George Russell executed a perfect race from pole position to secure victory at the Singapore Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday, while Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen and the two McLarens battled for the remaining podium places.
Briton Russell crossed the finish line under the lights of the Marina Bay street circuit 5.4 seconds ahead of Verstappen, marking his second win of the season.
“It feels amazing,” Russell remarked. “We are not entirely sure where this performance originated, but I am truly, truly happy.
“I felt quite anxious at the start when I noticed Max on the soft (tyres), but our first stint was excellent.”
Lando Norris applied pressure on Verstappen towards the race’s conclusion but ultimately finished third, just ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. Together, they accumulated enough points to secure a second consecutive constructors’ title for McLaren.
“It was a challenging race,” Norris stated. “Max made no errors. I gave it everything today and got close.
“I am pleased with today. I advanced two positions. We triumphed as a team, winning the constructors’ title once more.”
Piastri’s advantage over Briton Norris in the drivers’ standings was reduced to 22 points, while Verstappen trails the Australian by 63 points with six races left in the season.
“I believe second was the best result I could achieve today,” Verstappen commented.
“The entire race was quite challenging, more so than I anticipated, for various reasons.”
The celebrations for the constructors’ title in the McLaren garage may be subdued, however, as Piastri was upset about Norris’s maneuver to overtake him at the opening corner.
Kimi Antonelli finished a distant fifth in the other Mercedes, with Charles Leclerc in sixth place ahead of his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Fernando Alonso secured eighth for Aston Martin, while Haas driver Oliver Bearman and Carlos Sainz, who started from the back of the grid after the Williams cars were disqualified from qualifying, rounded out the points in ninth and tenth.
