Tears filled the crash helmet of Formula One's newest world champion, Lando Norris, who took championship glory for the first time in his career under the night skies of Abu Dhabi, who is champion of the world for 2025.

A three-way title showdown heading into the season finale is a rarity in the world of Formula One with the 2010 season being the last time it materialised. Sebastian Vettel took the title that day, a first of four for the German driver.

The eyes of the world were watching and with a healthy 12-point lead, it could have been so easy for Norris to lose focus and to potentially throw it away. However, he remained strong and composed, knowing a finish on the podium was enough regardless of what his rivals did.

Max Verstappen was formidable out front and Oscar Piastri's pace was shining but ultimately neither generated enough of a comeback in the finale to overcome the deficit that they were behind Norris by. What should not be understated is just how good of a year both of them had and both would have been deserving champions but it is just not to be in 2025.

Speaking to former McLaren driver David Coulthrd in the post race celebrations, Norris was overcome with joy reflecting on the journey that began long ago in karting. Winning the British F4 Championship title, winning in the Ginetta series and finishing runner up in FIA Formula 2 back in 2018. All moments have contributed to crafting the latest Formula One World Champion.

Following being crowned champion, Norris said: "It feels amazing. Now I know what Max feels like. I want to congratulate Max and Oscar. My two biggest competitors the whole season and it's been a pleasure to race against both of them.

"It's been a long year and I am so proud of everyone."

Norris is right. It has been a long year. 30 races in total. 24 Grand Prix and six sprint races have painted this championship picture and on reflection, with seven victories, Norris walks away as a deserving champion.

Since he rocked up to Albert Park, home of teammate and championship rival Oscar Piastri, Norris shone on a wet and gloomy day in Melbourne. In dominant style, Norris took victory on a day where almost everyone made countless errors.

A first British world champion since Lewis Hamilton and just the 35th different world champion in the 75-year history of the FIA Formula One World Championship, In addition, Norris joins Hamilton and many illustrious names to become the 11th British Formula One World Champion.

Norris has achieved his and many driver's dream and as Norris said himself in the interview with Coulthard: "I'm in a privileged position. Not many drivers get to call themselves a world champion."

This year has been the year where Norris has come of age. He has used his experience, raw speed and talent to rise to the very top and claim the most illustrious piece of silverware in world motorsport.

Verstappen and Piastri threw everything at this world championship, which made for brilliant viewing, and they will be back to fight again - stronger than ever.

However, now that the dust has settled and the curtain falls on the conclusion of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship, it is safe to say that this fantastic season belongs to McLaren's Lando Norris.

Brandon Whiteside
Writer

Max Verstappen makes it 47 career Pole's in Austin, surpassing Senna's total in what has been a great weekend so far for the Red Bull driver. 

Despite running out of time to put in a second attempt in Q3, the Dutchman' efforts first time round was enough to hold off the McLaren's and bag him Pole for tomorrow's United States GP with a 1:32.510. 

Lando Norris brought it home in second and was nearly three tenths of a second off the pace of the Red Bull out in front in what has been an underwhelming Qualifying for the McLaren team. The Briton could not find a way to match Verstappen's pace and also had a new challenge to contend with as Leclerc in the Ferrari was showing great pace. 

Charles Leclerc took P3 in what was a great Qualifying display from the Ferrari driver. Throughout Q1, Q2, and Q3, the Monegasque kept within range of Verstappen's times - and whilst he isn't lining up on the front row alongside the Dutchman - he qualified just six thousandths of a second behind Norris.

P4 went to George Russell who put in a good performance in his Mercedes today. Momentarily top of the timesheets in Q1 before being dethroned by Verstappen, this result alongside his second place finish earlier in the Sprint Race gives him a great chance in the race tomorrow. 

Lewis Hamilton was next to cross the line in what was a much better day for the Ferrari's after a tough Sprint Qualifying yesterday. He is just over a tenth of a second behind his teammate in third and will be satisfied with the pace displayed today. 

It was a tough session for Oscar Piastri who only managed P6 for tomorrows race, a day to forget for the Aussie after a DNF in today's Sprint Race. He struggled throughout the three satges of qualifying to get close to the front of the pack and will have work to do in the race if he is to fight his way into the big points places. 

Kimi Antonelli followed in P7 after a good weekend for him so far after he picked up the final point in the Sprint Race (finishing in P8). After it being announced that he will be returning to drive for Mercedes next year, the Italian will be keen to work his way up the order tomorrow. 

Ollie Bearman puts his Haas in P8 on his team's home soil - this will be a welcome result for the Briton after a 10 second time penalty in the Sprint Race due to a battle with Antonelli saw hium fall out of the final points place and to the bottom of the order. 

Carlos Sainz qualified in the top 10 yet again this season, crossing the line in ninth place. The Williams driver has been on fine form for the past few race weekends now and will be looking to continue the trend. 

Rounding out the top 10 was Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard looking to bounce back from his unpreventable DNF in the Sprint Race after making contact in the aftermath of the Hulkenberg/Piastri incident. 

