Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

McLaren meltdown grabs international media attention after Singapore GP.
Piastri skips McLaren’s Constructors’ title celebrations.
6 Oct 2025
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

La Gazzetta dello Sport highlights McLaren’s Constructors’ Championship triumph but also points out the team’s third consecutive race without a win — not an ideal trend in terms of the Drivers’ Championship battle. “McLaren was clearly faster than Red Bull,” wrote La Gazzetta dello Sport. “The papaya duo took some risks at the start, with Norris — who finished third — attacking teammate Piastri, damaging his front wing and leaving the Australian, who ended up fourth, furious. Woking can celebrate the Constructors’ title, but a third race without a win is still a warning sign.”

Marca. the Spanish newspaper: “Norris did exactly what was asked of him — aggressive, committed, and focused. He saw the gap Piastri left at the first corner, went for it, and made slight contact with his teammate’s car. He managed to get ahead, leaving the Australian with front-wing damage after Turn 3 — and a fair amount of anger. Piastri was clearly frustrated. ‘This happens because there are no clear rules,’ he complained to his engineer. Still, McLaren insisted there was no fault on Lando’s part, as he had avoided a potential collision with Verstappen. More fuel to the fire for a season finale on the edge between the two teammates. McLaren will have to decide through its internal regulations — but the controversy is very much alive.”

BILD, on the other hand, points out that yesterday should have been a day of celebration for McLaren, but the contact between the two drivers instead created tension within the team, leaving little room for a festive mood. “It should have been a reason to celebrate, but there was little festive mood among the ‘Papayas,’ as the team is nicknamed for its orange car livery — least of all for Oscar Piastri!” While the team led by Andrea Stella and Zak Brown gathered on the podium — with the entire crew, including Lando Norris — to celebrate their second Constructors’ title, the Australian chose instead to focus on his media duties, sending a clear message after already switching off the radio while Zak Brown was speaking to him post-race.

‘McLaren meltdown’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/mclar...r-singapore-gp


Singapore GP: 'I tried to puncture your tyre!' | Lando Norris jokes at Max Verstappen battle
5 October 2025
Sky Sports

Lando Norris poked fun at Max Verstappen, joking he'd tried to 'puncture' the Red Bull driver's tyre in their battle for second.

'I tried to puncture your tyre!';

https://www.skysports.com/f1/video/3...stappen-battle


Norris defends first lap move on Piastri: ‘If you fault me, you shouldn’t be in F1’
5th October 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Lando Norris firmly rejected any suggestion he dealt unfairly with his team mate Oscar Piastri on the first lap of the Singapore Grand Prix. “The start was good,” he said after the race. “The right-hand side of the grid was good, I think it was a good launch as well, so I got across and put myself in a good position to not get checked up out of turn one and into turn two.”

“I just had a big [move] up on the inside of Oscar. It was very close [and] so slippery because it was still damp in places and drying out. I think I just clipped the back of Max’s car, and that just gave me a little correction, but then that was it.” Norris pointed out he is at a disadvantage compared to his team mate in the championship, as he remains 22 points behind after this weekend’s race. But anyone on the grid would have done exactly the same thing as I did. So I think if you fault me for just going on the inside and putting my car on the inside of a big gap then I think you shouldn’t be in Formula 1.”

“I’m the one that can’t afford anything compared to him,” he said. “I would [have] put myself at risk just as much if that kind of thing happens. So I’ll see what I can do with it next time. But the FIA obviously thought it was fine, and the team did too, so that’s it.”

‘Lando Norris: “If you fault me, you shouldn’t be in F1”!’;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/10/05/...ldnt-be-in-f1/


Papaya Civil War: Norris-Piastri Spark at Singapore’s First Corner
October 5, 2025
Alex Albuquerque
FastestLap.com

Norris shrugs off Turn 1 brush with Piastri as McLaren keeps the big prize in sight. Lando Norris didn’t flinch. He rarely does. Third place in Singapore was tidy business for McLaren on a night where overtaking was rationed, but the story lived in the first 200 meters: Norris muscling up the inside, glancing off Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, and then ricocheting into Oscar Piastri’s papaya. Cue a sharp intake of breath on the pit wall and a spiky radio message from the other side of the garage.

Piastri’s complaint was quick and clear — “not fair,” “not very team-like” — after he had to catch a slide and flirt with the wall, surrendering the podium place he’d earned on Saturday. But Norris, speaking later, insisted there was nothing dirty in it. The move, he argued, was opportunistic on a damp, low-grip inside line and only looked spicy because his front wing brushed Verstappen first.

