MCLAREN SECURES CONSTRUCTORS’ TITLE AMID DRIVER TENSION

McLaren has done it again — world champions for the second consecutive year, with six races still to go. A crushing display of dominance, reminiscent of Mercedes and Red Bull in their golden eras. Yet Zak Brown and Andrea Stella appeared remarkably calm after the race, unconcerned by Lando Norris’s third place and Oscar Piastri’s fourth. They celebrated the title properly, leaving for later the task of easing tensions after the heated first-lap contact between their two drivers.

Norris managed to close the gap to Piastri in the drivers’ standings — now down to 22 points, compared to the 34 that separated them after Zandvoort. Over the past three rounds, Norris has consistently finished ahead of his teammate: second at Monza, seventh at Baku, and third in Singapore, collecting 39 points against Piastri’s 27. The battle is far from over. McLaren may already have the Constructors’ crown, but inside the team, the rivalry burns brighter than ever.

Norris was aggressive off the line and relentless in chasing Verstappen, but ultimately backed off rather than risk too much. Piastri, slowed by a sluggish pit stop, couldn’t challenge for more than fourth — steady but unspectacular.

Verstappen, meanwhile, continues to quietly rebuild momentum. Second at Zandvoort and Singapore, victorious at Monza and Baku, he’s earned 84 points in the past few races, bringing his total to 273 — 41 behind Norris and 63 behind Piastri. A steep climb, yes, but a remarkable turnaround for a driver who, before the summer break, had already written off his title hopes.

The man of the weekend, though, was George Russell. Brilliant in qualifying, flawless in the race. Starting on medium tires against Verstappen’s softs, he seized control off the line and never looked back, steadily pulling away as the Red Bull seemed powerless to respond. Mercedes’ new front wing may have helped, but Russell’s pace was the real difference-maker.

It was his second win of the season after Montreal, and surely enough to put pressure on Toto Wolff to finalize that long-delayed contract renewal. The team’s other bright spot was young Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who once again delivered a composed, mature performance. After dropping positions at the start, the Italian rookie held his ground between Leclerc and Hamilton, finishing fifth and reinforcing his growing reputation.

Mercedes leaves Singapore with a reinforced grip on second place in the Constructors’ standings, extending its lead over Ferrari by another 25 points. Between Baku and Singapore, Wolff’s team has scored 65 points to Ferrari’s 18. The SF25 remains an enigma — capable of flashes of brilliance one weekend, then lost the next. It’s the hallmark of a flawed project, one that corrections alone can’t fully fix.

Hamilton gambled on a second pit stop for softs, a bold move that briefly paid off when he climbed to fifth by passing Antonelli. But brake issues struck soon after, dropping him back to seventh, and a post-race five-second penalty for track limits pushed him down to eighth — a double blow on a day when nothing seemed to go right.

Fernando Alonso, as ever, fought with heart and precision to claim seventh, while teammate Lance Stroll impressed with tire management but fell short of the top ten. Oliver Bearman, on the other hand, continues to shine: ninth with Haas, scoring points for the third time in six races — confirmation of his growing consistency. Esteban Ocon struggled again, and both Sauber and Alpine endured weekends to forget.

Carlos Sainz salvaged a single point for Ferrari after an uphill battle on medium tires, while Isack Hadjar was denied a top-ten finish by an engine failure on his Honda-powered Racing Bulls.

Singapore once again served as a mirror of the championship’s balance of power: McLaren untouchable, Mercedes resurging, Ferrari lost in between. The Constructors’ title is already sealed — but the Drivers’ Championship remains a slow-burn thriller, destined to be decided by the smallest mistakes, the bravest calls, and the quiet wars fought within the garages.

© Cavalieri Garage & Co.