George Russell can take his Singapore Grand Prix victory all the way to the bank.
The Mercedes driver scored a sizzling win from pole position Sunday at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Russell crossed the finish line 5.430 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who fended off McLaren's Lando Norris for second place.
It was the second win of the season for Russell, who was also victorious from pole at the Canadian GP in June.
The Singapore GP is typically dominated by the pole sitter, although there have been outliers throughout its history, including the inaugural race in 2008 (yeah, there's an interesting reason for that one).
This year was no exception as Russell became the 11th pole sitter in 16 races to win at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Russell's only potential threat came at the very beginning of the race in the form of Verstappen, who started next to him on the front row on the softer, faster tires. That advantage never came to fruition as Verstappen was more preoccupied with the McLarens behind him than overtaking Russell, who was free to pull off into the distance in clean air.
You also have to love how the team is leaning into the meme that Russell "does nothing" but manages to come out on top.
The victory was a bit of redemption for Russell, who was in a podium position and chasing the leaders on the last lap of the Singapore GP in 2023 when he crashed out of the race. Russell found the wall again this year, although fortunately for him, it was during practice and not the actual event.
While Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told Sky Sports F1 that an extension is "super near," Russell remains a free agent for next season. With his second win of the season and eighth podium finish, the ball is in Russell's court. Mercedes can't afford to let Russell walk, especially when rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli still needs some seasoning.
There's no reason for things to turn sour between Mercedes and Russell, although expect the numbers to increase now during negotiations at the bargaining table.
And if you were wondering whether or not Russell did his famous t-pose, of course, he did the t-pose.
GAME ON AT MCLAREN
Speaking of the inevitable, McLaren locked up its second consecutive constructors' championship in Singapore. It's the first time the team has won the title in back-to-back seasons since 1990-91.
Although last year's title fight went down to the finale in Abu Dhabi, McLaren's dominance this season allowed them to secure the trophy well in advance with six races and three sprints still to come.
McLaren just needed either a place on the podium or both drivers finishing within the top seven in Singapore to secure the title. Both scenarios played out, with Norris taking home third and teammate Oscar Piastri right behind him in fourth.
The focus now completely shifts to the drivers' championship, something a McLaren driver hasn't won since Lewis Hamilton in 2008 (again, we circle back to 2008).
Piastri continues to lead in the standings, although Norris chipped away at the deficit once again, cutting it down from 25 points to 22.
Norris, who qualified fifth, got the jump on Antonelli at the start and nudged aside Piastri as they clashed through the first couple of corners.
Piastri took exception to Norris barging his way through, saying on the radio: "That's not fair." Norris was taking an evasive manoeuvre as he sustained minor front-wing damage from Verstappen.
Officials reviewed the skirmish, but no further action was taken.
That overtake gave Norris priority for pit stops, and when asked if Piastri could box first to cover off a potential threat from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, the answer was a swift rejection as memories of Monza continue to linger. It was only a month ago at the Italian GP when Norris let Piastri pit first under similar conditions. The team then had a hiccup during Norris's pit stop, allowing Piastri to undercut and overtake him. McLaren had to ask Piastri to swap places back, to which he (begrudingly) obliged. Nobody wanted a repeat of that.
This time, Norris pitted first and had a clean getaway, but even with younger tires than Verstappen during the home stretch, he couldn't quite close the gap enough to overtake the Red Bull.
Meanwhile, it was Piastri who suffered a slow stop in the pits, although he didn't lose any track position and, as it turned out, wasn't under threat from Leclerc at all.
McLaren will not interfere unless one driver takes the other out or Verstappen, now 63 points back of Piastri, puts a significant dent in the gap.
It's game on right now at McLaren, as Piastri can't rely on Norris playing nice or the team choosing favourites — unless he gives them a reason to.
HAS VERSTAPPEN TAMED THE BEAST?
Time might be running out for Verstappen to win a fifth consecutive drivers' championship, but Sunday's race marked his fourth consecutive trip to the podium.
Verstappen has been on a simply lovely roll since returning from the summer break by finishing second at his home race in Zandvoort and winning back-to-back races at Monza and Baku. He also spent his downtime from F1 by claiming his first GT3 victory on debut last weekend in the Nürburgring Endurance Series.
Verstappen is still experiencing some issues with his Red Bull, although thanks to their upgrades in recent weeks, it appears he has managed to keep the monster under control.
Considering Norris was 52 points back of Verstappen at this point last year, a 63-point gap might be too much for even the Dutch driver to overcome. But if anyone can do it, it's Verstappen.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"If you speak to me every lap, I will disconnect the radio." — Alonso after he was informed there were 34 laps remaining.