“I hit Max, so it wasn’t aggressive on my teammate,” was the gist from Norris, who also leaned on the drivers’ code that’s older than parc fermé: if there’s a gap at lights out, you go for it.

‘Papaya Civil War’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/papaya-c...-first-corner/


Lando Norris brushes off incident with Oscar Piastri: “It was good racing”
Lando Norris gives his view on his Lap 1 overtake on Oscar Piastri at the Singapore Grand Prix.
05 Oct 2025
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Lando Norris has downplayed his incident with Oscar Piastri on the opening lap of the Singapore Grand Prix, labelling it as “good racing”. “Yeah, I mean, it was slippery [and] still wet in a lot of places, but it’s racing,” Norris said. “I put it on the inside, I had a small correction, but nothing more than that. It was good racing.”

“And like I said, I wish I could have given a little bit more. I wish there were a few more overtaking opportunities today, but I feel like I did everything I could today, and I’m happy with that. I’m happy with today, I got forward two positions. We won as a team, the constructors’, once again. So I’m most happy about that,” he added.

“I mean, 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, which is a shame, because the pace was very strong today, and I would have loved to try to catch George and given him a little bit more pressure.”

‘Lando Norris brushes off incident’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/108363...as-good-racing


F1 LIVE | Piastri skips podium celebrations, Hamilton's love declaration to Ferrari
6 Oct 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com

Piastri absent from McLaren's podium celebrations. As Norris dived into Turn 3, he made contact with Verstappen, damaging his front wing's left endplate, before clashing with his teammate in an incident that left Piastri frustrated and calling for team intervention.

Piastri’s radio messages reflected clear irritation after his request for a position swap was denied. Despite the early collision, both McLaren drivers recovered to secure the points required, sealing back-to-back Constructors’ titles for the team. While Norris celebrated on the podium, Piastri was noticeably absent from McLaren’s post-race celebrations, a telling moment after the on-track battle that clouded what should've been a cohesive championship triumph celebration.

‘Piastri skips podium celebrations’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/live/f1-li...ion-to-ferrari


McLaren boss takes action after Oscar Piastri dudded by own team in Singapore Grand Prix
Piastri was clearly frustrated by the incident with his teammate in Singapore.
6 October 2025
Andrew Reid
Yahoo! Australia

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella downplayed suggestions it could lead to further tensions between the teammates. The McLaren team boss said there would be "good conversations" between the drivers and the wider team, but backed their handling of the incident and indicated no subsequent punishment would be forthcoming.

Those comments are unlikely to appease Piastri or quell suggestions from critics that Norris enjoys favouritism from McLaren. The Aussie had further cause for dismay when a slow pit stop effectively ruined his chance to make a late charge for the podium. The 5.2sec stop may have made all the difference as Piastri ended up just two seconds adrift of Norris.

‘McLaren boss takes action’;

https://au.news.yahoo.com/mclaren-bo...gf1sxAtdoL1KyU

[Fortitude]

Oscar Piastri 'Sets Sights' on Leaving McLaren For F1 Rival After Singapore Drama.
According to Swiss outlet Blick, the championship leader has begun 'setting his sights' on potentially moving away from McLaren.
6 Oct 2025
Ryan Smart
SPORTbible

Oscar Piastri is considering whether to leave McLaren for a Formula 1 rival, according to a new report. It was reported by Italian outlet RMCMotori last week that the manager of current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc had held preliminary talks with other teams ahead of 2027. And Lewis Hamilton is under contract with the Scuderia for 2026, with an option for the seven-time champion to extend his stay with the team into 2027.

Hamilton will be 42 when that season gets underway, however, and it remains to be seen whether he will trigger that option. That could therefore open the door for Piastri - who does already have some loose connections with the Ferrari team.

'Sets Sights';

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/oscar-...71673-20251006


Oscar Piastri has ‘already set his sights’ on leaving McLaren for £3.8bn-valued F1 team in 2027
6 October 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Oscar Piastri has ‘already set his sights’ on swapping McLaren for Ferrari in 2027. A report from the Swiss outlet Blick has shared more details about the Formula 1 driver market. The report suggests that both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are considering their futures at Ferrari beyond next year.

Leclerc has recently been linked with Red Bull among other teams, while Hamilton could retire after 2026 unless he activates an extension in his contract. This potentially opens up two seats at Ferrari, although the Singapore Grand Prix highlighted the current problems Fred Vasseur’s team are facing. What Lewis Hamilton has said about Oscar Piastri’s 2025 season at McLaren.

