F1: McLaren head to Singapore with resurgent Verstappen in rear view mirrors

Back-to-back race wins for Max Verstappen have added a bit of spice to the Formula 1 title race and McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will be desperate for solid outings at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.

McLaren's dominance for most of the season means they should wrap up a 10th constructors' title on the streets of the island nation on Sunday, but Verstappen's resurgence in the Red Bull has triggered a few nerves at the team's Woking base.

While Piastri still leads Norris by 25 points in what still looks like a two-horse race to the driver's title, any hiccups at the weekend could allow the Dutchman to cut further into the 69-point gap to first place.

Verstappen has momentum - he was second at his home race before his wins in Italy and Azerbaijan - but probably still needs a spectacular McLaren collapse, as well as wins in the seven remaining races and three sprints, to clinch a fifth straight world title.

Further good news for the McLaren duo is that Red Bull have won only once in the last nine years under the Singapore lights, and never with Verstappen at the wheel. The Dutchman has never been on pole at a circuit where the driver who topped qualifying has won 10 of the 15 editions of the race.

Upgrades to the tricky RB21 have undoubtedly helped Verstappen's cause but Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache believes Singapore will be the true test of the car's improvement.

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella was emphatic that Verstappen was still a threat after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix but the destiny of the title almost certainly remains in his own team's hands.

Piastri knows he needs to rediscover the consistency and coolness under pressure that helped him to seven race wins before a third place in Italy and crashes in both qualifying and the race in Baku.

His English teammate Norris, who won from pole in Singapore last year, will be hoping at the very least for no repeat of the pit stop errors that contributed to his disappointing returns from the last two races.

Mercedes driver George Russell, fourth in the standings and second last time out in Azerbaijan, will again be the main threat to McLaren's coronation as constructors' champions.

New Zealand's Liam Lawson will be hoping to continue the form that clinched his best ever result, fifth place in Azerbaijan.

Singapore's high temperatures and fierce humidity test the concentration levels of drivers more than the complexity of the circuit and last year was the first Formula 1 race in the city without at least one safety car.

Formula 1 statistics for the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay circuit, race 18 of the 24-round season

• Lap distance: 4.927km. Total distance: 305.337km (62 laps)
• 2024 pole position: Lando Norris (Britain) McLaren One minute 29.525 seconds
• 2024 winner: Norris
• Race lap record: Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) RB 1:34.486 (2024)
• Start time: 1am Monday NZ time (2000 local)

Singapore

The night race is one of the season's biggest physical challenges. Drivers can lose several kilos of weight during the race through sweating in the heat and humidity.

Sunday's race will be the 16th since the first in 2008.

Four active drivers have won - Fernando Alonso (2008, 2010), Lewis Hamilton (2009, 2014, 2017, 2018), Carlos Sainz (2023) and Norris (2024).

Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari have won four times each.

Hamilton has been on pole four times. The race has been won from pole position 10 times.

The lowest winning grid position is 15th for Alonso in a now-notorious 2008 race in which Brazilian teammate Nelson Piquet crashed his Renault deliberately on team orders.

Last year's race, with only two retirements, was a rarity for Singapore with no safety car deployment.

There are 19 corners, reduced from 23 in 2023, making the track one of the twistiest.

Drivers' Championship

McLaren's Oscar Piastri leads teammate Lando Norris by 25 points with seven rounds remaining. Red Bull's Max Verstappen is third and 69 points off the lead.

Constructors' Title

Defending champions McLaren have their second chance to clinch the team's 10th constructors' championship. The Woking-based team have 623 points, a lead of 333 over Mercedes with Ferrari a further four behind.

McLaren, winners of 12 of 17 races so far with seven one-two finishes, need to score 13 points to be sure of the title.

There will be only 303 points still to be won after Singapore, including three sprint races worth 15 points each.

Wins

Piastri has won seven times this season, Norris five, Verstappen four and Mercedes' George Russell once.

Hamilton has not won since his career 105th victory in Belgium on 28 July, 2024.

Verstappen has won 67 grands prix and is third on the all-time list after Michael Schumacher on 91. He is chasing a third win in a row this weekend, although he has yet to start on pole or win in Singapore.

Pole position

Verstappen has been on pole six times this season, Piastri five, Norris four, Russell and Leclerc once.

Podium

Piastri has been on the podium 14 times in 2025, Norris 13.

Leclerc's second place in Monaco remains Ferrari's best of the season. The Monegasque has five podiums for the season. Hamilton has yet to stand on the podium for Ferrari.

Carlos Sainz's third place in Azerbaijan for Williams means nine drivers from seven teams have now been on the podium this season.

Points

Until he crashed in Azerbaijan, Piastri was the only driver to have scored in every race this year. The crash ended a run of 42 successive scoring race weekends - including sprints - and 34 successive grands prix.

Alpine rookie Franco Colapinto is the only driver on the grid yet to score this year.

- Reuters