Out in Q2: P11 - Hulkenberg, P12 - Lawson, P13 - Tsunoda, P14 - Gasly, P15 - Franco Colapinto 

After disaster in the Sprint Race earlier, Hulkenberg wasn;t quite able to end his die on a high as he was unable to go fast enough to repeat his impressive Sprint Qualifying drive yesterday.

Out in Q1: P16 - Bortoleto, P17: Ocon, P18 - Stroll, P19 - Albon, P20 - Hadjar 

Stroll and Albon both suffered lap time deletions due to exceeding track limits which saw the pair unable to improve out of the Q1 spaces in what was a disappointing qualifying for both drivers. Matters also got worse for Stroll, as his five place grid penalty he picked up in the Sprint Race after a clash with Ocon means he will line up in last place.  

Hadjar lines up on the back row of the grid tomorrow alongside the Canadian after bringing out the red flags mere minutes into Q1. A spin into the barriers left him unable to carry on in the session and the Frenchman will be looking to make up for losing out today in the Grand Prix. 

Lights out for the Grand Prix tomorrow will be at 8pm UK time and this is certainly not one to miss - be sure to be watching!

Max Verstappen takes the win in the Sprint Race after a dramatic opening lap saw both McLaren's out of the race. 

The Dutchman's win today sees him collect eight points and close the gap to 55 points between himself and current championship leader Piastri. 

George Russell comes home in P2 as he didn't quite have the answers to take the lead despite a close attempt on Lap 8 and Carlos Sainz comes home in P3 and makes it a second podium in three races. 

As it happened

Lights out and Verstappen got away well and was well out in front reaching Turn 1 comfortably in front but there was drama behind.

Oscar Piastri, who also had a great start, was looking to get passed his teammate into the first corner but chaos reigned as Nico Hulkenberg made contact with the rear of Piastri's McLaren who in turn tagged the back of Lando Norris. The latter spun and the Briton's race came to a premature end. 

Piastri and Hulkenberg both tried to limp back round to the pit lane but the Aussie was forced to stop before he could make it back and a Kick Sauber front wing goes flying and lands on the racing line.

Fernando Alonso was also out of the race as contact with Hulkenberg amid the Turn 1 chaos meant he was collateral damage. 

With the Safety Car out on track, Hulkenberg was able to continue in the race but had fallen down the order to P15 after pitting to make repairs to the car. 

The Safety Car ended at the end of Lap 5 and Verstappen handled the restart well getting the jump on Russell making into Turn 1 first by a good margin, whilst stewards announced that there wouldn't be any further investigations into the first lap incident. 

Russell was doing well to stick to the back of the Red Bull who was struggling to pull more than a seconds gap to the Mercedes. With DRS enabled, Russell was looking for opportunities to make a move on the race leader. 

On Lap 8, the Briton was able to capiltise on the Dutchman's lack of grip out in front and went for the overtake with a big lunge from quite far back going into Turn 12. Both of the drivers went off the track and rejoined with Verstappen still in the lead. Stewards looked into the incident but deemed there was no investigation required. 

The Ferraris battled it out on Lap 9 and Lewis Hamilton managed to make the move on his teammate Charles Leclerc to take P4, a positive race so far from the team in red after they struggled in Sprint Qualifying yesterday. 

Lap 11 and Verstappen was complaining on the radio that the rear of the car was not riding the kerbs well as the he continued to struggle for grip out on track but despite this, the gap had grown between himself and Russell in second place. 

Chaos reigned at Turn 1 once again on Lap 16 when Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon got entangled as the Aston Martin looked to make the move past the Frenchman. Ocon suffered when Stroll locked up and made contact, ending his race in the process.

Whilst it initially looked as though Stroll was going to try and continue, he too stopped out on track at Turn 3 as damage to his car meant he was unable to safely return to the pits - and the safety car was called upon again. The blows kept coming for the Canadian, who was handed a five place grid penalty post race for the Grand Prix on Sunday. 

Ultimately, that is how the race ended, behind a Safety Car, and it was Verstappen to take the chequered flag to covert Sprint Pole to a Race win for the second year running. 

It was Russell who came home in second, followed by Sainz in third which puts the Spaniard into the top 10 of the drivers standings for the first time this season. 

P4 went to Hamilton, followed by Leclerc, Alex Albon, and Yuki Tsunoda with Kimi Antonelli taking the final points place due to Ollie Bearman being handed a 10 second time penalty for his battle with the Italian earlier on. 

It was then Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar that followed with Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto, and Bearman rounding up the order with only 15 drivers finishing the race. 

Later on will be Qualifying for tomorrow's United States Grand Prix and there is plenty of action to come that is not to be missed!

Max Verstappen beats both McLaren's to the top spot to take Sprint Pole in Austin. 

Despite Lando Norris leading the way in both SQ1 and 2, it was the Dutchman that managed to put the right lap together to take the top spot for tomorrow's Sprint Race. 

Norris had to settle for second with not much in it between the front row starters as the man in papaya was just 0.071s off Verstappen's pace. 