“I think the job he’s doing is fantastic. It’s mega for me to see McLaren doing so well, because that’s where I started, and also to see them so close, him and Lando, two great drivers, the pressure on both of them will be unimaginable, I would say, for most people who are not experiencing it, and who have not experienced it. We’ve seen both, and obviously, particularly Oscar, doing a great, great job weekend in, weekend out, delivering, qualifying, and everything you need to do to win a world championship.”

‘Already set his sights’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/osc...-team-in-2027/


Piastri was right to be angry - 2025 Singapore GP takeaways
October 6, 2025
Pablo Elizalde
Motor Sport Magazine

A tense Singapore Grand Prix mixed team rivalries, redemption drives and F1's ongoing battle to make races less predictable. The Singapore Grand Prix didn’t offer the most exciting of races, but it exposed tension at McLaren and resurgent form from Mercedes.

McLaren’s night was defined by intra-team friction, as Oscar Piastri was right to feel aggrieved after being muscled aside by Lando Norris. McLaren may be counting its blessings that the season isn’t any longer, with Max Verstappen‘s Red Bull now looking like a genuine threat again.

‘Exposed tension at McLaren’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a.../?nowprocket=1


McLaren slammed after papaya clash: 'It was a complete and utter mess'
6 Oct 2025
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

F1 analyst Peter Windsor has broken down the incident between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix. Analysing the incident between the two McLarens on his YouTube channel, Windsor agreed with Piastri that Norris’s overtake was not “fair,” as the Australian repeatedly said over the radio.

“I totally get it. I think he was quite right to say that because when you give a teammate room and the teammate then basically runs wide and touches wheels with you because he's misjudged the speed of the car in front, and has to avoid Max Verstappen in this case. That is not on. It's not on when it's a teammate. If it's another driver from another team, but two teammates? It's not on.”

He then added: “If they were not teammates, you could say 'this is normal motor racing first lap'. But this was teammate stuff between the McLarens. And there was a moment when Oscar gave room to Lando Norris, much as Lando Norris gave room to Oscar Piastri at the start of the Hungarian GP last year, but that's another story.”

‘McLaren slammed’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/mclar...and-utter-mess


Why Oscar Piastri’s behaviour after the Singapore Grand Prix suggests he’s ‘on his own’ in F1 title fight
6 October 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Lando Norris is now less than a race win’s worth of points behind his teammate, which has prompted rumours of favouritism within the team. People in the paddock believe McLaren are favouring Norris in the title fight. It can be argued that the Woking outfit’s team orders in Monza and Singapore prove that theory, as Norris was clearly prioritised. Piastri’s behaviour after the race at Marina Bay highlights that there is more division than ever at McLaren.

James Hinchcliffe noted that Piastri was absent from the team’s constructors’ title celebrations on the podium in Singapore. He questioned whether the Aussie’s mentality was that he is now ‘on his own’ in the title fight. “He was very salty after the contact. And we can actually see live pictures there. That was Oscar Piastri in the media pen, fulfilling media duties,” he said via F1 TV’s Post-Race Live Show.

“He’s not on the podium, cheering with the rest of the race team. Is that an indication, Ruth, that his mindset is: ‘The constructors’ is done. The drivers’ championship is on. I feel wronged in turn three and the team did nothing about it. I’m on my own now.” Of course, drivers are contractually obligated to fulfil media duties at race weekends, which Piastri was doing in Singapore. But given his frustration over McLaren’s decision in his clash with Norris, it adds fuel to the fire that the 24-year-old is fighting alone in this title battle.

‘On his own’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/why...1-title-fight/


‘Good race. Tough race. Thank you. Uh...’: Piastri’s icy act for McLaren boss after Norris clash
October 6th, 2025
Tyson Otto and James McKern from News.com.au
Fox Sports (Australia)

Oscar Piastri has shown how ugly things are getting inside his team’s garage after a cold act towards McLaren boss Zak Brown following the drama-charged Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday night.

The 24-year-old disconnected his radio hook-up while Brown was in the middle of a sentence. “Oscar, back-to-back champions,” Brown was heard saying with a congratulatory tone. But his final words will never be known because Piastri cut him off. “Good race. Tough race. Thankyou. Uh...” Brown said before the radio went dead.

Separate versions of the clip have gone viral on social media. One F1 content producer shared a video viewed more than one million times with a caption: “Yeah, he’s f***ing done”. The incident left Norris with damage to his front wing and left Piastri seeing red.

