{"id":193706,"date":"2025-10-06T17:28:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T17:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/193706\/"},"modified":"2025-10-06T17:28:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T17:28:13","slug":"f1-driver-ratings-2025-singapore-grand-prix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/193706\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 Driver Ratings: 2025 Singapore Grand Prix"},"content":{"rendered":"

As usual the Singapore Grand Prix saw little in the way of racing \u2013 and the television director largely missed the action which did occur.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless there were several stand-out performances plus a winner few predicted before the weekend began. Here\u2019s RaceFans\u2019 verdict on how the full field performed.<\/p>\n

Lando Norris<\/p>\n

\"Lando<\/a><\/p>\n

Qualified: 5th (2 places behind team mate, +0.062s)
Grid: 5th (2 places behind team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 3rd (1 place ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Suffered illness during weekend
\u25b6 Hit by Leclerc in bizarre pit lane incident in second practice
\u25bc Sector times indicated he had a tenth of a second in hand over Piastri, but qualified behind him
\u25b2 Passed Antonelli and Piastri at the start but damaged an endplate on Verstappen\u2019s car<\/a>
\u25b6 Hounded Verstappen all race long<\/p>\n

8\/10: Made up for qualifying with a combative start to the race<\/p>\n

Oscar Piastri<\/p>\n

Qualified: 3rd (2 places ahead of team mate, -0.062s)
Grid: 3rd (2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 4th (1 place behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Didn\u2019t look as quick as Norris through practice but beat him to third in qualifying
\u25b6 Was unhappy with his team mate\u2019s forceful pass on him at turn three
\u25b6 Delayed by another slow McLaren pit stop<\/a><\/p>\n

7\/10: Mistakenly thought he\u2019d done enough in turn two to discourage Norris\u2019s turn three lunge<\/p>\n

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Charles Leclerc<\/p>\n

\"Lewis<\/a><\/p>\n

Qualified: 7th (1 place behind team mate, +0.096s)
Grid: 7th (1 place behind team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 6th (2 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Said he made a mistake in the final sector after qualifying behind Hamilton
\u25b2 Made the most of starting on the clean side, gained two places at the start to run fifth
\u25b6 Had to comply with repeated instructions to back off for his brakes during the race<\/a>
\u25b6 Fifth was clearly the best result available<\/p>\n

7\/10: Shame to see car problems waste a great start<\/p>\n

Lewis Hamilton<\/p>\n

Qualified: 6th (1 place ahead of team mate, -0.096s)
Grid: 6th (1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-S)
Finished: 8th (2 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Avoid a penalty for speeding under a red flag in final practice<\/a>
\u25b6 Justified his recent comments about feeling happier in the car by beating Leclerc to sixth
\u25b6 Another driver who lost a place from the dirty side of the grid at the start
\u25b6 Made a second pit stop for soft tyres which gave him a shot at fifth
\u25b6 Suffered a front-left brake failure late in the race<\/a>
\u25bc Backed off significantly and went off the track several times, beat Alonso to seventh, but collected a penalty<\/a><\/p>\n

7\/10: Could he have committed one fewer track limits breach and kept seventh?<\/p>\n

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Max Verstappen<\/p>\n

\"Max<\/a><\/p>\n

Qualified: 2nd (13 places ahead of team mate, -0.781s)
Grid: 2nd (11 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (S-H)
Finished: 2nd (10 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Immediately looked more competitive in Singapore than Red Bull have been recently
\u25b6 Blamed Norris for costing him time in Q3 though he wasn\u2019t on course to beat Russell<\/a>
\u25b6 Started on softs but wasn\u2019t able to get past Russell due to lack of grip off-line
\u25bc Made a few errors, notably at turn 14, as car became a handful during race
\u25b2 Resisted pressure from Norris for second place<\/p>\n

8\/10: Clearly struggled with his car in the race and did well to hold on to second<\/p>\n

Yuki Tsunoda<\/p>\n

Qualified: 15th (13 places behind team mate, +0.781s)
Grid: 13th (11 places behind team mate)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: One-stop (S-H)
Finished: 12th (10 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25bc Didn\u2019t run Red Bull\u2019s new front wing in qualifying, struggled for grip and was last in Q2
\u25bc Started on softs but fell to 17th as several drivers passed him including Hulkenberg on mediums
\u25bc Ocon passed him on lap two
\u25bc Was unable to pass Ocon on mediums
\u25b6 Made an early pit stop for hards and ran to the end but was passed by Sainz<\/p>\n

