After another thrilling weekend in Azerbaijan, round 18, and the second straight street circuit, the Singapore Grand Prix is upon us. With a new Constructors' Championship leader for the first time since 2022, things are really starting to heat up in Formula One, with no signs of slowing down.
Before we jump into how teams did last race in Baku and take a look into what to expect at the Singapore Grand Prix, a couple of things to mention:
Authors Note 1: The Formula One Season has two main championship competitions. The first is the Drivers' Championship, which is a competition between the individual drivers. The drivers who finish in the top-10 each weekend will score points (the higher you place, the more points you get). These points are added up, and whichever driver finishes with the most points at the end of the season will win the Drivers' Championship. The next is the Constructors' Championship , a competition between the teams. The number of points the drivers within a team get each race is combined, creating the total points for the team (E.g., Lando Norris has scored 241 points, and Oscar Piastri has scored 197 points, giving the McLaren team 438 points in the Constructors' Championship). The team whose drivers accumulate the most points combined for their team will win the Constructors' Championship.
Author's Note 2: 22 drivers will be listed in the Drivers' Standings, as Oliver Bearman was a replacement driver for Carlos Sainz for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Kevin Magnussen last weekend in Azerbaijan. Also, Franco Calapinto has replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams for the remainder of the season.
Here is a look at the current Drivers' and Constructors' standings after this weekend:
Drivers' Championship Standings:
Max Verstappen 313 points
Lando Norris 254 points
Charles Leclerc 235 points
Oscar Piastri 222 points
Carlos Sainz 184 points
Lewis Hamilton 166 points
George Russell 143 points
Sergio Perez 143 points
Fernando Alonso 58 points
Lance Stroll 24 points
Nico Hulkenberg 22 points
Yuki Tsunoda 22 points
Alexander Albon 12 points
Danny Ricciardo 12 points
Pierre Gasly 8 points
Oliver Bearman 7 points
Kevin Magnussen 6 points
Esteban Ocon 5 points
Franco Colapinto 4 points
Zhou Guanyu 0 points
Logan Sargeant 0 points
Valtteri Bottas 0 points Â
Constructor's Championship Standings:
McLaren 476 points
Red Bull                             456 points
Ferrari 425 points
Mercedes 309 points
Aston Martin 82 points
Racing Bulls 34 points
Haas 29 points
Williams 16 points
Alpine 13 points
Kick Sauber 0 points
Standings were found at F1.com.Â
Alpine
Alpine had another below-average weekend in Azerbaijan. Esteban Ocon qualified 19th and finished 15th, while Pierre Gasly was disqualified from qualifying (due to over-fueling the car) and finished 12th.
After a quiet but dreadful weekend last race, Alpine will look to turn it around in Singapore. Their upgrade package is minimal, however the rear wing upgrade should give the car more downforce to the car. In other words, they are hoping that this change to the rear wing will allow for the tires to increase their ability to sustain grip over a longer period, thus increasing the pace/speed of the car.
With that being said, expectations have grown to be consistently low from fans throughout the season for Alpine, which should not change in Singapore. Look for Alpine to potentially improve from last week, at least in qualifying, but stay relatively the same in the race.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 12th-15th place finish for both drivers
Floor: Bottom 5 finish for both drivers
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Aston Martin
Aston Martin had an up-and-down weekend in Baku, where Fernando Alonso qualified 8th and finished 6th, while Lance Stroll qualified 14th and did not finish (DNF) the race after receiving a puncture on the opening lap from colliding with RB driver Yuki Tsunoda.
Looking at the grand prix in Singapore, Aston Martin will hope to gain more consistency among their drivers. However, the car seemed to be in a decent enough place to be in the mix for points. Alonso's pace in Azerbaijan is a promising sign that Aston Martin could potentially have a strong finish to the season, but it has to continue in Singapore this weekend. The only upgrade of note for the team is a front wing flap adjustment, with the hope it will increase the car's downforce and create a more balanced airflow. Look for Aston Martin to compete for points again this weekend.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 7th-10th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 12-16th finish for both drivers
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Ferrari
Ferrari's race in Baku ended in heartbreak, as their chance to make a significant dent in the points was squandered by a racing incident (meaning a crash between two drivers in which neither is to blame, but rather the competitive nature of the race) between podium hopefuls Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez that ended their race. Charles Leclerc qualified on pole (1st) and finished 2nd, while Carlos Sainz qualified 3rd but did not finish the race.
Ferrari's upgrades from Monza have carried over nicely, with their chances of success being no different heading into the challenging track that Singapore brings. Leclerc has been at the top of his game, consistently putting together elite finishes, while Carlos Sainz had a phenomenal race in Baku, despite the crash. Fans should expect the prancing horses to compete for a race win once again.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: Race win with both drivers on the podium
Floor: 4th-7th place finish for both drivers
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Haas
Hass had a surprisingly good weekend from both drivers, as Nico Hulkenberg qualified 13th and finished 11th, while replacement driver Oliver Bearman qualified 11th and finished 10th.