"Uh...";

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...8f137555fd0234


‘Beyond a joke’: Tony Jones fires up after McLaren controversy at Singapore F1 Grand Prix
6 Oct 2025
3AW

Tony Jones has angrily reacted to the controversy overnight at the Singapore F1 Grand Prix involving McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Norris hit Piastri during the opening lap, pushing his car into the wall, and Jones thinks the Australian driver is being treated like an “absolute fool” at the moment. “It’s beyond a joke now … his patience is really being tested now by this bias towards his McLaren teammate,” Jones said on 3AW Mornings.

‘Beyond a joke: treated like an absolute fool’;

https://www.3aw.com.au/beyond-a-joke...f1-grand-prix/

[Fortitude]

How George Russell reversed Mercedes’ Friday misery with F1 Singapore GP pole.
“…it doesn’t matter what happens on Friday, it’s Q3 when it counts.” George Russell.
4 Oct 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

Speaking to media including Motorsport Week after qualifying, Russell hinted he wasn’t considering pole as a prospect until late in Q2. “Yeah, it’s been a challenging weekend, to be fair,” he said. “I’ve not been comfortable with the car, not been comfortable with myself, and yeah, it just sort of all came towards me in Q3, to be honest, even the end of Q2.”

“That was my first good lap of the weekend, and probably the first lap where I felt semi-reasonable, but I knew I had a bit of margin to go further, and then my lap one in Q3 was really strong, and then obviously matched it on the second lap, so pretty pleased with that.” When asked why it had taken so long to dial the W16 in on the tricky Marina Bay track, Russell was left searching for a definitive answer.

“I don’t know, to be honest,” he admitted. “I mean, sometimes, some weekends you just hit the ground running a bit sooner, other times you don’t. I’ve found this weekend quite strange. The grip has been really high from the tarmac, but the cars have been sliding quite a lot, and it feels a bit reminiscent of Miami, where it’s really high grip, but the car is sliding, and I just didn’t have much confidence in myself.”

“It’s been a challenging weekend, to be fair”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...apore-gp-pole/


Russell shocked by Singapore win: 'Don't know where it came from'
05/10/2025
James Fiorucci
F1i.com

Speaking after the 62-lap event, Russell admitted that his latest win felt especially good after his heart-breaking crash in the final few laps on the brink of victory at the same circuit two years ago. He said: "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," stated Russell. He continued: "If I was to make a list of all the races I thought we could win at this year, this would probably be right at the bottom.”

"We need to sit down on Monday and Tuesday to sort of understand why the performance was so good. I hope we can carry this through to the rest of the season," added the Mercedes driver. He concluded: "But I think realistically, Lando looked incredibly fast. He was within a second of Max the whole race and around this circuit, that's not easy. We’ll take the performance for today and celebrate it. I won't think too much about Austin yet."

'Don't know where it came from';

https://f1i.com/news/550113-russell-...came-from.html


How Mercedes staff privately reacted to George Russell’s Singapore Grand Prix win
6 October 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Mercedes staff were taken by ‘surprise’ by George Russell’s win at the Singapore Grand Prix. Wolff said after the race, as per AMuS: “Singapore has never been a good track for us. If someone had told me that we would dominate here, I wouldn’t have believed them.” Russell echoed those statements, saying Singapore was ‘bottom of the list’ of tracks he felt he could win in 2025.

Yet, the Brit dominated the race, only temporarily losing the lead during the pit stops. He maintained a strong pace to secure victory, much to the ‘surprise’ of Mercedes’ technicians. Singapore has not been a good track for the Brackley outfit in the past, having not won there before 2025 since 2018 with Lewis Hamilton. But Mercedes’ engineers had a ‘hunch’ that this year might go better, and they would be proved right.

“I wouldn’t have believed them”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/how...rand-prix-win/


Why Mercedes remains baffled by F1 Singapore GP dominance
6 Oct 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

When asked about how the team optimised its package, which has not shown much consistency during the middle-to-latter part of the season, Wolff was at a loss for words. “You tell me,” the Austrian told media including Motorsport Week. “That [Singapore] was never a nice place for us in terms of car performance. And if you would have told me that we were dominating in the way we did today, I would not have believed it.”

However, Wolff was also happy to acknowledge that even the quickest teams this year, including Constructors’ Champions McLaren, have found difficulties in some races. “These cars are just a surprise box,” he voiced. “If you ask McLaren why the last three races haven’t gone at all, they would probably struggle for answers.”

“And the same way, Max coming back and then lacking performance again today, and the same with the Ferraris oscillating between success and failure.” Wolff recognised the fine margins in optimising the most from any package this year, but indicated that once the right balance was struck in Singapore, the W16 was looking like it could achieve what it eventually did.

