Motorsports
Night Shift
George Russell wins in Singapore as McLaren locks in constructors’ crown six races early
George Russell stormed to victory at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday night, delivering Mercedes its first win of the season as McLaren sealed the Formula One constructors’ championship with six rounds to spare.
Russell started from pole and held firm against Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, pulling away in the later laps to win by 10 seconds. It was a sweet redemption for the British driver, who famously crashed out of the race two years ago while chasing victory.
“It feels amazing, especially after what happened a couple of years ago,” said Russell. “We don’t really know where this performance came from, but I’m really happy. A one-hour, 45-minute race here in Singapore is never easy with the heat and humidity, but we brought it home.”
McLaren’s double podium finish, with Norris in third and Oscar Piastri in fourth, was enough to secure back-to-back constructors’ titles for the Woking-based team—its 10th overall. The combined 27 points from Norris and Piastri matched Red Bull’s 2023 record for the earliest team championship win.
“They’ve driven brilliantly all season,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “You can’t win the constructors’ without two awesome drivers. We let them race hard, clean, and to win.”
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for McLaren. At the start, Norris aggressively dived past teammate Piastri at turn one, brushing wheels in a fiery opening exchange. Piastri, who leads the drivers’ standings, fumed over team radio: “So are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way? That’s not fair.”
The team refused to issue team orders, leaving Piastri visibly frustrated, though Norris insisted afterward, “It was good racing.”
Verstappen finished second for Red Bull, wrestling with gearbox downshift issues that made the race “more difficult than I hoped.” Despite the struggles, the Dutchman remains third in the title fight, 63 points behind Piastri.
Further down the order, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli finished fifth, ahead of the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton dropped to eighth after a late-race brake issue and a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, allowing Fernando Alonso to slip into seventh. Oliver Bearman and Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten.
The tropical night race also marked Formula One’s first official “Heat Hazard” designation, requiring teams to provide liquid-cooled vests due to Singapore’s punishing climate. Air temperatures held at 28°C—lower than expected—so some drivers, including Verstappen, opted not to wear them.
George Russell put Mercedes on top again in Shanghai after taking pole for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, with teammate Kimi Antonelli completing a front-row lockout. Russell set a 1:31.520 lap in Sprint Qualifying, while Antonelli went 0.289 seconds slower to seal second place. Lando Norris placed third for McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton fourth for Ferrari.
The result gave Mercedes another strong statement after its winning start to the 2026 season in Australia. Russell said the car felt “amazing” and added that it had been “a real joy to drive,” pointing to the team’s momentum from Melbourne into a very different track in Shanghai. Formula 1’s official results also showed Oscar Piastri fifth and Charles Leclerc sixth behind Hamilton and Norris.
Antonelli, still in only the early stage of his Formula 1 career, said the pace was there but admitted he did not fully put the lap together on soft tires. Even so, his lap was enough to help Mercedes lock out the front row for Saturday’s 19-lap sprint, putting the team in prime position to collect more points.
McLaren stayed close enough to remain a threat. Norris said he was pleased to finish ahead of both Ferraris after they had looked strong through much of Friday. Piastri backed him up in fifth, which gives McLaren two cars inside the top five for the short race.
Ferrari, meanwhile, remained in the mix but could not match Mercedes over one lap. Hamilton said the car felt good overall but pointed to straight-line speed as one area where Ferrari was still losing ground. Leclerc ended up sixth, keeping both Ferraris on the first three rows.
Red Bull had a far rougher session. Max Verstappen could manage only eighth, with Isack Hadjar down in 10th, while Oliver Bearman split the two Red Bulls in ninth for Haas. Earlier in the day, Russell had already set the pace in the weekend’s only practice session, again ahead of Antonelli, which underlined Mercedes’ control of Friday running in China.
German carmaker Audi has revealed its first Formula One car ahead of its full factory entry under the sport’s new 2026 rules, laying out a long-term target to fight for titles before the decade ends.
The car, called the Audi R26, was shown in Paris and introduces the brand’s first-ever single-seater. The livery carries a mostly grey finish, with Audi’s four rings highlighted in red on the rear wing. The team said the design aims to stand out visually while keeping a clean and restrained look.
Audi enters Formula One after taking over the Sauber operation, which will run under the Audi name from 2026. The transition keeps continuity on the driver side, with Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto staying on after racing for Sauber last season.
Project head Mattia Binotto said the incoming technical regulations offered the right entry point for the brand, allowing Audi to build its programme around a clean-sheet rule set.
Team principal Jonathan Wheatley described the car as the product of years of work across Audi’s facilities, while stressing that the unveiling marks only the beginning. He said the focus now is on building habits, systems, and a competitive mindset that improve with every race weekend.
Like the rest of the grid, Audi’s new car will not make a public debut straight away. Initial running is scheduled for closed tests next week at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where teams will begin early validation work ahead of the 2026 season.
Audi becomes the latest major manufacturer to commit fully to Formula One, joining the championship at a time when new engine rules and sustainability targets are reshaping the sport’s long-term direction.
Mercedes has confirmed that chief designer John Owen will leave the Formula One team later this year, ending a long run at the Brackley-based outfit that dates back nearly two decades.
Owen, 52, joined the team in 2007 when it was still operating as Honda. He stayed through the dramatic transition to Brawn GP, which stunned the paddock by winning both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships in 2009. When the operation became the Mercedes Formula One Team, Owen remained a central figure in its technical structure.
During Mercedes’ dominant era from 2014 to 2021, the team secured seven drivers’ titles and eight constructors’ championships. Owen’s work in car design placed him among the key architects of that success.
Mercedes said Owen has decided to step away from Formula One and will begin a period of gardening leave later this year. The team added that he will remain involved during the transition period to ensure continuity.
His role as director of car design will be taken over by Giacomo Tortora, who currently serves as engineering director. Deputy technical director Simone Resta will oversee the design group as part of the restructuring.
The announcement comes as the Formula One season approaches. Pre-season testing begins next month in Bahrain Pre-Season Testing, ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 8.
Mercedes said Owen’s departure was amicable and acknowledged his long-standing contribution to the team’s competitive history.
