McLaren is two-time champion. Drivers’ title on the way.

McLaren’s second Constructors’ Championship in Formula 1 was the highlight of the Singapore GP. The race, with little movement, ended with a deserved victory for George Russell from pole, with Max Verstappen in 2nd and Lando Norris in 3rd. The result brought no major changes in the title fight. Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap and Fernando Alonso was voted ‘Driver of the Day’. Formula 1 now heads to the Americas. The US GP will take place on October 19 in Austin, followed by Mexico (10/26), São Paulo (11/09), and Vegas (10/22).

Qualifying on Saturday already gave McLaren a scare, with Oscar Piastri in 3rd and Lando Norris in 5th. Both drivers admitted they didn’t have the pace to beat George Russell’s Mercedes and Max Verstappen, which was confirmed in the race. With the disqualification of the Williams pair due to DRS irregularities, Gabriel Bortoleto gained two spots and started 14th. Sauber, however, did not have a good day. The Brazilian finished 17th and teammate Nico Hulkenberg 20th.

The start defined the only major position change. Lando Norris got away well and overtook Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri to move into 3rd place. The Australian complained about a touch from Norris, but the stewards saw no penalty and McLaren ignored the matter. Frustrated, Piastri didn’t even join the Constructors’ title celebrations.

With six rounds to go, McLaren seems determined not to directly interfere in the fight between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Separated by 22 points, with 174 points still available (including sprint races in the US, São Paulo, and Qatar), the competition remains open, although Piastri has lost ground in recent races. For Max Verstappen to get into the fight, he would have to rely on misfortune for the McLaren duo. Piastri holds a 63-point advantage over Max. The four-time champion would need to claw back an average of 10 points per race, which isn’t simple – but also not impossible.

McLaren’s Constructors’ title was already expected. The team only needed 13 points. The balance between its two drivers made the difference against Mercedes and Red Bull, where most points so far have come from George Russell and Max Verstappen respectively. At Ferrari, 3rd in the standings, the gap between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton is smaller. McLaren secured the title after 16 races, with exactly double the points of 2nd-placed Mercedes: 650 to 325. With 10 Constructors’ Championships, McLaren trails only Ferrari, who have 16.