“These cars are just a surprise box”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...-gp-dominance/


Track surface changes key to surprise Singapore GP win – Russell
5th October 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

After taking pole position in qualifying yesterday, Russell said he expected Singapore would not suit their car. He went on to score a commanding victory in the race, pulling out a clear lead in the early stages. The Marina Bay track was resurfaced in eight places ahead of this year’s race. Russell thinks that was the change which made it suit their car better.

“There’s been less tyre overheating this year compared to years gone by,” he said. “I think it’s a track that in the past had major overheating, but with some of the corners having new Tarmac, it’s a bit smoother. The tyres seem a little bit more robust this year. It was all just in a bit of a nicer window, but nevertheless, it was still quite a surprise.”

“But the opening laps were really strong and I know Max was probably managing those softs more than I was managing my mediums.” Russell admitted the last-lap crash which cost him a place on the podium in 2023 played on his mind during the race. “Pulling a 10-second gap in 20-something laps was really great,” he said. “From that moment on, I just knew it was [about] bringing it home and watching out for the wall at turn 10.”

‘Track surface changes key’;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/10/05/...p-win-russell/


“The pace he and the car had was surprising,” claims Wolff after Russell’s dominant victory
8 Oct 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Commenting on Mercedes' second victory of the season, team boss Toto Wolff noted: "That was an amazing drive from George this evening. He controlled the race from lights out to the chequered flag to take a brilliant win.

“The pace he and the car had was surprising but strong and that was the winning formula today. It was also great to have PETRONAS represent our team on the podium with Tengku Muhammad Taufik receiving the trophy. They are a brilliant title partner, and it is sweet to win at what is the closest race on the calendar to Malaysia.”

Signing off with a word for McLaren’s constructors’ title, Wolff said: “On that note, congratulations to McLaren as they secured the Constructors’ crown this evening. They have been the best team this year, so it is well deserved. Congratulations also go to our team-mates at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains who secured a 10th Mercedes-powered Constructor’s title in the past 12 years."

"That was an amazing drive from George”;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/27877


'He's been formidable this year' – Wolff praises Russell after 'in control' Singapore GP victory
George Russell's performance on Sunday in Singapore won him praise from team boss Toto Wolff.
6 Oct 2025
Formula One - Official Site

"I think we've seen George in the past with these moments, but not recently, and that's the step-up that he has made also this year, that these things don't happen again," said Wolff. "He was in control of the race today, eking out an advantage, managing it when Max was a bit closer, and there was not at any moment a doubt that there was any risk in his driving.”

"He's been formidable this year. I haven't seen mistakes. There were weekends that he himself said I could have done more, that it wasn't a good race. But this happens with any driver. You can see when it merges, the car being in a perfect space, and the driver being on top of things, that becomes the dominant formula, and that is what we've seen here."

'He's been formidable this year';

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...y420FRYaKKAKVA

[Fortitude]

Analyst sees Verstappen with stronger title shot after Singapore.
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes Max Verstappen has a better chance to win the drivers’ title after the Singapore GP.
8 Oct 2025
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

The Dutchman finished second to George Russell at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, but ahead of two McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. F1 TV analyst Palmer thinks Singapore proved Verstappen can still battle for this year's title. He said: "I have to say yes, there is [a chance]. More than I thought before Singapore. I think the fact that Red Bull were competitive on a very different circuit to Baku and Monza does speak now that they have found something on the car."

Jolyon Palmer: "So if they're fighting for a victory here, I think they can now fight for wins everywhere else, and it should be a chance for Max to get himself towards the championship fight." On the other hand, he noted that in order to overtake both Piastri and Norris in the standings, the two Mercedes and Ferrari drivers will need to take points away from them. Palmer also concluded that, had Verstappen been on pole position, he would have won last Sunday. "The pace on race day was actually very even," he argued.

‘Stronger title shot’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/analy...fter-singapore


Verstappen’s Poker Face: Mekies’ Red Bull Eyes Late Heist
8 Oct 2025
Alex Albuquerque
FastestLap.com

Red Bull is a different beast these days, and Max Verstappen isn’t fighting it. The quadruple World Champion says he’s clicking with new team boss Laurent Mekies, praising a straight-shooting style that “fits” how he likes to work. There’s a different strategy in play with Mekies steering the ship now, Verstappen admits, but no one’s erasing the past. The Dutchman still talks about the Christian Horner era with clear fondness — memories of that first title in 2021 still doing laps in the back of his mind.

