New Delhi: McLaren successfully defended their title at the Singapore Grand Prix, with drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finishing third and fourth, respectively, at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Sunday, October 5. This achievement marks McLaren’s 10th constructors’ championship and their second consecutive title, a feat not accomplished since 1991.
With this victory, McLaren has surpassed Williams to become the second-most successful team in Formula 1 history, having now secured more team championships than Williams’ nine. Ferrari remains the most successful team, boasting 16 constructors’ titles.
The race unfolded with drama as Norris and Piastri, who are both teammates and rivals, made slight contact on the first lap. Norris, starting fifth, executed a daring maneuver to overtake Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Piastri, who leads the championship. During this exchange, Norris made brief contact with Max Verstappen’s car. Piastri expressed his discontent on team radio, labeling the move “not fair” and alleging that Norris had violated McLaren’s racing protocol.
While Piastri’s attempt to maintain serious contention for a top-three finish diminished due to a slow pit stop, Norris endeavored to challenge Verstappen for second place. Ultimately, Verstappen held his position, finishing second behind Mercedes’ George Russell, who claimed his second victory of the season.
Piastri’s fourth-place finish placed him ahead of Antonelli in fifth. Charles Leclerc completed the race in sixth for Ferrari, while Lewis Hamilton dropped from seventh to eighth after incurring a five-second penalty for corner-cutting. Fernando Alonso finished seventh, closely followed by Oliver Bearman of Haas in ninth and Carlos Sainz securing the final point for Williams in tenth.
Following this race, Piastri’s championship lead was reduced by three points, with Norris now trailing 22 points behind the Australian’s total of 336. Verstappen earned 18 points for his second-place finish, cutting Piastri’s lead by six points and reducing Norris’s total by three. At present, Verstappen has 273 points, with 41 fewer than Norris and 63 fewer than Piastri.