Oscar Piastri came home in P3 and will start on the second row tomorrow after finishing 0.309s behind the leader - a bigger gap than the Aussie would have wanted. 

SQ1
Green light at the end of the pits and it was Isack Hadjar for Racing Bulls that was at the front of the queue to get out on track to get this Sprint Qualifying session underway. 

With track and air temperatures soaring, it was vital that the drivers made minimal mistakes as tyres were in short supply with the Sprint Race, Qualifying and the Grand Prix still to come and track temperatures would speed up degradation. 

Hulkenberg's excellent form from earlier in practice seemed to be continuing with the raw pace of the Sauber seeming very promising. With just under 10 minutes remaining the German was top of the times with a 1:34.758.

Verstappen was next to take P1 for himself as he went just under a tenth up on seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton with five minutes left to go. However, Leclerc in the other Ferrari looked to be in trouble as he dropped into the elimination zone. 

The final minutes of SQ1 could only be described as chaotic. Multiple drivers were all left stuck in the danger zone with no chance to improve as a queue of cars waiting to do a lap hindered them. Both Haas' of Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon, the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda and Gabriel Bortoleto in the Kick Sauber all got knocked out in the first stage after not making it to the chequered flag in time to register another lap time.  

Bortoleto unfortunately had no time on the board at all at the end of SQ1 as his lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits 

Drivers out: P16 - Bearman, P17 - Colapinto, P18 - Tsunoda, P19 - Ocon, P20 - Bortoleto.

SQ2
Verstappen led the way out of the pits for SQ2 and medium compound tyres still seemed to be the preferred choice at this point. Some drivers waited in the pits to preserve their tyres for the race itself and go for just the one push lap.

The Dutchman was the first to set a time in this second stage - he put in an 1:33.163 to set the benchmark for the next eight minutes that remained. George Russell managed to slot in behind in P2 a couple of minutes later but was three tenths off the Red Bull driver's pace. 

Norris pipped Verstappen to the top spot inside the four minute mark as his teammate and championship rival Piastri only managed P3. Eyes were on the Ferrari's who were clearly struggling and needed to find more time if they wanted to progress. 

Chequered flag waved for SQ2 and it was Norris again that was leading the way for McLaren, everything looking on track for the Brit to take Pole at the end of SQ3. 

Kimi Antonelli was so close to making SQ3 but missed out by an agonising six thousandths of a second which left him in P11.

Leclerc managed to get himself into SQ3 by putting his Ferrari in P8, a lucky save for the Monegasque driver. 

Drivers out: P11 - Antonelli, P12 - Hadjar, P13 - Gasly, P14 - Stroll, P15 - Lawson.

SQ3
Only 10 remained and it was time for the final stage where the drivers would push it to the max to try and claim Sprint Pole.

Russell set the benchmark time for the final stage with a 1:32.888 after seeming to struggle a bit for grip on the soft compound tyres. It was Sainz and Albon that sat in P2 and P3 at this stage. 

With one minute to go, it was Hulkenberg who was lighting up the track with a purple sector one. He finishes his lap to go over two tenths faster than Russell - a brilliant effort from the Kick Sauber driver who was displaying impressive pace to keep up with the front runners. 

Norris manages to go four tenths faster to take the top spot, and all eyes were on Piastri and Verstappen who were yet to do a flying lap. 

Piastri crossed the line in P2 after struggling to match his championship rival's pace which saw him settle three tenths behind his teammate. 

However, Verstappen is the one who capitalised today, setting a 1:32.143 to take Sprint Pole for the second year on the bounce. He went onto take the Sprint Race win last year, can he do it again?

Top 10 standings: P1 - Verstappen, P2 - Norris, P3 - Piastri, P4 - Hulkenberg, P5 - Russell, P6 - Alonso, P7 - Sainz, P8 - Hamilton, P9 - Albon, P10 - Leclerc. 

The Sprint Race will take place at 6pm BST tomorrow so be sure to catch all of the action and see who can grab the all important extra points!

It will be lights out for the first race of a double header this weekend as Formula One arrives in Austin at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for the United States Grand Prix. 

It is Round 19 of this 24 race season and the Constructors Champions for 2025 have already been crowned as McLaren put in a dominant performance this season so far to make it back-to-back Constructors title wins. 

It is a Sprint Race format this weekend, meaning there is a maximum of 33 points up for grabs and the weekend will run as follows:
​
Friday:
Practice 1 - 6.30pm BST
Sprint Qualifying - 10.30pm BST 

Saturday:
Sprint Race - 6pm BST
Qualifying - 10pm BST

Sunday:
United States Grand Prix - 8pm BST

Making its debut onto the F1 calendar in 2012, the Circuit of the Americas is a 3.4 mile circuit made up of 20 corners and elevation changes giving the drivers plenty to think about.

This 56-lap race will see the drivers put to the test on a track that is very popular amongst the grid from a driving and atmosphere stand point - with plenty of design features resembling those of other iconic tracks, e.g., the Esses are very much inspired by the iconic high-speed Maggotts and Becketts section of the Silverstone Circuit of course. 