The mood music at Milton Keynes has changed since summer and, on track, so has the momentum. Verstappen has been steadily clawing back ground on McLaren over the last run of races, yet he’s keeping the lid firmly on any title talk. In Singapore, he felt Lando Norris had the outright pace advantage; the layout did him a few favours in keeping the papaya car parked behind. Pragmatic as ever, Verstappen’s read is simple: the speed is there in patches, but it has to be there everywhere if he’s going to make this a late-season heist. No bold predictions, just the familiar focus on execution.

‘Poker Face/ Late Heist’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/verstapp...es-late-heist/


Brundle's warning: Verstappen 'smells an outside chance of the title'
6 Oct 2025
Luke-John Buckle
GPblog.com

Martin Brundle is adamant that Max Verstappen is on the McLaren driver's radar with an outside chance of winning the world championship. The former Formula 1 driver said: "We know how good Max is. The team seems calm. They seem relaxed. He’s driving beautifully. They certainly have improved the car.”

“And you know why, he just smells an outside chance of a championship. A lot of things have got to work in his favour between now and then. But he’s now, I believe, he’s now living in the heads of the McLaren players.”

'Smells an outside chance of the title';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/brund...e-of-the-title


How Max Verstappen Can Still Win F1 Title Without Any McLaren DNFs
The Red Bull star is still in the world title fight after Singapore GP
7 Oct 2025
James Taylor
SPORTbible

Max Verstappen can still win the Formula 1 world title without any McLaren DNFs. With six race weekends remaining, including three sprint races, drivers still have plenty of opportunity to rack up points. And now Formula 1 fans are beginning to speculate whether Verstappen can complete a remarkable turnaround to retain his world title.

On X, F1GuyDan wrote: "Who needs hopium: Max Verstappen didn't win in Singapore but he can still become drivers' champion without any McLaren DNFs if the final 6 GPs play out like this. Do you believe?" He accompanied the post with a graphic showing the results Verstappen would need to lift the world title. According to the scenario, Verstappen would need to win every remaining race, while Norris and Piastri alternate between finishing second and third.

Under this outcome, Verstappen would finish the season on 447 points, ahead of Piastri with 445 and Norris on 428. Although it is highly unlikely that no other driver will finish in the top three for the remainder of the season, the scenario shows that Verstappen's title fight is still alive.

‘Without Any McLaren DNFs’;

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/max-ve...54033-20251007


Brundle: Verstappen living ‘rent free’ in rivals’ heads, à la Senna
07/10/2025
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Speaking on the grid ahead of last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, Brundle painted a vivid picture of Verstappen’s psychological edge over his competitors. “I think Max, because he’s so aggressive, especially when he finds some grip that others don’t believe is there in the first few corners of the opening lap, I think he sort of lives in their heads rent-free.”

“A little bit, because they don’t know what he’s going to do next. And that is entirely intentional. It’s exactly what Ayrton Senna used to do, and people like that. Michael Schumacher was another one. Whether it was Formula 3 or Formula 1, Ayrton would steam up the inside of you and leave you to decide whether you wanted to crash on that day in history or not.”

Brundle’s comparison underlines the mental warfare Verstappen brings to the grid: it’s not just about speed or strategy – it’s also about planting doubt and hesitation in the minds of his opponents.

‘Mental warfare’;

https://f1i.com/news/550336-brundle-...-la-senna.html


Red Bull have “improved a lot over the last few races,” claims Verstappen
6 Oct 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1technical.net

Max Verstappen: “I think over the last few races we’ve definitely improved a lot. A few things that we have done throughout the weekend, that’s what we have to probably look at again for the coming races.”

“But it’s nothing shocking or that we are lost about why maybe some pace has disappeared compared to what we would have liked. It’s just some stuff that we need to analyse, and hopefully next weekend we can do a little bit better,” said Verstappen. Verstappen opted to start the 62-lap Singapore race on Pirelli’s soft tyres in the hope that he could overtake George Russell at the start. “The track only just got dry [before the start], and starting on the dirty side of the grid... Yeah, well, we just opted to try something different because normally, if you just cross or pass Turn 1, you just stay there without anything crazy.”

“So 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, I think the whole race was quite difficult — more difficult than I hoped — for a lot of different reasons, let’s say it like that. So a few things we need to understand, why these things went wrong today. But even then, around here, even if you have more pace, you can't pass without anything crazy happening. So I think, for us, second was the maximum result,” Verstappen said.

