SINGAPORE, EVERYTHING WENT ACCORDING TO SCRIPT

The Singapore Grand Prix didn’t disappoint — or rather, it went exactly as expected: decisive qualifying sessions, a cautious race, and little in the way of spectacle. The only wild card that might have shaken things up was the weather. Rain did arrive — but too early. And one can only wonder how things might have played out if the race had truly been run in mixed conditions, considering what’s happened in the past.

Russell built his victory on Saturday, with two outstanding laps in Q3. The Mercedes still looked twitchy and unpredictable, but his precision made the difference. The introduction of the new front wing clearly mattered, as the telemetry shows. But of course, when it’s not McLaren or Ferrari, every update is said to “work” without sparking controversy. Credit to Mercedes for finding a way to stay within the regulations — and make it pay off.

Verstappen did the best he could with what he had. He tried an aggressive start, but the “dirty” side of the track — made even trickier by humidity — ruined those plans. From there, it was a controlled race, never really in a position to threaten Russell, except for a brief skirmish with Norris. His complaints in qualifying seemed a bit misplaced: he braked several meters later than usual despite having a positive time delta. Mistakes happen — even to him. It’s natural to react emotionally, but nowadays criticizing even the smallest detail about Verstappen feels like questioning the sacredness of the “true driver.” Yet, looking at some of his moves — like at Monza, against Ocon — there’s room for fair judgment.

That makes three straight races without a win for McLaren, and this time on a track where they dominated last year. The MCL39 remains an exceptional car, but not in every context. It struggles in qualifying — and on a circuit like Singapore, that hurts more than anywhere else, even if race pace remains solid. Lando Norris made a clean, assertive start, while Piastri reacted instinctively to a situation that didn’t really favor him — nothing to complain about, but nothing to celebrate either.

As for Ferrari, the situation has become clear — and stable. This is their level, and it won’t change until they decide to truly intervene on the project. If the car stays the same while everyone else evolves, there’s little sense in being surprised by the results.

In this race, Hamilton seemed to have more pace than Leclerc, but his start forced him into a waiting rhythm, and the final incident extinguished any hope of a comeback. Leclerc, meanwhile, showed inconsistency — much like in Baku. And really, when you’re told to save fuel while already struggling to keep up, it’s easy to lose motivation.

And then there’s Alonso. Honestly, it’s hard to see where his “great race” was supposed to be. Finishing fifty seconds behind Leclerc after spending the weekend near the front can hardly be called a masterpiece. Mediocre qualifying, average race — nothing more. His talent remains undeniable, but so does his tendency to complain about everything. This time he took aim at Hamilton, but truthfully, it’s part of the character now — the eternal fighter, always at odds with someone.

Singapore didn’t surprise anyone. Everything went according to script: Russell flawless, Verstappen human, McLaren inconsistent, Ferrari predictable, Alonso perpetually polemical. And so, instead of talking about racing, we end up talking about personalities.

Maybe that’s the real limitation of Formula 1 today — the race itself matters less than the story that surrounds it.