This track has provided great action over the years with plenty of brilliant overtakes and battles taking place over the short time the track has been part of F1. 

Strategy will be a difficult one to manage with heat warnings put in place this weekend due to the temperature surpassing the threshold into the 30s, meaning the 'heat hazard' is in play.

This means cars will be required to have the cooling systems needed in place and drivers will have the option to wearing cooling vests under their race suits to help keep the temperature in the cockpit down. 

Lando Norris goes fastest in FP1 in Austin in the one and only practice session of the weekend. 

The Brit put in a great lap in the final stages, with a 1:33.294 on the board when the chequered flags flew. 

Nico Hulkenberg impressed in the Kick Sauber machinery today as he came home second fastest with championship leader Oscar Piastri rounding out the top three - 0.279s behind Norris. 

As it happened 
​
Green light at the end of the pit lane for the only Practice session of the weekend as the Sprint Race format means drivers need to gather all their data they need now before Sprint Qualifying later on this evening (4.30pm local time). 

It was Max Verstappen who was first out onto the track and a queue of cars followed as they all vied to get as much time out on track as possible.

Most teams had opted to put their drivers on the hard compound tyres for the early laps but Aston Martin chose to change things up and Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll emerged from the garage with the medium tyres fitted. 

Just over ten minutes of the session gone and Carlos Sainz was on top for Williams with a 1:37.486 - the Spanish driver having a great run of form recently with a podium finish in Azerbaijan. 

It was then Verstappen who shot to the top of the times, the Dutchman setting a 1:35.426 with Russell sitting a tenth behind him in P2. 

Lance Stroll had a moment at Turn 19 and debris flew off the back of his car as he rejoined the track which ultimately brought out the red flags due to it landing on the racing line and action was paused for around five minutes.

With precious running time lost, green flags were waved again once the track was all clear and Alex Albon lead the pack back out onto the track and it was Lewis Hamilton at the top of the timesheets after 20 minutes of the session with a 1:34.857.

Sainz suffered what looked like a gearbox issue after a great first half of the session and was forced to box so mechanics could get to work on the car. An unfortunate turn in the Spaniard's session who was out of the car for the time being which put him on the back foot. 

The latter stages were not as eventful as the first, but some drivers used the closing 10 minutes to swap to the soft compound tyres (C4) and do some qualifying simulations ahead of Sprint Qualifying. 

Charles Leclerc was amongst those out on track, but had to come back into the pits in the final stages of the session after saying on the radio that he could smell oil. 

Despite saying that he didn't feel this circuit would suit the Aston Martin machinery, Alonso enjoyed a brief stay at the top after putting in a great lap to go just nine thousandths of a second quicker than Verstappen as Hulkenberg moved into third place. 

In the end it was tight at the top, Norris came over the line to go fastest with a 1:33.294 which dethroned Alonso from the top spot. Hulkenberg bettered his time at the last minute and put himself into second place with an impressive time that left him just 0.255 seconds behind the McLaren. 

Piastri came home in P3 - just under three tenths of a second behind his teammate in P1 and Alonso ended up settling for fourth. Verstappen followed in P5 with Albon slotting in behind for sixth. George Russell took seventh ahead of Hamilton in P8 as Isack Hadjar and Ollie Bearman rounded out the top 10. 

Be sure to tune into Sprint Qualifying later on this evening at 10.30pm for UK viewers or at 4.30pm local time as the grid is set ahead of tomorrow's Sprint. 

George Russell won the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen in second and Lando Norris in third place.

McLaren were crowned the 2025 Constructors' Champions with six races left in the season.

Singapore delivered once again, with damp conditions at the start of the race, lock-ups, a 360 spin from Hulkenberg, Hamilton losing his tyres and the McLaren battle took another step forward.

George Russell started on pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, lining up side-by-side with Max Verstappen.

Around an hour before the race, it started raining heavily in Singapore. The rain didn't last long, but the track was green and very wet. During the lap to the grid, the drivers went out on intermediate tyres, all complaining that the first sector was dry, but the second and third sectors were wet.

Thirty minutes later, as the drivers headed for the formation lap, they started on a variety of compounds. Russell started on the medium compound tyre, as did the rest of the field except Hadjar, Alonso, Tsunoda, Stroll, Verstappen and Colapinto, who all started on soft tyres.

George Russell managed to stay ahead into and through the first corner, with Verstappen slotting in behind him.

​Piastri lost places at the start to his teammate, who made a confident lunge for the front, tapping both Verstappen and Piastri at Turn 3 and managing to move into third place.

Norris picked up front wing damage on his front endplate. The stewards investigated but ruled out any further investigation. The same was the case for Hadjar and Bearman.

Piastri aired his frustration openly on the radio about his teammate, as Antonelli moved down into sixth and Leclerc fifth.

Verstappen soon complained that he was struggling with downshifts and was having trouble staying with Russell, who was now 5 seconds ahead.1s ahead. Norris was 1.5s behind Verstappen.