“Definitely improved a lot”;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/27870


Red Bull's 'good news' for Verstappen firmly rekindle title hopes
6 Oct 2025
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Laurent Mekies expressed his satisfaction with the progress made by the RB21, pleased that the team was able to fight for victory in Singapore GP. “For sure, for us being able to fight for the win here means a lot,” the Frenchman said after the race. “After Monza, Baku was very different — you never know until you come to a high-downforce track. We’ve been able to be in the right rhythm from Friday. We were in the right rhythm in qualifying — it was very, very close to pole — and we were in the right rhythm in the race.

“We finished just a few seconds behind Russell. This is good news; it means that what we have unlocked is not only low-downforce specific.” However, Red Bull will continue to take things one race at a time and draw conclusions only at the end of the season: “We will not change our approach. We will continue to take it race by race. We’ll continue to take the learnings. There are probably quite a few lessons we can take from this race, on some small pockets of performance that we may be able to unlock for the future.”

Finally, shifting the focus to the upcoming races, Mekies added: “Austin will be a very different equation. Again, it’s back to the famous mid-speed corners where McLaren was also very strong here. They have been very, very strong all weekend against us, and you have a lot of them in Austin and in Mexico. So we take it race by race, and then we’ll see.”

‘Satisfaction with the progress made by the RB21’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/verst...r-singapore-gp

[Fortitude]

Sainz’s Sunday Save Can’t Mask Williams’ Saturday Chaos.
The frustration, though, isn’t just about a scrutineering slip. Sainz has been blunt for weeks: Williams’ single-lap form isn’t where it needs to be.
October 8, 2025
Alex Albuquerque
FastestLap.com

Carlos Sainz left Singapore with a point, a shrug, and a message: no hard feelings, but Williams has to stop tripping over its own feet on Saturdays. Both Sainz and Alex Albon were thrown out of qualifying at Marina Bay after the FW47’s DRS flap was found beyond the legal limit — the FIA measured the gap at over 85mm in the deployed state on both cars’ outer sections. Williams accepted the finding, noting that its own pre-qualifying checks showed the wing within tolerance, but the stewards’ gauges did not. Disqualified from the session but cleared to race, Sainz started 18th. Albon, after Williams broke parc fermé to make changes, went from the pit lane. Alpine did the same with Pierre Gasly.

A long, patient first stint — Sainz ran roughly 50 laps on the mediums — set up the salvage: P10 at the flag, one point prised from a weekend that had threatened to unravel. For a driver in his first year at Grove, it was the tidy recovery you’d expect from a four-time Grand Prix winner. “It’s definitely not hard feelings between any of us,” Sainz said afterwards. “The team acknowledges we’re still making mistakes in these kind of things which can happen. We are in a building year of trying to become a better team and definitely yesterday we all did mistakes.”

“I did mistakes in my quali lap that cost us a Q3. The team did a mistake with the legality of the rear wing on both cars. A mistake with Alex in FP1 with the brakes. As long as we don’t repeat mistakes and we keep learning, that’s the key for us.” The frustration, though, isn’t just about a scrutineering slip. Sainz has been blunt for weeks: Williams’ single-lap form isn’t where it needs to be. Even with a more stable rear in race trim and gentle tyre use that lets the FW47 stretch a stint, the car doesn’t switch on in qualifying the way it should.

‘Williams’ single-lap form isn’t where it needs to be’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/sainzs-s...aturday-chaos/


Vowles claims Williams will be "urgently investigating how this happened" after double disqualification
4 Oct 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Following the confirmation of the disqualification, Williams Team Principal James Vowles issued a statement saying: "During FIA scrutineering after Qualifying, the rear wings on both our cars failed DRS slot gap checks. As a result, Alex and Carlos have been disqualified from Qualifying for tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix.”

"This is bitterly disappointing for the team and we are urgently investigating how this happened. At no point were we seeking a performance advantage and the rear wings had passed our own checks earlier in the day, but there is only one measurement that matters and we fully accept the FIA ruling.”

"We have a car capable of scoring points here this weekend and will do everything we can to fight from the back of the grid tomorrow, and will immediately review our processes to make sure this doesn’t happen again."

"Urgently investigating how this happened";

https://www.f1technical.net/news/27858


Singapore GP disaster for Williams as Albon and Sainz disqualified from qualifying
Post-qualifying scrutineering revealed both Williams cars broke DRS regulations, forcing them to start Sunday’s race from the back
4 October 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

According to a statement from the FIA, the issue concerned the uppermost rear wing element on both cars, with the adjustable positions exceeding the permitted limits. “The uppermost rear wing element adjustable positions were checked on car numbers 23 (Albon) and 55 (Sainz),” the FIA report stated. “Both cars exceeded the maximum limit of 85mm on both sides of the rear wing outer area.”

