Five Singapore GP conclusions: McLaren headache just got bigger

The heat in the F1 2025 title fight just got turned up a notch at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Here are five big things we learned from a feisty race in Singapore…

McLaren give themselves a headache

McLaren will come away from Singapore with a sore head.

In part, it is one probably caused by celebrating their second straight constructors’ title triumph. But there is another, more concerning headache for McLaren to contend with.

A first-lap collision, although minimal, has stoked tension and controversy between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in their title fight.

Norris pulled off a punchy overtake on Piastri to jump from fifth on the grid to third at Turn 3 at the start, but he couldn’t avoid making contact with his title rival and teammate in the process.

The move was crucial in sealing third place for Norris, who has clawed back another three points on Piastri to trim the Australian’s championship advantage further.

But it also angered Piastri, who was unhappy that McLaren did not intervene. Piastri felt McLaren should have reversed positions after being barged out of the way by Norris, but the call did not come.

This all stems from previous examples where McLaren have micro-managed the battle between their drivers to try and keep things fair.

However, in doing so, they have inadvertently created over-complicated dynamics for their drivers, who appear to be exploiting the grey areas of McLaren’s ‘Papaya Rules’ with the title battle hotting up.

McLaren are left having to defuse an awkward incident for the second time in three races and will need to reassure Piastri.

Lando Norris is prepared to be punchy

What the start of Sunday’s race showed is that Norris is prepared to get his elbows out with time running out to turn around his deficit to Piastri.

Norris, who dominated last year’s race in Singapore, was left frustrated to only be fifth on the grid and two places behind his teammate.

But he wasted no time turning the tables in the race. Capitalising on a strong start, Norris launched a risky and aggressive lunge that could have wiped out both Max Verstappen and Piastri at Turn 3.

Norris just about got away with it, tapping the rear of Verstappen’s Red Bull, before sliding into Piastri, who was nearly barged into the wall on the outside.

Ultimately, Norris’s opportunistic, bold pass paid off and rewarded him with a podium that helped McLaren clinch the constructors’ championship for the second year in a row.

Recent momentum is with Norris, who has gained on Piastri for the last three race weekends. Since his heartbreaking retirement at Zandvoort, Norris has reduced what was a 34-point deficit down to 22.

Oscar Piastri is starting to question McLaren

In contrast to his teammate, Piastri leaves Singapore annoyed.

Piastri openly questioned McLaren’s driver policy in the heat of battle as he protested the team’s decision not to take immediate action and swap the places.

For Piastri, there are valid reasons to feel hard done by. He looked set to win in Hungary until Norris, who lost ground with a bad start, was allowed to use an alternative strategy that ultimately paved the way for an unlikely victory.

Then at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Piastri was ordered to let Norris back past into second place after the Briton fell behind his teammate due to a slow pit stop.

Singapore marks the third occasion in recent races that Piastri has lost out in a contentious flashpoint.

These events have raised some suspicions within the F1 paddock that McLaren are favouring Norris, but the team have rubbished such talk and repeatedly stressed they want to have as little influence on the championship outcome as possible.

To date, Piastri has played the team game and helped keep the harmony within McLaren. One wonders if that might change going forward.

George Russell is ready to fight for F1 titles

This was a statement victory from George Russell under the lights in Singapore.

Following up on his stunning lap to claim pole position, Russell dominated proceedings in Sunday’s race with a cool and collected drive to claim his second win of the season, and the fifth of his career.

Russell has been one of the standout performers in 2025 and there is a case to argue that his performance across the weekend in Singapore was the best of his career to date, particularly as Mercedes’ competitiveness seemingly came out of nowhere.

The 27-year-old Briton declared after his latest win that he “feels ready to fight for a championship” after improving this year, and there is little reason to doubt that based on his Singapore showing.

Ferrari are continuing to underdeliver

Just as they did in Azerbaijan, Ferrari flattered to deceive in Singapore.

Ferrari once again looked good on Friday, only for their competitiveness to fade when it mattered most in qualifying, leaving Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc an underwhelming sixth and seventh on the grid.

The race wasn’t any better, with Ferrari left in no-man’s land. Leclerc took P6 after losing out to Kimi Antonelli, and Hamilton finished P7 on the road (which later became P8 thanks to a post-race penalty) after late brake woes undid a charging final stint.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton pointed the finger at Ferrari’s operational shortfalls following both qualifying and Sunday’s grand prix. He reckons Ferrari are simply not extracting the full potential of their SF-25 car.

With qualifying proving more important than ever this season, Ferrari’s repeated failure to secure strong grid positions is what is hurting them the most.

On paper, Baku and Singapore represented good opportunities for Ferrari to finally end their winless streak in 2025 - but they blew both weekends. It is hard to see where that victory is going to come.