Russell was running around 0.7 seconds quicker a lap than Verstappen, with a significant lead.

Bortoleto and Tsunoda both pitted early after front wing damage from Lap 1. Norris also suggested on the radio that he had hit the wall at Turn 17, but it was very lightly with no damage.

McLaren was threatening with pit stops, trying to undercut and play with their rivals into thinking they were going to pit. The risk of a Safety Car would have given them a free stop, but Norris was told to pit; however, they changed their mind at the last minute.

Verstappen pitted with a slightly three-second stop, moving onto the hard compound tyres. He came back out on track just ahead of Alonso. McLaren didn't respond with Verstappen putting in a fast first hard tyre lap, covering off the threat of the overcut.

Russell began to lose lap time to Verstappen as his tyres started falling away. Mercedes pitted both drivers with a clean stop, and Russell got back out on track 3.5 seconds clear of Verstappen.

Norris pitted with a good stop and was out on track five seconds behind Verstappen. Piastri pitted on the next lap, but the stop was slow, over 5.2 seconds, and he managed to get back on track ahead of Leclerc, with Norris 9.4 seconds ahead.

Alonso stopped with 34 laps left in the race, as Verstappen closed the gap to Russell by half a second over two laps, bringing the gap down to 3.3s. Russell quickly responded and brought that time back up.

Verstappen had a big lock-up into Turn 14, nearly heading straight for the wall. He didn't hit it, but did drop five seconds back from Russell and only two seconds clear of Norris.

Alonso passed Hadjar and Verstappen heads of the track for a second time, two laps before Turn 2. Norris closes in just 1.6s. But Norris goes deep into Turn 16 and Verstappen goes 2.5s clear.

Five seconds covered the top five in the race at that point.

Hulkenberg drops it at Turn 7 under braking, taking a complete 360-degree turn and sliding neatly into the run-off area, but manages to turn back around and rejoin the track.

Russell caught up to the back of the back markers and put three back markers between himself and Verstappen, with the back markers holding up Verstappen, allowing Norris to close the gap.

As the Verstappen and Norris fight continued, Piastri continued to close the gap down to just three seconds.

Antonelli overtook Leclerc for P5, as Hamilton pitted for soft compound tyres, and closed quickly to the back of the two drivers.

Hamilton overtook Leclerc and was chasing Antonelli down with just 2.6s between them. With five laps to go, Norris was still trying to find a way to get past Verstappen.

Hamilton caught right up to the back of Antonelli as Sainz fought Hadjar for P10. Hamilton complained that he lost his brakes and dropped back from Antonelli and got overtaken by Leclerc once again. Hamilton was 30 seconds behind Alonso with only a few laps to go. Sainz passed Hadjar for P10.

George Russell wins the Singapore Grand Prix, followed by Verstappen in second and Norris in third.

Alonso finished just behind Hamilton, but after the race, Hamilton received a five-second time penalty for track limits, and Alonso finished in P7 with Hamilton in P8.

1) George Russell
2) Max Verstappen           +5.430
3) Lando Norris                 +6.066
4) Oscar Piastri                 +8.146
5) Kimi Antonelli                +33.681
6) Charles Leclerc             +45.996
7) Fernando Alonso           +80.667
8) Lewis Hamilton             +85.251
9) Oliver Bearman             +93.527
10) Carlos Sainz                +1 Lap
11) Isack Hadjar
12) Yuki Tsunoda
13) Lance Stroll
14) Alex Albon
15) Liam Lawson
16) Franco Colapinto
17) Gabriel Bortoleto
​18) Esteban Ocon
19) Pierre Gasly
​20) Nico Hulkenberg

Mercedes’ George Russell, who wins the Singapore Grand Prix from pole position: "It feels amazing especially after what happened a couple of years ago, that was a bit of a missed opportunity but we more than made up for it today.

"I'm so grateful for the team, they did an amazing job this whole weekend. We don't really know where this performance came from but I'm really happy."

On the whole weekend: "Friday was a really tough day for me for many different reasons and I wasn't feel comfortable, but by the time Q3 came I felt really comfortable in the car and that is when it matters.

"I was a bit nervous at the beginning when I saw Max [Verstappen] on the soft [tyre], but that first stint was great from us and extended the gap."

On the car's performance: "I mean I said it yesterday, if I were going to make a list of all the races I think we would be good at this year, Singapore would probably be right at the bottom.

"I think we need to sit down on Monday and Tuesday to sort of understand why the performance was so good. I hope we can carry this through to the rest of the season but I think realistically Lando [Norris] looked incredibly fast.

​"He was within a second from Max the whole race and around this circuit that is not easy, so we will take the performance from today, celebrate it and won't think too much about Austin yet."

Written by Anny Wooldridge

George Russell will start on pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen starting in second and Oscar Piastri in third.

The Singapore streets came alive with super close lap times during Free Practice Three, with half a second separating the top seven teams, with Max Verstappen topping the leaderboard in that session, after Fernando Alonso was fastest in FP1 and Oscar Piastri in FP2.

