Carfuffle 2025 - October #1

A Singapore Sauna of Surprises.*

Sunday in Singapore saw the Heat Hazard warning for the first time in a long time. Temperatures off-track, and especially on-track were considered high enough to warrant the use of cooling devices if requested and ballast for cars whose drivers did not want to use the vests.

The mighty McLaren cars faltered once again having forsaken a lot of the dominance they had shown through most of the year. Not exactly a failing as such, but an indication of how frequently competing teams are able to catch up and match the fastest on the grid. Not an easy car to drive now; so much like the woes that held RedBull back for so long.

So a third and fourth were all they could manage, possibly enough to keep the nipping Verstappen at bay for a little longer while more than sufficient to guarantee back-to-back team championships.

Congrats to the breakfast favourites. Papaya rules!!

The lone Bull once again unleashed another round of serious challenges, but with only 6 more rounds left, chipping away at this rate makes a fifth championship seem beyond even his reach.

The Mercs were unleashed with an unexplainable burst of consistent speed in even those hot conditions. A well deserved win and 5th place to boot. Second in the team's championship seems a lot more secure than before.

Then the unstoppable crimson devils proved even more so when the Ham got docked 5 seconds for too much corner cutting. 

The brakes were done he complained while the Charlesmobile was nowhere close to previous years. 

With retirement looming, the Green Giant keeps punching above his weight, while his teammate keeps… strolling. Alonso — you either love him or hate him — but the GOATs are still bleating.

Among the newer names, fortunes were mixed. On a circuit new to many, some shone while others slid from hero to zero. Bearman rubbed salt in Ocon’s wounds; Sainz rediscovered consistency as Albon lost grip on his. Hadjar — Red Bull’s future hope — fared only slightly better than last week’s Racing Bull darling Liam, who crashed twice and disappointed more.

The butterfly effect seems to have abandoned the green Stakes, leaving them perilously close to the flailing French.

All in all a hot sticky and tricky race where most must have been glad to see the chequered flag and plunge into well deserved ice baths.

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