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23m ago

Singapore Poses Crucial Test for Verstappen as McLaren Nears Constructors' Crown

Red Bull’s upgraded RB21 now faces a hot, high-downforce circuit where Verstappen has never won, setting a true measure of the team’s revival.

Start, Circuit de Catalunya, 2024
Formula One F1 - Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan - September 21, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo
Formula One F1 - Dutch Grand Prix - Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands - August 30, 2025 McLaren's Oscar Piastri celebrates after qualifying in pole position with second placed McLaren's Lando Norris REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki
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Overview

  • McLaren can secure the 2025 Constructors' Championship in Singapore by scoring 13 points, with a single podium finish enough to clinch it.
  • Max Verstappen arrives on a two‑race winning streak from Monza and Baku but remains 69 points behind leader Oscar Piastri with seven grands prix and three sprints left.
  • Marina Bay demands maximum downforce and coping with intense heat, conditions Red Bull has struggled with as Verstappen has yet to win the Singapore Grand Prix.
  • A Monza floor upgrade and improved set‑up work have steadied Red Bull’s RB21, and Singapore is viewed internally as the benchmark of whether those gains translate beyond low‑downforce tracks.
  • McLaren’s title fight remains open between its drivers, with Piastri 25 points ahead of Lando Norris and team chief Zak Brown ruling out team orders for the run‑in.