Both Williams drivers are under investigation for both cars exceeded the maximum limit of 85mm on both sides of the rear wing outer area.

Top Ten Results
1) Max Verstappen                 1:30.148
2) Oscar Piastri                         +0.017
3) George Russell                     +0.049
4) Kimi Antonelli                        +0.089
5) Lando Norris                         +0.089
6) Carlos Sainz                         +0.244
7) Isack Hadjar                          +0.341
8) Lewis Hamilton                      +0.411
9) Nico Hulkenberg                    +0.489
10) Charles Leclerc                   +0.503

Max Verstappen topped the leaderboard in the last practice session of the weekend, with just half a second covering the top seven teams.

​Saturday's running offered the last opportunity for drivers and teams to make any final adjustments before the qualifying session.

Getting underway at 5:30pm local time, in temperatures higher than on Friday,

Haas drivers were the first out on track, with both drivers sporting medium compound tyres. By the 15-minute mark, all of the drivers were out on track except for Verstappen and Russell. 

Norris went fastest in the early running with a lap time of 1m 31.021s, just before a red flag was shown. Liam Lawson once again hit the wall in Turn 8 after riding over the kerbs and damaged his car, which came to a halt on the track.

His car was recovered and the debris was cleared, with running continuing with just over 35 minutes left on the clock. Antonelli and Russell got back on track, running on soft compound tyres.

Sainz ran down the escape road at Turn 14 but managed to reverse back onto the track. Just after the halfway mark, Antonelli went quickest with a lap time of 1m 30.760s.

Hamilton was noted for a red flag infringement, which was investigated after the session. Another yellow flag was shown after Albon made a trip down the escape road at Turn 16.

Alonso was asked to limp his car home with 15 minutes remaining.

There was a flurry of soft compound lap times set during the last moments of the session, with Leclerc initially setting the fastest time, but Norris knocked him off and then Verstappen, who topped the timesheet with a lap time of 1m 30.148s at the end of the session.

Out In Q1
16) Gabriel Bortoleto
17) Lance Stroll
18) Franco Colapinto
19) Esteban Ocon
20) Pierre Gasly

All the drivers got out on track quickly in the session, trying to separate themselves out to create gaps between them.

McLaren struggled from the start, with Piastri losing out to yellow flags on his first flying lap. Norris topped the timesheets in the first part of the session but then began to struggle as other drivers beat his time.

Verstappen topped the timesheet, as did Hamilton. Piastri was yet to set a lap time, but in the second half of the session managed to get a lap together good enough for sixth.

Antonelli set some very quick lap times, good enough for the top five, but suffered with track limits and was in the drop zone until the final running.

At the very end of the session, yellow flags were brought out, disrupting some drivers' final lap times, after Gasly stopped on track on the outside of Turn 11 with a mechanical issue.

Bortoleto, Stroll, Colapinto, Ocon and Gasly were out in Q1.

Drivers once again got out on track quickly on a mix of new and used soft compound tyres after the start of the session was delayed to recover Gasly's car and for the stewards to check yellow flag infringements.

Antonelli suffered the same fate as he did in Q1, having his first lap time deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 2, and he was in trouble in the drop zone. However, he managed to put together a lap and move into Q3.

Leclerc tapped the wall in Turn 14 on his first run and was sitting in 13th with five minutes left on the clock. 

Russell, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, and Bortoleto were investigated after the session for yellow flag infringements on their final lap in Q1 after Gasly brought out the yellow flags. These were ruled no further investigation.

Hulkenberg, Albon, Sainz, Lawson and Tsunoda were eliminated in the session. 0.791s covered all 15 cars during Q2.

Top Ten Results
1) George Russell                     1m 29.158
2) Max Verstappen                       +0.182
3) Oscar Piastri                             +0.366
4) Kimi Antonelli                            +0.379
5) Lando Norris                             +0.428
6) Lewis Hamilton                         +0.530
7) Charles Leclerc                        +0.626
8) Isack Hadjar                             +0.688
9) Oliver Bearman                        +0.710
10) Fernando Alonso                    +0.797

George Russell puts his Mercedes on pole in Singapore, he said: "It’s amazing to be on pole position. Yesterday was a very challenging day for many different reasons, but it’s good to come back and get a good result today.

"It’s a long sweaty race tomorrow but I knew there was potential in the car. Kimi [Antonelli] was doing an amazing job all weekend and I actually changed quite a lot from seeing what he was capable of doing yesterday afternoon. I’m very happy to be on pole."

On the race: "Singapore has not been the kindest to me in the past and that has been through my own doing the majority of the time.

"I’m not going to get carried away with this pole position, it’s the best place to start and there is a good pole side advantage here so I would like to think I can hold the lead into Turn One.

​"This guy [Max Verstappen] on my left is obviously pretty good at race starts and sending it down the inside, so I will be keeping an eye."

Written by Anny Wooldridge

The Singapore Grand Prix weekend got underway with Free Practice One and Two. Fernando Alonso unexpectedly topped the timesheet in Free Practice One, with Oscar Piastri heading up the leaderboard in Free Practice Two.