4\/10: Even with the difference in car specification this was another deeply disappointing performance<\/p>\n

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli<\/p>\n

Qualified: 4th (3 places behind team mate, +0.379s)
Grid: 4th (3 places behind team mate)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 5th (4 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Immediately looked confident on an unfamiliar track in practice
\u25bc Decent fourth on grid but should have been ahead of Piastri
\u25bc Passed by Norris and Leclerc at the start
\u25b2 Pulled off a smart pass on lift-and-coasting Leclerc at turn 16<\/p>\n

6\/10: Ferrari\u2019s struggles flattered him in the grand prix<\/p>\n

George Russell<\/p>\n

\"George<\/a><\/p>\n

Qualified: 1st (3 places ahead of team mate, -0.379s)
Grid: 1st (3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 1st (4 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25bc Crashed in second practice
\u25b2 Tapped Mercedes\u2019 unexpected speed from Q2 and set two laps quick enough for pole
\u25b6 Kept his lead at the start and pulled away from Verstappen and Norris
\u25b6 Controlled proceedings at a track where Mercedes never expected to be competitive for a comfortable win<\/p>\n

9\/10: Never put a foot wrong after his crash on Friday<\/p>\n

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Lance Stroll<\/p>\n

Qualified: 17th (7 places behind team mate, +0.204s)
Grid: 15th (5 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (S-M)
Finished: 13th (6 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25bc Car was good enough for Q3 but Stroll went out in Q1 after a mistake in the final sector
\u25b6 Moved up to 14th at the start
\u25b6 Ran longer than anyone on softs, hoping for a Safety Car
\u25b2 Pulled off an opportunistic double pass on Ocon and Gasly on his way to 13th<\/p>\n

6\/10: The usual qualifying underperformance plus optimistic strategy, though he pulled off a neat double pass<\/p>\n

Fernando Alonso<\/p>\n

\"Fernando<\/a><\/p>\n

Qualified: 10th (7 places ahead of team mate, -0.204s)
Grid: 10th (5 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (S-M)
Finished: 7th (6 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Grabbed the last place in Q3 but didn\u2019t gain as much time as his rivals in the final 10
\u25b2 Got ahead of Hadjar at the start to run eighth
\u25b6 Lost time with a slow pit-stop
\u25b6 Passed Hadjar and Albon
\u25b6 Narrowly failed to catch Hamilton at the finish but promoted to seventh by his penalty<\/a><\/p>\n

8\/10: Excellent recovery after poor pit stop<\/p>\n

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Franco Colapinto<\/p>\n

\"Franco<\/a><\/p>\n

Qualified: 18th (2 places ahead of team mate, -0.279s)
Grid: 16th (3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +3 places
Strategy: One-stop (S-M)
Finished: 16th (3 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Said he was happier with the car on Saturday but blamed traffic for failure to reach Q2
\u25b2 Started on softs and made a terrific start, gaining three places
\u25b6 Made the earliest switch to the medium tyre compound, which proved too optimistic and he struggled for pace later
\u25b6 Lost four places in the final 10 laps as his tyres faded<\/p>\n

7\/10: Ambitious strategy did not look likely to pay off after great start<\/p>\n

Pierre Gasly<\/p>\n

Qualified: 20th (2 places behind team mate, +0.279s)
Grid: 19th (3 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-S)
Finished: 19th (3 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Slim chance of reaching Q2 ended when his car stopped due to a \u2018suspected oil protection cut\u2019
\u25b6 Started from the pit lane after a set-up change
\u25b6 Scrapping hard with Ocon cost them both places to Stroll
\u25b6 Switched to softs for third stint and passed Hulkenberg on the final lap<\/p>\n

5\/10: Put in the shade by his team mate<\/p>\n

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Esteban Ocon<\/p>\n

Qualified: 19th (10 places behind team mate, +0.569s)
Grid: 17th (8 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 18th (9 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Looked in great shape after setting the seventh fastest time in practice on Friday
\u25b6 Seat belt problem and yellow flag condemned him to a Q1 elimination
\u25b2 Passed Tsunoda on lap two
\u25b6 Spent much of his race stuck in a DRS train<\/p>\n

6\/10: Had good pace but rotten luck in qualifying consigned him to a miserable race<\/p>\n

Oliver Bearman<\/p>\n

\"Oliver<\/a><\/p>\n

Qualified: 9th (10 places ahead of team mate, -0.569s)
Grid: 9th (8 places ahead of team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 9th (9 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b2 Avoided team mate\u2019s misfortune but debut Q3 appearance in Singapore was still impressive
\u25b6 Made contact with Hadjar at the start as he tried to go around the outside of him
\u25b2 Passed Albon after his pit stop but couldn\u2019t get by Sainz
\u25b6 Recovered 10th place after Sainz pitted for final point<\/p>\n