The FIA confirmed that this constituted a breach of Article 3.10.10 (g) of the Formula 1 Technical Regulations, which relates to the operation of the Drag Reduction System (DRS). The rule specifies that “at all points along the span, when the DRS is in the state of deployment, the two sections of the rear wing profiles must have a minimum gap of between 9.4mm and 85mm.”

“During post-Qualifying scrutineering, the rear wing of the car was found to be non-compliant with the Technical Regulations,” read statement continued. “At the hearing, the competitor admitted that, although their own measurement prior to the Qualifying had shown the component to be within tolerance, the measurement subsequently conducted by the appointed FIA officials revealed a larger gap than permitted and therefore the rear wing did not conform with the required dimension.”

‘Both Williams cars broke DRS regulations’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...gp-qualifying/


Disqualified, Then Cleared: Williams Plots Singapore Shock Comeback
October 5, 2025
Alex Albuquerque
FastestLap.com

Williams clears Singapore start for Sainz and Albon after DRS disqualifications. Carlos Sainz will race in Singapore after all. So will Alex Albon. Hours after both Williams drivers were thrown out of qualifying for a rear-wing infringement, the FIA has granted permission for the pair to start today’s Grand Prix from the back. Saturday night ended awkwardly for Williams. Sainz and Albon had parked their FW47s in 12th and 13th, only for post-session checks to find their DRS slot gaps exceeded the 85mm limit when opened. That’s a straight technical breach and an automatic exclusion from the results.

Because their qualifying times were nullified, the duo also fell foul—technically—of the 107% rule, forcing the team to ask the stewards for permission to race. The stewards said yes. Citing Article 39.4 b) of the FIA Sporting Regulations, they ruled that both drivers had set “satisfactory” lap times in practice and could therefore start the race. In line with Article 42.1, they’ll be placed at the back of the grid. It’s a messy start to a weekend that had quietly promised more for Williams. Sainz, who joined from Ferrari for 2025, looked sharp through practice around Marina Bay’s bumpy, heat-soaked streets. Albon’s long-run pace wasn’t shabby either. Both will now have to convert that into progress from Row 10.

Team principal James Vowles didn’t sugarcoat it. Bitterly disappointing, he called it, insisting there was no intent to gain performance and that both rear wings had passed internal checks earlier in the day. Williams has launched an internal review to understand how the parts later failed the FIA gauge. The DRS infraction itself is simple: open the flap too wide and you hand the rear wing a little less drag than the rules allow. It’s why the tolerance is policed so tightly. Williams maintains the overage was unintended. Intent doesn’t matter in scrutineering; measurement does.

‘Team principal James Vowles didn’t sugarcoat it’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/disquali...hock-comeback/


Carlos Sainz reveals the ‘key’ to Williams improvement after F1 Singapore GP comeback
7 Oct 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

Speaking to media including Motorsport Week post-race, Sainz noted the impressive pace of his car to help him move through the field. “From 13th I was hopeful of points, from 18th probably less,” he remarked. “To be honest, all of our simulations said we needed Safety Cars at the right times to get points but the pace was so good today that we managed to extract a point out of a difficult Singapore.@

“Boring one because it was a one-stop that nothing really happened, but we had such a strong pace and such a good overtaking at the end that I think we were one of the only midfield cars to be able to make it through the field. I think an ideal weekend would have been a P7 or P8. Realistically speaking in the race we had a lot of pace,” he addressed.

“Again maybe a bit like in Baku we could have been mixing it up with [Andrea Kimi] Antonelli, maybe possibly if we would have started next to him. But the reality is that we have a weakness in qualifying that we are trying to address. We keep criticising the tyre preparation.”

“I think an ideal weekend would have been a P7 or P8”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...e-gp-comeback/


Williams launches ‘urgent investigation’ over Sainz, Albon DSQ as FIA issues update
05 Oct 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

The FIA has granted permission for Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon to start today’s Singapore Grand Prix. It comes after the pair were disqualified from Saturday’s qualifying session due to a technical breach, with Williams holding an “urgent investigation” over the matter.

A stewards’ report on Sainz read: “The Stewards have received a request from Atlassian Williams Racing to allow car 55 to start the Race despite being disqualified from Qualifying. “In accordance with Article 39.4 b) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations, the Stewards grant permission for car 55, Carlos Sainz, to start the Race, as the driver has set satisfactory times in practice at this Competition.

“The car will be placed on the grid in accordance with Article 42.1 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.” An identical statement was issued for Albon, who was previously disqualified from qualifying at last year’s Dutch Grand Prix.

‘Urgent investigation’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/fia-wi...grand-prix-dsq