Singapore didn't disappoint with humid conditions, chaotic running and drama throughout both sessions.

​Alex Albon had to retire his car in FP1 due to an issue with his rear brakes. George Russell and Liam Lawson both had incidents with the walls in FP2, and many drivers came close or suffered lockups.

Top Ten Results
1) Fernando Alonso                1:31.116
2) Charles Leclerc                    +0.150
3) Max Verstappen                   +0.276
4) Lewis Hamilton                     +0.364
5) Oscar Piastri                         +0.365
6) Lando Norris                         +0.582
7) Isack Hadjar                          +0.639
8) Carlos Sainz                         +0.696
9) Yuki Tsunoda                        +0.744
10) Esteban Ocon                     +1.012

Fernando Alonso topped the timesheet in the first practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.

The session started at 5:30pm local time in cloudy conditions, following some afternoon showers that left typical Singaporean hot and humid conditions.

All 20 cars exited the pit lane as the green light switched on. This weekend, high temperatures have led the FIA to declare a heat hazard for the entire weekend, necessitating the installation of a special Driver Cooling System on the cars.

The drivers were mostly running on hard compound tyres, with the Aston Martins slotting on medium compound tyres.

Alex Albon caused some early drama when he returned to the pits with smoke emanating from the rear of his Williams car, prompting mechanics to deploy air blowers and fire extinguishers to manage the issue. This was later identified as a rear brake hardware problem, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the session.

The 19 remaining cars began setting lap times, with Lando Norris topping the timesheet with a lap time of 1:33.388. Over a quarter of the way through the session, Alonso held onto P1 with a lap time of 1m 32.595s on the medium compound tyres.

As drivers started pushing a little harder, Alpine's Pierre Gasly went too deep at Turn 14, and Lewis Hamilton had a close call with the wall on the exit of the same turn. 

At the halfway point, Alonso lowered the benchmark to a 1m 32.054s lap time, which Sainz overtook and then Leclerc with a 1m 31.763s.

The drivers then opted for soft tyre running with Leclerc going quickest, followed by Verstappen, Norris and Hadjar.

In the final moments of the session, Qualifying simulations started. Alonso followed up with a lap time of 1m 31.116s, making his way back to the top of the leaderboard.

Oscar Piastri topped the timesheet during a disrupted FP2 session, in a session which had two red flags and a pit lane incident between Leclerc and Norris.

Nico Hulkenberg was the first out on track during the second qualifying session, which took place under the lights at 9pm local time.

Albon was back out on track after having to return to the pits after a rear brake issue in FP1. The rookie continued to explore the race track boundaries early in the session, with Kimi Antonelli having a moment and Gabriel Bortoleto running wide. Norris set an early benchmark lap time of 1m 31.716s.

George Russell brought out yellow flags after ending up with a broken front nose, after hitting the barrier at Turn 16, with a red flag being shown to recover the debris all over the track.

The session got back underway with half an hours running left, with many drivers getting back on track with soft compound tyres, with Hamilton and leclerc continuing on the medium tyres.

The action was brought to a halt after Liam Lawson hit the wall out of Turn 17, resulting in heavy damage to his car, which came to a stop at the pit entry, as his car was recovered.

As the session resumed Leclerc and Norris made contact in the pit lane, with Norris having to be wheeled back into the garage to have his front wing replaced after he hit the pit wall. Ferrari later received a fine of 10,000 euros for an unsafe release.

Both drivers headed out onto the track for the rest of the session, in a busy end to the session. The majority of the drivers were out on soft compound tyres with Piastri topping the timesheet by just 0.132s.

Written by Anny Wooldridge

Max Verstappen takes the Azerbaijan Grand Prix win after a dominating weekend, with pole position and the fastest lap. He was joined on the podium by George Russell, who had been ill all weekend and Carlos Sainz in P3, with his first podium for Williams.

Championship leaders McLaren suffered another weekend of challenges and troubles, with Piastri crashing on Lap 1 and Norris struggling to pass Tsunoda for the remainder of the race, with a slow McLaren pit stop not helping the situation. McLaren's championship fight continues in Singapore.

Max Verstappen started on pole position for the sixth time this season and managed to hold onto the lead into Turn 1 at the race start.

Verstappen started on the hard compound tyre while Sainz started on the medium tyre. Despite this, Verstappen maintained the lead throughout the first lap and after the safety car restart, as Piastri slammed into the barrier at Turn 5, bringing out the safety car.

Piastri's day started badly and got worse. At the race start, he initially jumped the lights before stopping and engaging the anti-stall, dropping to the back of the grid. Alonso, directly behind Piastri, also jumped the start, somewhat triggered by Piastri. Both received five-second time penalties; however, Alonso served his during his penalty, while Piastri's race finished before the first lap, so his penalty was not served.

Norris lost a position at the race start to Piastri and was down to P8 during the five laps under the safety car. At the safety car restart, Norris lost another position to Leclerc.