Coming off a positive weekend last time out, Haas will look to keep the momentum going in Singapore. With no new upgrades to speak of, Hass should still have enough pace to be competing for the bottom of the points. Fans should also be on the lookout for how aggressive Kevin Magnussen will be, with his penalty points reset and the driver having nothing to lose with no contract set for next season.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 9th-12th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 14th-18th finish for both drivers
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Kick Sauber
Kick Sauber had another dreadful weekend in Baku. Valtteri Bottas qualified 17th and finished 16th, while Zhou Guanyu qualified 18th and finished 14th.
Though the driver's placements may not look bad on paper, had it not been for the 4 DNFs in the race, Kick Sauber would've finished at the back end of the grid once again. There is nothing more to say in terms of expectations for the team, as they are just buying their time until they are replaced by Audi in 2026.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 16th-18th for both drivers
Floor: Bottom 2 finish for both drivers
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McLaren
McLaren produced another fantastic weekend in Baku, as Oscar Piastri qualified 2nd and won the race, while Lando Norris qualified 16th (due to an unfortunate series of events outside his control) and finished 4th.
Looking into the weekend in Singapore, McLaren is carrying all the momentum in the world, coming off a race win, a brilliant recovery drive from Norris, and overtaking Red Bull as the leader in the Constructor's Championship. Look for the papaya team to keep things rolling, competing for a race win and potentially a double podium finish.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 1st and 2nd place finish
Floor: 4th-6th place finish for both drivers
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Mercedes
Mercedes had a decent weekend last time out, being one of the biggest beneficiaries of the crash between Sainz and Perez. George Russell qualified 5th and finished 3rd, while Lewis Hamilton qualified 7th and finished 9th.
Looking into Singapore, Mercedes will be looking to gain some of their race pace back, and looking to do it in style with a special livery for this weekend (pictured above). Mercedes got lucky last weekend, and need to pick up the pace if they want to still compete for podiums. With upgrades coming in the near future, look for Mercedes to struggle to keep up with the pace of McLaren and Ferrari, but set themselves apart from the bottom half of teams, including potentially Red Bull.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 3rd-5th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 6th-8th place finish for both drivers
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Racing Bulls
After a disappointing weekend in Baku, RB will look to recover in Singapore. Last weekned, Yuki Tsunoda qualified 12th and did not finish the race after suffering too much damage in a collision with Lance Stroll, while Daniel Ricciardo qualified 15th and finished 13th.
RB will be rocking a new livery for Singapore (pictured above), but that does not take away the fact that the team has been struggling as of late, having not scored in the points since before the summer break in Belgium. Singapore is a big weekend for both drivers. Yuki has not finished the race for the second straight time, while rumors are spreading that Singapore is Ricciado's last opportunity to prove himself before he could be replaced by Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson. The stakes are high for both drivers to prove themself, so expect Tsunoda and Ricciardo to be aggressive and compete for points as much as they can.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 8th-11th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 13th-16th place finish for both drivers
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Red Bull
Red Bull's downfall continues. For the first time in two years, the team is not leading the Constructors' Championship or a competitive car for their standards. Last race weekend, Max Verstappen qualified 6th and finished 5th, while Sergio Perez qualified 4th and did not finish the race after crashing with Carlos Sainz.
Even with the car's lack of pace and performance, Red Bull will be taking a positive into Singapore, as Perez had one of his best weekends of the season. He out-qualified Max while also competing for a podium finish, which Verstappen also failed to do.
Looking into Singapore, fans should expect Red Bull to struggle once again for pace, despite the minor airflow upgrade they are bringing to better suit the hot temperatures on the track in Singapore. Frustration is running high throughout the team, as their lead in the Constructors' Championship has slipped away, with Verstappen's lead in the Drivers' Championship fading as well (the gap is only 59 points now between Verstappen and Lando Norris).
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 3rd-5th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 6th-9th place finish for both drivers
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Williams
Coming off another fantastic weekend, Williams has become a threat to score points consistently, and will look to achieve that in Singapore on Sunday. Last time out, Alexander Albon qualified 10th and finished 7th, while Franco Colapinto qualified 9th and finished 8th.
Since Colapinto replaced Logan Sargeant in Monza two races ago, Williams has looked like a completely different team. This change of form should carry into Singapore, as both drivers have proved they can compete for points with the car they are being given. Expect Williams to impress again in Singapore, potentially scoring in the points, or at least close to them.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 7th-10th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 12-15th place finish for both drivers
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Catch you next time!
-Matt Hylen
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