Motorsports
Rasmussen Stuns Palou for First IndyCar Victory in Milwaukee
Christian Rasmussen delivered the race of his career at the Milwaukee Mile 250, snatching his first-ever IndyCar win with a daring late push that denied newly crowned champion Alex Palou another place in the record books.
Palou, who had already secured his third straight championship — and his fourth title in five seasons — entered the penultimate round of the calendar chasing a slice of history. With eight victories this year, including the Indianapolis 500, the Spaniard was eyeing the all-time season record of 10 wins held by legends A.J. Foyt (1964) and Al Unser Sr. (1970).
But Rasmussen had other plans. The 25-year-old Dane, racing for Ed Carpenter Racing, took fresh tires during a late caution brought on by light rain. Restarting from sixth, he charged forward with aggressive intent, eventually pulling alongside Palou — who had stayed out on worn tires — and muscling past him on the front straight with just 15 laps to go.
From there, Rasmussen held his nerve, crossing the line 1.9 seconds clear to seal a breakthrough victory. It marked Ed Carpenter Racing’s first trip to victory lane since Rinus VeeKay’s win at Indianapolis in 2021.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin completed the podium in third, while Rasmussen’s teammate Alexander Rossi came home fourth.
Despite falling short of the single-season wins milestone, Palou’s dominance this year has been historic. He joins Ted Horn, Sebastien Bourdais, and Dario Franchitti as only the fourth driver to secure three straight IndyCar championships. With four total crowns, he now sits behind only Dixon’s six and Foyt’s unmatched 10 on the all-time list.
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.
