Constructors’ crown secured amid controversy
McLaren wrapped up consecutive constructors’ championships at the Singapore Grand Prix, a feat the team had not achieved in 34 years. Lando Norris finished third with Oscar Piastri fourth, comfortably sealing the title after a season in which papaya cars have won 12 of the 18 completed races.
Yet celebrations came with a sting. On Lap 1 at Turn 3, Norris lunged up the inside, making contact with both Max Verstappen and team-mate Piastri. Norris suffered manageable front-wing damage; Piastri was pushed perilously close to the wall. The stewards deemed no further action necessary.
“Is that how we want to go racing?”
In unusually blunt team radio, Piastri questioned the move and its implications for future wheel-to-wheel fights. With contact having made the overtake happen, the episode risks setting a precedent inside the garage as the drivers’ title fight tightens. Piastri’s points lead shrank to 22, and the incident overshadowed the title clincher.
Record-chasing, with eyes on the drivers’ crown
McLaren needs 211 points from the final six rounds to surpass Red Bull’s 2023 record tally, but the focus now narrows to ensuring either Piastri or Norris brings home the drivers’ championship. The team’s frequent use of orders earlier in the year now gives way to a delicate man-management challenge after Singapore’s flashpoint.
Rivals not standing still
George Russell dominated to win for Mercedes, while Verstappen finished second and kept his own title hopes alive at a track that has traditionally punished Red Bull. With six races left, McLaren’s pace remains a benchmark — but harmony may prove just as decisive as outright speed.
