Headline take: SC timing, smart offsets, and tyre life under the lights

Singapore turned into a strategy exam. Safety Car timing cracked open the pit windows; some teams pounced, others blinked. The overcut beat the undercut in clean air pockets, and tyre life in the humid night air punished anyone who chased short‑term pace over long‑stint stability. In the end, execution trumped raw speed — and the championship picture tightened where it needed to.

Below, the biggest winners and losers — plus what it means for the modern Formula 1 points system (full distance: 25‑18‑15‑12‑10‑8‑6‑4‑2‑1; no fastest‑lap bonus since 2024) and the F1 standings.

Winners

George Russell — authority and timing

Russell won Singapore with two things: control of the Safety Car restarts and a measured approach to stint lengths. He didn’t chase purple sectors; he protected the tyres into the slow sequence, then extended the windows just enough to keep the undercut toothless. When the SC arrived at the perfect moment for the leaders, Russell’s stop was clinical and his out‑lap disciplined. Result: P1 on merit.

Max Verstappen — damage limitation turned pressure

Red Bull left qualifying feeling sharper at low speed; on Sunday, Verstappen converted that into a clean, pressure‑filled P2. A late push didn’t quite flip the script, but the points are heavy and the race‑pace signal matters for the run‑in.

McLaren — stacked points, constructors’ momentum

Third and fourth for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri is exactly what you want in a title run: both cars high, no self‑inflicted wounds, and strategy calls that prioritized tyre life over short‑term track position. When the SC compressed the field, McLaren’s tyre prep and restart discipline kept them clear of midfield chaos.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli — best‑yet Sunday, high floor

P5 at Marina Bay is a grown‑up drive. The rookie balanced rear‑axle rotation against hot‑track degradation and didn’t bite on early pit temptation. The result was a strong haul for Mercedes and a statement that the learning curve is bending the right way.

Charles Leclerc — points in hand, podium sniff

Ferrari’s race pace stabilised versus recent rounds. Leclerc kept the rears alive in S3, hovered near the podium fight, and banked P6. It’s not a banner result, but it’s a useful reset headed into the Americas swing.

Mezzanine: solid but not sparkling

Lewis Hamilton — tidy execution, capped ceiling

Hamilton’s pace was steady and the race was clean. A Safety Car window that didn’t quite land perfectly for his offset limited upside, but P7 is a banked result with zero drama — sometimes the right answer at Marina Bay.

Fernando Alonso — experience over drag

The AMR25 is rarely a Singapore star, but Alonso managed tyres and traffic with ruthless efficiency. P8 reflects an efficient Sunday that survived every restart.

Oliver Bearman — points and patience

P9 is one of those quietly valuable Sundays. No overreach, no incident, and a disciplined final stint under pressure.

Carlos Sainz — scraped into the points

P10 isn’t what Williams dreamed of after recent highs, but it’s still a tangible contribution in a constructors’ fight where every place swings prize money.

Losers

Alpine — strategy fish, little reward

Split calls and long stints looking for a perfectly timed SC didn’t pay. When the caution arrived, track position gained was offset by tyre‑warm‑up pain on the restart. Net: no breakthrough.

Haas — braking gremlins, restart pain

Braking inconsistency turned the low‑speed complex into a balance lottery. Each restart reset tyre temperatures, and the car never settled into the window long enough to challenge for the final points.

Aston Martin (second car) — window missed

The package needed a very specific tyre‑temp window to unlock rotation. Miss it by a degree and the lap time evaporates. The SC shuffle didn’t help, and the recovery never came.

Strategy notes that decided Singapore

1) Safety Car timing

The decisive moments were the SC windows. Leaders who stopped under caution cleared the pit delta without surrendering track position; those who had just stopped under green paid the price. The restart discipline separated podium from P5–P7.

2) Overcut vs undercut

In heavy traffic, the overcut won. Clean air laps on a stabilised tyre were worth more than a one‑lap undercut that dumped you into a train. The winners kept their tyres alive long enough to use that clear track — and then emerged ahead when the stops cycled.

3) Tyre life in humid night air

Singapore at night still cooks tyres. Protect the rears through the slow sequence and you buy yourself end‑of‑stint lap time that matters far more than an early‑stint delta. Anyone who chased the stopwatch too hard early paid in the final ten laps.

4) Pit execution and out‑lap discipline

No drama in the box, no wheel‑spin on exit, and precise out‑lap targets. The cleanest executions converted SC gifts into track position that stuck.

Top 10 at the flag

  1. George Russell (Mercedes)
  2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
  3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
  4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
  5. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
  6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
  7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
  8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
  9. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
  10. Carlos Sainz (Williams Racing)

What it means for the F1 points and standings

  • With the current Formula 1 points system (no fastest‑lap bonus since 2024), Russell’s win carries the full 25 and dents the gap to the McLaren duo; Verstappen’s P2 keeps Red Bull in the hunt for race‑day swings.
  • Snapshot after Singapore using our live standings model:
    • Drivers’ Championship (top three): Oscar Piastri leads on 336 points with 7 wins; Lando Norris is second on 314 with 5 wins; Max Verstappen third on 273 with 4 wins.
    • Constructors’ Championship: McLaren lead with 650; Mercedes 325; Ferrari 300; Red Bull Racing 293.

If you’re new to how F1 points work, our explainers go deeper:

FAQ: quick answers for searchers

How do F1 points work in 2025?

Top 10 finishers score 25‑18‑15‑12‑10‑8‑6‑4‑2‑1 in a full‑distance race. There is no fastest‑lap point from 2024 onward. Sprint races pay 8‑7‑6‑5‑4‑3‑2‑1 to the top eight.

Who is leading the F1 2025 drivers’ championship right now?

Oscar Piastri leads the standings, with Lando Norris second and Max Verstappen third after Singapore.

Who leads the F1 constructors’ championship?

McLaren lead the constructors’ standings, with Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing next.

Why did the overcut beat the undercut in Singapore?

Because track position behind trains matters more than raw delta. Clean‑air laps on stabilised tyres gained more than a one‑lap undercut that released you into traffic.

What happened to fastest lap points?

The fastest‑lap bonus point was discontinued ahead of the 2024 season. Only finishing positions score in both grands prix and sprints.

Final word

Singapore was a race of patience and precision. Russell aced the restarts, Verstappen kept pressure without burning tyres, and McLaren banked a constructors’ win‑by‑depth. Strategy calls mattered, but tyre life mattered more. From here, the F1 championship standings compress in all the right places — and the run‑in looks set for fireworks.