Wednesday was a busy day in Formula 1, with attention already turning to the Singapore Grand Prix. Forecasts point to a possibility of rain during the Sprint and Saturday’s qualifying in Marina Bay, while Max Verstappen acknowledged that Red Bull could face a tougher scenario after the victory secured in Sepang.
George Russell also arrives at the weekend with a significant hurdle. Mercedes confirmed that the Briton will incur a grid penalty for Sunday’s race due to a power unit component change, a consequence of the failure recorded in Malaysia. Toto Wolff commented on the situation, while the team also plans to compare its updates after the underwhelming performance in Sepang.
At McLaren, the Singapore preparation centers on addressing the loss of speed on the straights experienced by Lando Norris. The team arrives here after two races that fell short of expectations and is looking to bounce back in Marina Bay, where the urban setup and the Sprint’s debut add further weight to the configuration already established in the early sessions.
A Ferrari also stood out among the day’s highlights. Lewis Hamilton urged the team members to ignore speculation surrounding Frédéric Vasseur’s future, while Ferrari itself came to the defense of its chief, though it did not confirm plans for 2027. Charles Leclerc, for his part, warned about the risk of serious accidents with the current cars under wet track conditions.
Beyond the immediate Singapore preparation, Verstappen returned to the center of attention. Ford admitted interest in having the four-time champion join its future Hypercar project in the WEC. Behind the scenes at Red Bull, Christian Horner also drew attention, with reports that his exit from the team would have resulted in compensation of about £100 million.
The future calendar closed the day with another relevant bit of news. A minister stated that South Africa will have a Formula 1 Grand Prix before 2030, keeping alive the push to bring the sport back to the country. Meanwhile, Singapore remains the immediate focus, with the 17th race starting on Friday and up to 33 points available due to the Sprint format.