7\/10: Strong in qualifying but couldn\u2019t follow Alonso past Sainz<\/p>\n

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Isack Hadjar<\/p>\n

\"Isack<\/a><\/p>\n

Qualified: 8th (6 places ahead of team mate, -0.304s)
Grid: 8th (4 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (S-H)
Finished: 11th (4 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b2 Consistently quick from the start of the weekend and out-qualified team mate\u2026
\u25bc \u2026but knew he could have started even higher<\/a>
\u25b6 Swapped places with Alonso at the start but ended up behind him
\u25b6 Picked up an engine problem after his pit stop
\u25b6 Fought hard with Alonso a second time but dropped behind the Aston Martin
\u25b6 Lost final points place to Sainz with three laps to go<\/p>\n

8\/10: Deserved a point for slogging away with under-powered car<\/p>\n

Liam Lawson<\/p>\n

Qualified: 14th (6 places behind team mate, +0.304s)
Grid: 12th (4 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 15th (4 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25bc Crashed twice in practice
\u25bc Qualified 14th, well below the car\u2019s potential
\u25b6 Moved up to 12th at the start
\u25b6 Dropped behind Albon after pit stop and was held up by the Williams
\u25b6 Followed Albon past the stragglers for 15th<\/p>\n

5\/10: As he admitted, practice crashes left him at a disadvantage<\/p>\n

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Alexander Albon<\/p>\n

Qualified: 12th (1 place ahead of team mate, -0.033s)
Grid: 20th (2 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 14th (4 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Unable to set a lap time in first practice due to brake fire
\u25b6 Beat Sainz in qualifying but both cars were disqualified
\u25b6 Started from the pit lane after a set-up change to his suspension
\u25bc Heavy lock-up while fighting Alonso forced him into early pit stop
\u25b6 Williams used him to delay Lawson to help Sainz score a point<\/a>
\u25b6 Finished 14th after compromised race running development item<\/p>\n

5\/10: Was always likely to have to play the team game but lock-up didn\u2019t help<\/p>\n

Carlos Sainz Jnr<\/p>\n

\"Carlos<\/a><\/p>\n

Qualified: 13th (1 place behind team mate, +0.033s)
Grid: 18th (2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-S)
Finished: 10th (4 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Narrowly lost to Albon in qualifying before team suffered double disqualification
\u25b6 Started eighth and stayed out until he reached ninth
\u25b2 Kept Bearman behind for many laps until he pitted
\u25b2 Tore past cars on older tyres after late pit stop for softs<\/p>\n

8\/10: 18th-to-10th looked great but he owed a debt of gratitude to Albon<\/p>\n

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Nico Hulkenberg<\/p>\n

\"Nico<\/a><\/p>\n

Qualified: 11th (5 places ahead of team mate, -0.105s)
Grid: 11th (3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-S)
Finished: 20th (3 places behind team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b2 Ended long run of qualifying defeats to Bortoleto and came close to reaching Q3
\u25b6 Fell behind Tsunoda when he pitted, compromising his race
\u25bc Spun at turn seven
\u25b6 Fell to last when Gasly passed him<\/p>\n

6\/10: Looked like he was going to have a better weekend after qualifying<\/p>\n

Gabriel Bortoleto<\/p>\n

Qualified: 16th (5 places behind team mate, +0.105s)
Grid: 14th (3 places behind team mate)
Start: -1 place
Strategy: One-stop (M-H)
Finished: 17th (3 places ahead of team mate)\n<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Arguably missed a place in Q2 by backing off more than rivals for yellow flag
\u25b6 Had to pit early to replace a damaged front wing after knocking Stroll\u2019s car on lap one
\u25b6 Ran a long final stint on hards but faded at the end, dropping four places to 17th<\/p>\n

6\/10: Compromised by his qualifying result and first-lap contact with Stroll<\/p>\n

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Over to you<\/p>\n

Vote for the driver who impressed you most last weekend and find out whether other RaceFans share your view here:<\/p>\n

2025 Singapore Grand Prix
\nBrowse all 2025 Singapore Grand Prix articles<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As usual the Singapore Grand Prix saw little in the way of racing \u2013 and the television director…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":193707,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[114697,64,63,817,813,816,85],"class_list":["post-193706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-2025-singapore-grand-prix","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/193707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}