The two Mercedes drivers were side by side into the first corner of lap one, but it was Russell who lost out and lost a position to Tsunoda.

Verstappen pulled away from Sainz and quickly established a 1.5s lead after the safety car restart. Hadjar ran slightly wide at Turn 16, allowing both Leclerc and Norris to slide past, with the French driver dropping into ninth, and Hamilton also getting past.

By lap 10, Verstappen had built up a lead of over 2.1s, with Sainz into DRS range of Lawson in P3, Russell in fourth and Tsunoda in fifth.

Tsunoda dropped back and soon led a DRS train, which included Leclerc, Norris, and Hamilton, with Hajar not too far behind them. Tyre management came into effect for the one-stop race.

Further behind, Bearman and Albon moved ahead of Gasly at Turn 1, then joining the back of another DRS train led by Colapinto in P13 and included the majority of the back mid-runners.

Albon pitted for hard compound tyres at the end of Lap 15, followed by Colapinto. The pair came together at Turn 5 with Colapinto taking a full 360-degree spin, but recovered and got back underway. Albon was handed a ten-second time penalty for the incident.

Antonelli pitted from fourth after struggling to find a way around Lawson in P3 and under pressure from his teammate directly behind him. Sainz was 4.5s ahead, with Verstappen another five seconds ahead of him.

At the end of lap 20, Liam Lawson was called into the pits, being the first of the front runners to pit, and reemerged on track just ahead of Antonelli in eleventh. Russell moved into third and pulled away to over three seconds ahead of Tsunoda.

Antonelli eventually got past Lawson at the end of lap 21 with the help of DRS on the start/finish straight.

By lap 23, Verstappen was leading by over seven seconds, ahead of Sainz, Russell, Tsunoda and Norris, who was stuck behind Tsunoda.

Antonelli overtook Bortoleto on Lap 26, moving into 8th place. Saniz pitted on Lap 27 with a gap of over two seconds to Russell and rejoined the track in sixth place on hard compound tyres. Verstappen was now ahead by over twelve seconds.

Norris, now in P4 with others around him, pitting was told to get closer to Tsunoda and go long with his medium compound tyres. Hamilton stopped at the end of Lap 36 and rejoined in ninth place.

Norris eventually pitted on Lap 37 for hard compound tyres but had an issue with his front right-hand tyres and had a stop of over 4.1s rejoining the track in P8.

Tsunoda pitted the following lap and came out just in front of Lawson; however, the Kiwi managed to get past with warmer tyres at Turn 3 with Leclerc and Norris behind him.

Russell pitted at the end of Lap 40, but had created enough of a buffer to rejoin the track in second place, just ahead of Sainz, Antonelli, Lawson, Tsunoda, Leclerc, Norris and Hamilton.

Verstappen pitted from the lead but had enough time to rejoin as race leader.

Leclerc was overtaken by both Norris and Hamilton, with Norris joining the back of a DRS train of Tsunoda and Lawson battling for fifth place.

Both Lawson and Tsunoda were under immense pressure from Norris and Hamilton behind them. Still, both kept their cool, with Tsunoda just hanging behind Lawson, playing the team game with points, trying to keep Norris as far away from Verstappen as possible.

Max Verstappen won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and closed to within 69 points of Piastri and even closer to Norris in the Drivers Championship, with Mercedes overtaking Ferrari for second in the Drivers Championship, and McLaren still not gaining enough points to take the win.

1) Max Verstappen
2) George Russell            +14.609
3) Carlos Sainz                +19.199
4) Kimi Antonelli               +21.760
5) Liam Lawson                +33.290
6) Yuki Tsunoda                +33.808
7) Lando Norris                 +34.227
8) Lewis Hamilton             +36.310
9) Charles Leclerc             +36.774
10) Isack Hadjar                +38.982
11) Gabriel Bortoleto         +67.606
12) Oliver Bearman           +68.262
13) Alex Albon                   +72.870
14) Esteban Ocon             +77.580
15) Fernando Alonso         +78.707
16) Nico Hulkenberg          +80.237
17) Lance Stroll                  +96.392
18) Pierre Gasly                  +1 Lap
19) Franco Colapinto
​DNF Oscar Piastri

Red Bull's Max Verstappen wins from pole in Baku, he said: "This weekend has been incredible for us, last weekend was already great, but for us to win here again is just fantastic.

"In the race, the car was working really well on both of the compounds, we had clean air all the time, and you could then look after your tyres.

"It was pretty straightforward. It's not easy around here, and it's very windy today, so the car is always moving around a lot. I'm very happy with this performance."

On the race: "You always have to be a little more careful with tyre management and stuff, you want to make the one-stop work, so I think everyone was a bit more cautious with that anyway.

"The medium and hard compounds that we were running today, they weren't really used that much up until today and that all helped. I was happy that there were not too many safety cars."

​On the car's competitiveness: "It's difficult to say at the moment, but the last two race weekends have been amazing for us. Singapore is a completely different challenge again with the higher downforce, so we will see what we can do there."

Written by Anny Wooldridge