Max Verstappen has been ordered to “accomplish some work of public interest” in response to foul language used during a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix. When asked why Sergio Perez was faster in Azerbaijan, Verstappen replied, “I don’t know, man. Different set-up. So as soon as I went into qualifying, I knew the car was f***ed.” The FIA felt this was a breach of the International Sporting Code. The FIA has cracked down on similar incidents, most notably the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix where Toto Wolff and Fred Vasseur were warned for using similar language. In disagreement with the decision, Verstappen has since protested other press conferences. He attended the post-qualifying press conference but largely refused to answer any questions fielded by journalists.
McLaren has been asked by the FIA to modify its rear wing in response to the controversial “mini-DRS” design. During last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it was noted that the upper portion of the wing flexed backward on fast straights, slightly opening the DRS slot gap and surely providing the car with a slight speed advantage. The FIA reviewed the design and found that it was fully compliant with the current regulations. Regardless, the governing body has requested that the team modify the wing to prevent the slot gap from opening.
Pirelli’s planned smaller 2026 tyres were given their first shakedown with a test in Barcelona. Although they will still be on the current 18-inch rim, the new tyres will be slightly smaller in width and diameter. Multiple teams were interested in providing a mule car for testing, with Aston Martin having been selected by lottery. The team’s reserve driver, Felipe Drugovich, participated in two days of testing around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in a modified 2023 Aston Martin F1 car. He completed a two-day total of 1,392km.
Bahrain will continue to host pre-season testing in 2025, despite losing its season-opening slot on the calendar. It will mark the fifth consecutive year Bahrain has hosted three-day pre-season tests, although the Bahrain Grand Prix has been moved to April 13 to avoid a conflict with Ramadan. Instead, the Australian Grand Prix will become the season-opener round, returning to the slot for the first time since the COVID-impacted 2020 season.
Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will be promoted as part of a restructuring. This comes after the news that the team’s sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley, will be moving to Sauber at the end of the year. His role will be split among multiple senior managers instead of Red Bull hiring a replacement. Lambiase has been working at Red Bull as a race engineer since 2015, first with Daniil Kvyat and now with Max Verstappen. He will continue working as Verstappen’s race engineer alongside his new responsibilities.
Long-time Formula One chief legal officer Sacha Woodward Hill will be leaving the sport. She was initially recruited by former leader Bernie Ecclestone in 1996, eventually being appointed to the role of chief legal officer in 2000. In 2006, she became a member of Formula One’s board of directors. She has worked in the sport during a period of immense growth. She stayed in her role when Liberty Media bought the sport in 2016 but feels that now is the right time to leave.
The FIA added a fourth DRS zone around the Marina Bay Circuit ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. The zone has been placed between turns 14 and 16, having been previously requested by drivers last year. The 2023 race marked a new simplified layout for the circuit, with the grandstand section in the third sector having been converted into a long straight with a slight left kink. The new zone is immediately preceded by a DRS zone between turns 13 and 14. The FIA hopes this extra DRS zone will create more overtaking opportunities.
Friday’s first free practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix started relatively smoothly, with Charles Leclerc setting the fastest time. Oscar Piastri was stuck in the garage for the first 10 minutes while the team fixed the left-rear tyre, which had become stuck in pitstop practice before the session. Daniel Ricciardo, whose future hangs in the balance, spent some time in the garage while the team struggled to remove aero equipment. The Aussie had been the first driver out on the track. Lando Norris and Leclerc swapped times as they fitted soft tyres for the closing half of the session, but Norris had to settle for P2 on the timing sheets.
The second free practice was the running held under the floodlights this weekend and it was led by Lando Norris. Multiple drivers complained about the balance of their cars as teams worked to perfect their setups. George Russell went too fast into turn 8 in the closing minutes of the session, going nose-first into the barriers and severely damaging the front wing of his Mercedes W15. Charles Leclerc finished a narrow P2 by only 0.058s, with his teammate finishing P3. RB impressed in the session, finishing P4 and P6.
Lando Norris was again on top of the timing sheets at the end of the final free practice session in Singapore. The session was briefly red-flagged early on while marshals rushed to wrangle a rouge lizard who was attempting to set the fastest lap. When action resumed, we again saw many drivers kissing the barrier, with all escaping unscathed. Norris’ lead was much larger compared to FP2, finishing nearly 0.5s ahead of his closest challenger George Russell.
No one could dethrone Lando Norris from the top of the charts in qualifying, with the Brit earning another pole position this season. Norris was fastest in Q1 but it was Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren that led Q2. Q3 started with disaster for Carlos Sainz, who crashed when starting his first flying lap. The Spaniard had slowed to let Oscar Piastrit through during his out-lap and then lost the rear of the car in the final corner, slamming into the barriers. The session resumed with only eight minutes, creating a one-lap shootout. Norris beat Max Verstappen with Lewis Hamilton leading the two Mercedes in a second-row lockout. Oscar Piastri earned a P5 starting grid alongside Nico Hulkenberg. Charles Leclerc would start the race alongside his teammate, having his only lap time deleted for track limits.
Carlos Sainz was given a €25,000 fine for crossing a live Formula One track after his qualifying crash at the Singapore Grand Prix. The Spaniard crashed into the barriers in the final corner at the start of his flying lap in Q3. The session was red-flagged and Sainz walked across the circuit to reach the pitlane. The incident caught the stewards’ attention, who issued him a fine. Half of the fine has been suspended, meaning he will not need to pay that half of the fine as long as he does not commit any similar violations for the rest of the season. This is similar to the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, in which Lewis Hamilton walked across the circuit after crashing with his teammate in the first corner.
The race was won by Lando Norris, who broke the curse and managed to lead from lights to flag. The Brit was in a league of his own, gapping Max Verstappen by nearly a second per lap for much of the race. But it nearly unravelled for him, locking up into turn 14 and missing a collision with the barriers by only inches. He suffered minor damage to his front wing, but it didn’t hinder his race. Brushes with the barrier later in the race would show just how hard he was pushing. Many teams extended their first stint on the medium tyres, with the hard tyres not getting very many positive reviews from the drivers who had switched to them. Oscar Piastri was the last of the lead cars to pit, giving himself fresher tyres to climb to P3. In the closing laps, Charles Leclerc tried to overtake George Russell for P4, but he couldn’t get by. Daniel Ricciardo reduced the points lost by Verstappen, setting the fastest lap at the end of the race. Since he was outside of the top 10, no points were given to the Aussie, but it was a nice way to end what might be his last F1 race and Verstappen thanked his former teammate for helping his championship efforts. Click here to read a full summary of the Singapore Grand Prix.
Next up, Formula One will be heading to the Western half of the world, although fans will have to wait four weeks to see any racing action. Racing will resume in Austin, Texas for the United States Grand Prix on October 20. It will be worth the wait as the venue plays host to a sprint weekend.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
