Formula 1’s 2025 Singapore Grand Prix Review
Russell Commands Marina Bay as McLaren Clinch Teams’ Championship
Under the lights of Marina Bay, George Russell delivered one of the finest performances of his Formula 1 career, converting pole position into a flawless victory at the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver dominated from start to finish, holding off Max Verstappen and Lando Norris to claim his second win of the season — and his fifth overall — while McLaren sealed the 2025 Constructors’ Championship in dramatic fashion despite a tense early clash between their two drivers.
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Formula 1’s 2025 Singapore Grand Prix – Qualifying Review
Under the dazzling lights of Marina Bay, George Russell delivered a sensational performance to seize pole position for the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix, fending off Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri in a tightly contested session that pushed the limits of precision and bravery.
The Mercedes driver, who topped Q2 earlier in the evening, carried that momentum through to the final segment of qualifying. His opening effort of 1:29.165 was already enough for provisional pole — a lap that included a light kiss with the concrete barrier at Turn 17 — before improving slightly on his second attempt to a 1:29.158, securing his second pole of the season after his triumph in Canada.
Verstappen, despite showing strong pace all weekend, fell short by just 0.182s, visibly frustrated over the radio after being hampered by traffic on his final run. Piastri, looking to recover from a difficult outing in Baku, slotted into third for McLaren, just ahead of the other Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and teammate Lando Norris, completing a top five separated by less than half a second.
Ferrari lacked the outright speed to challenge for the front row, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc taking sixth and seventh respectively. Isack Hadjar continued his impressive rookie campaign, dragging his Racing Bulls into eighth place, while Ollie Bearman once again showcased his raw pace to line up ninth for Haas. Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10 for Aston Martin after a strong recovery from a scrappy start to the session.
Q1 – Hamilton sets the pace under the lights
Max Verstappen set the initial benchmark with a 1:30.317, followed closely by Haas rookie Oliver Bearman and George Russell. But as the laps rolled in, the order constantly shuffled. Both McLarens showed their hand, with Lando Norris going quickest on a 1:29.932, while Oscar Piastri, hampered briefly by yellow flags, safely made it through in seventh.
The closing stages of Q1 saw the usual late flurry of laps, with Hamilton lighting up the timing screens to take P1 with a 1:29.765, followed closely by Russell and Norris. Behind them, Antonelli, Verstappen, and Hadjar impressed, while Pierre Gasly stopped on track with a technical issue, triggering yellow flags and preventing several drivers from improving.
Knocked out: Bortoleto, Stroll, Colapinto, Ocon, Gasly
Q2 – Russell leads the charge as Mercedes find form
When Q2 resumed, Verstappen again set the early pace with a 1:29.747, just ahead of Piastri, Hamilton, and Norris. But it was the Mercedes camp who soon came alive — first with Kimi Antonelli setting a 1:29.649, before Russell responded with an even faster 1:29.562, putting both Silver Arrows on top.
Further back, Leclerc recovered from brushing the wall at Turn 14 to safely advance, while Isack Hadjar continued his impressive night with another top-10 effort. Fernando Alonso and Oliver Bearman narrowly made it through as Nico Hulkenberg, both Williams cars, and Yuki Tsunoda fell short of Q3 by fractions of a second.
Knocked out: Hulkenberg, Albon, Sainz, Lawson, Tsunoda
Q3 – Russell’s perfect lap seals the deal
Under the floodlights of Marina Bay, it was all or nothing in the final phase of qualifying. George Russell immediately set the tone with an inspired lap — brushing the walls, yet extracting every bit of performance to post a 1:29.165. Verstappen, pushing hard, came within two-tenths but couldn’t close the gap, frustrated by traffic through the final sector.
On the final runs, Russell somehow found another seven thousandths of a second, lowering the benchmark to 1:29.158 — a time no one could match. Verstappen settled for P2, while Oscar Piastri’s consistent speed placed him third. Antonelli impressed in P4, further proving Mercedes’ resurgence, while Lando Norris completed the top five after a slightly scrappy last attempt.
Ferrari locked out the third row with Hamilton sixth and Leclerc seventh, while Hadjar, Bearman, and Alonso rounded out the top 10 in a grid that promises an unpredictable Sunday race under the Singapore lights.
FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 2025 – QUALIFYING RESULTS
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:29.158 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:29.340 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:29.524 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:29.537 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:29.586 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:29.688 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:29.784 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:29.846 |
| 9 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:29.868 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:29.955 |
Formula 1’s 2025 Singapore Grand Prix Review
When the lights went out, Russell launched perfectly from pole, immediately cutting across Verstappen to defend the inside line through Turn 1. Behind them, chaos unfolded as Lando Norris clipped the rear of Verstappen’s Red Bull before banging wheels with teammate Oscar Piastri in a heated battle for third. Norris muscled his way ahead, damaging his front wing endplate in the process, while Piastri’s frustration was evident over the radio: “That wasn’t very team-like.”
Russell quickly settled into a rhythm and pulled clear, building a lead of over four seconds by Lap 10. Verstappen, still struggling with intermittent downshift issues, was unable to match the Mercedes driver’s pace. Meanwhile, Norris and Piastri followed in formation, with the McLarens separated by just under two seconds.
As the first round of pit stops approached, Red Bull blinked first, bringing Verstappen in on Lap 20 for a switch to the hard compound tyres. Ferrari soon followed suit with Charles Leclerc, while Mercedes executed a seamless double-stack stop for Russell and Kimi Antonelli. McLaren, however, found themselves out of sync — Norris pitted first, forcing Piastri to stay out an extra lap. When the Australian finally stopped, a slow 5.2-second left-rear issue cost him valuable time and track position, dropping him behind his teammate once more.
By the halfway mark, Russell remained in full control, extending his advantage to nearly nine seconds over Verstappen, while Norris and Piastri struggled to find additional pace. Behind them, Antonelli showcased another impressive drive, overtaking Leclerc to move into fifth place in what has been a remarkable rookie campaign for the young Italian.
Verstappen’s attempts to close the gap ended abruptly on Lap 37, when the Dutchman locked up and narrowly avoided the barriers, losing two seconds and prompting an exasperated radio outburst. Norris began to close in during the final laps, cutting the deficit to less than a second, but Verstappen’s experience proved too much to overcome.
Further back, Ferrari’s race took another twist when Lewis Hamilton was handed a five-second post-race penalty for exceeding track limits, promoting Fernando Alonso to seventh in the final classification. Ollie Bearman collected another solid finish for Haas in ninth, while Carlos Sainz recovered from Williams’ double disqualification in qualifying to claim the final point in tenth place.
At the chequered flag, Russell crossed the line with a 5.430-second margin over Verstappen to claim a dominant and well-earned victory. For McLaren, it was a night of mixed emotions — tension early on, but ultimate celebration as Norris and Piastri’s combined points haul officially secured the 2025 Constructors’ Championship, their second consecutive title.
FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 2025 – Race RESULTS
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Time/Retired | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:40:22.367 | 25 |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +5.430s | 18 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +6.066s | 15 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +8.146s | 12 |
| 5 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +33.681s | 10 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +45.996s | 8 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +80.667s | 6 |
| 8 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +80.251s | 4* |
| 9 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +93.527s | 2 |
| 10 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1 Lap | 1 |
| 11 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 12 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 14 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 15 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 16 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 17 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 18 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 19 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 20 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +1 Lap | 0 |
*Hamilton received a five-second post-race penalty for exceeding track limits.
Conclusion
George Russell’s triumph under the Singapore floodlights marked Mercedes’ return to the top step and reaffirmed the team’s progress through 2025. For McLaren, despite internal friction, the result secured back-to-back Constructors’ titles — a testament to the dominance of Norris and Piastri’s pairing.
Formula 1 now shifts from the heat of Singapore to the fast and furious United States Grand Prix in Austin, set to take place from October 17–19.
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Sources
- Russell storms to victory in Singapore as McLaren seal Teams’ Championship — Formula1.com
- Race results – 2025 Singapore Grand Prix — Formula1.com
- Russell charges to Singapore GP pole over Verstappen and Piastri — Formula1.com
- Qualifying results – 2025 Singapore Grand Prix — Formula1.com
