonelli to move into fifth after a bold move around the outside at Turn 1. Hamilton slipped to seventh by the end of the opening lap.
By lap 20, Verstappen became the first of the front-runners to pit, switching to hard tyres in an attempt to undercut Russell. Hamilton stopped on lap 25 and re-joined ninth, while Russell came in a lap later, emerging in third on fresh hards. Antonelli also pitted on the same lap, re-joining in seventh.
Norris briefly led the race before stopping on lap 27 and re-joining in fourth, while Piastri pitted one lap later, returning to the same position after a quick service by the McLaren crew.
As the strategies unfolded, Russell regained control at the front and steadily extended his lead. Verstappen’s early stop meant he had to manage his hard tyres for a longer final stint, leaving him vulnerable in the closing laps. Norris, on fresher tyres, began closing in on the Red Bull driver as both worked through lapped traffic, but Verstappen held firm to secure second place.
Further back, Hamilton’s race unravelled in the closing stages when his Ferrari developed a braking issue. The seven-time world champion ran wide several times and struggled to keep the car on track. He was later placed under investigation by the stewards for track-limit offences after going off repeatedly while trying to nurse the car home. The issue dropped him behind Leclerc, and he narrowly held off Fernando Alonso to finish seventh.
Russell’s lead was never under serious threat, and as he crossed the line to take the chequered flag, McLaren’s garage erupted in celebration. Third and fourth for Norris and Piastri delivered enough points to secure the Constructors’ Championship with several rounds remaining.
Norris described his podium finish as a tough but satisfying result after battling illness throughout the weekend. “It was slippery. It was still wet in a lot of places. But it’s racing. I put it on the inside, I had a small correction, but nothing more than that. It was good racing,” he said of his early battle with teammate Piastri.
Reflecting on the race, he added, “Not too bad. I could go again! It was a tough race. Max didn’t make any mistakes. Whether I was feeling good or not, I gave it my all today and got close. A few chances where we were side by side and some good little bits of battling, but just too difficult to overtake because the pace was very strong today and I would have loved to have tried to catch George and give him a little bit more pressure. But I’m happy with today. I got forward two positions, we won as a team the constructors’ once again, so I’m happy about that.”
Verstappen admitted that Red Bull’s alternative tyre strategy had been a gamble that ultimately limited his pace. “The track only just got dry and starting on the dirty side of the grid, we opted to try something different because normally if you just pass Turn 1, you just stay there unless something crazy happens,” he explained. “We tried. It didn’t really work out, so then the first stint was always about just surviving on the tyres, trying to make it long enough to then pit for the hard tyre. I think that worked out but unfortunately the whole race was quite difficult, more difficult than I hoped for, for a lot of different reasons. A few things that we need to understand why they went wrong today. But around here even if you have more pace, you can’t pass without anything crazy happening, so I think second was the maximum result.”
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown praised both drivers for their performances and teamwork across the season. “They have driven brilliantly all season. You can’t win the Constructors’ without two awesome racing drivers,” Brown said. “As you can see, we are letting them race. That was a bit more of a nail-biter there, but they race hard, they race clean, they race to win. A lot of racing to go and hopefully a lot more victories for both of them.”
The result leaves the Drivers’ Championship finely poised heading into the final stretch of the season. With Piastri leading, Norris closing in, and Verstappen still firmly in contention, the fight for the crown has become a genuine three-way battle.
Formula One returns from 17–19 October for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where the championship fight will continue under the Texan sun.
Updated Drivers’ Championship Standings
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 336 points
Lando Norris (McLaren) – 314 points
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) – 273 points
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