Motorsports
Racing Thrills and Tamaraw Debut Wrap Up TGR Philippine Cup
The 2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine Cup ended with new champions and a showcase of local racing innovation at Clark International Speedway.
Russel Cabrera of Toyota Team Cebu – Standard Insurance claimed the Super Sporting crown, Jesse Garcia of Obengers Racing – Toyota Balintawak topped the Sporting Class, and Luis Moreno of the TGR Philippines Novice Team ruled his division. Their consistent performance across three weekends secured them the overall titles. Obengers Racing also took home the coveted Team Championship.
The highlight of the final leg was the Tamaraw OMR Concept Sprint Race Exhibition, where the locally developed one-make-race pickup was unleashed on track. Driven by former Vios Cup champions and GR Development Driver Aaron Guevara, the Tamaraw impressed with lap times matching the Vios CVT OMRs and even outran a GR 86 and Vios Legacy car in a drag race. TMP GR Section Supervisor JC Gaon said the upgrades focused on safety and handling, calling the project a challenging but promising milestone as the Philippines leads in developing an OMR vehicle.
Adding more excitement, TMP President Masando Hashimoto celebrated his first victory in the returning Endurance Race. Meanwhile, GR Yaris, Supra, and 86 owners competed in the Club Race, while the eSports GT Championship 2025 kicked off with qualifiers for aspiring sim racers.
Race Weekend 3 also delivered strong finishes across all classes. Iñigo Anton, Raymond Cudala, and Luis Moreno won the Sprint Race 6 in their respective brackets, while Michael Bryan Co, Jamil Lacuna, and Moreno again took top spots in Sprint Race 7. Hashimoto himself grabbed the Novice Class win in the Endurance Race.
The weekend ended on a festive note with Over October performing live before the official awarding ceremony.
As TMP Assistant Vice President for Marketing Services Andy Ty summed it up: this season brought “a Legacy Class debut, a city street race, and the first Tamaraw OMR sprint—truly a season for the books.”
The 2025 TGR Philippine Cup was sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines with support from Petron, GT Radial, and other partners.
Honda Philippines’ 16-year-old talent Alfonsi Daquigan swept Round 5 of the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup at Mandalika, taking Race 1 and Race 2 to become the first Filipino rider to win an ATC race and then back it up on the same weekend. The October 4 to 5 event at Indonesia’s Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit capped a statement performance from the young Filipino.
Daquigan overcame a double long-lap penalty in Race 1 and still crossed the line first. The Sunday rematch was cleaner and just as decisive as he sealed the double, moving up to third in the overall standings after Round 5.
Honda Philippines said the result reflected Daquigan’s discipline, consistency, and drive as he battled the best youth riders across Asia while carrying the flag on the international stage.
George Russell delivered a stunning performance under the Marina Bay lights, taking victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, the 18th round of the 2025 Formula One World Championship. The win came ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, while McLaren officially clinched the Constructors’ Championship with six races to spare.
Race Results (62 laps, 306.143 km – Marina Bay Circuit)
- George Russell (GBR, Mercedes) — 1:40:22.367
- Max Verstappen (NED, Red Bull) — +5.430
- Lando Norris (GBR, McLaren) — +6.066
- Oscar Piastri (AUS, McLaren) — +8.146
- Kimi Antonelli (ITA, Mercedes) — +33.681
- Charles Leclerc (MON, Ferrari) — +45.996
- Fernando Alonso (ESP, Aston Martin) — +1:20.667
- Lewis Hamilton (GBR, Ferrari) — +1:25.251
- Oliver Bearman (GBR, Haas) — +1:33.527
- Carlos Sainz (ESP, Williams) — +1 lap
- Isack Hadjar (FRA, Racing Bulls) — +1 lap
- Yuki Tsunoda (JPN, Red Bull) — +1 lap
- Lance Stroll (CAN, Aston Martin) — +1 lap
- Alex Albon (THA, Williams) — +1 lap
- Liam Lawson (NZL, Racing Bulls) — +1 lap
- Franco Colapinto (ARG, Alpine) — +1 lap
- Gabriel Bortoleto (BRA, Sauber) — +1 lap
- Esteban Ocon (FRA, Haas) — +1 lap
- Pierre Gasly (FRA, Alpine) — +1 lap
- Nico Hülkenberg (GER, Sauber) — +1 lap
World Championship Standings (After Singapore GP)
Drivers
- Oscar Piastri (AUS) — 336 pts
- Lando Norris (GBR) — 314
- Max Verstappen (NED) — 273
- George Russell (GBR) — 237
- Charles Leclerc (MON) — 173
- Lewis Hamilton (GBR) — 125
- Kimi Antonelli (ITA) — 88
- Alex Albon (THA) — 70
- Isack Hadjar (FRA) — 39
- Nico Hülkenberg (GER) — 37
- Fernando Alonso (ESP) — 36
- Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) — 32
- Lance Stroll (CAN) — 32
- Liam Lawson (NZL) — 30
- Esteban Ocon (FRA) — 28
- Pierre Gasly (FRA) — 20
- Yuki Tsunoda (JPN) — 20
- Gabriel Bortoleto (BRA) — 18
- Oliver Bearman (GBR) — 18
Constructors
- McLaren — 650 pts (Champions)
- Mercedes — 325
- Ferrari — 298
- Red Bull — 290
- Williams — 102
- Racing Bulls — 72
- Aston Martin — 68
- Sauber — 55
- Haas — 46
- Alpine — 20
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.
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