George Russell wins F1's Singapore GP as McLaren secures constructors' title

SINGAPORE (AP) — McLaren was crowned Formula 1's top team at the Singapore Grand Prix on a tricky day for all three of the main contenders for the drivers' title.

George Russell won the race in dominant style Sunday as McLaren secured the Formula 1 constructors’ championship with six races to go.

Russell stayed in control from pole position to take his and Mercedes' second win of the year ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who held off Lando Norris for second place despite struggling with car problems.

Verstappen may have got the better of the two McLaren drivers, but it was little help to his title defense, since he didn't make significant inroads into their large points advantage.

Norris said it was “a shame” to spend much of the race staring at the back of Verstappen's car, while standings leader Oscar Piastri was aggrieved over Norris colliding with him as he overtook at the start.

“We don’t really know where this performance came from,” admitted Russell, who said he'd expected Mercedes to struggle on Singapore's tight, twisty street circuit.

It was a personal milestone for Russell, who crashed on the last lap while fighting for the podium places in Singapore in 2023.

“It feels amazing, especially after what happened a couple of years ago. It was a bit of a missed opportunity, but we more than made up for it today," he said.

Norris banged wheels with his McLaren teammate Piastri, who finished fourth, as he overtook at the start. Piastri complained to the team over the radio about Norris' driving.

“Are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way?” the Australian asked.

"I had a small correction but nothing more than that. It was good racing," Norris said after the race.

Norris cut into Piastri’s standings lead for the third race in a row. The Australian now leads Norris by 22 points, with Verstappen 41 further back.

Piastri finished outside the top three in back-to-back races for the first time since the Australian Grand Prix in March.

Russell’s teammate Kimi Antonelli recovered to finish fifth after a poor start. Lewis Hamilton was closing on the Italian near the end when the brakes on the seven-time champion’s Ferrari failed.

Leclerc in the other Ferrari then passed Hamilton for sixth. The British driver only just held onto seventh in his ailing car ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, but lost the place anyway after getting a five-second penalty for going off-track while struggling with his brake problem.

That lifted Alonso to seventh and dropped Hamilton to eighth, while Oliver Bearman was ninth for Haas and Carlos Sainz, Jr. took a point in 10th despite having to start near the back of the grid for a technical infringement.

It was the first F1 race to be officially declared a “heat hazard” by the governing body, the FIA, under new rules that came in this season.

The heat and humidity in Singapore have long been a challenge for drivers, who were required to have cooling equipment fitted in their cars. Some, like Verstappen, chose not to wear the associated cooling vest.

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Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain powers his car during the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain kisses his trophy as he celebrates after winning the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain leads the field after the start during the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during the qualifying for the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

TOKYO (AP) — Japan was assessing damage Tuesday and cautioning people of potential aftershocks after a late-night 7.5 magnitude earthquake caused injuries, light damage and a tsunami in Pacific coastal communities.

At least 33 people were injured, one seriously, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Most of them were hit by falling objects, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters an emergency task force was formed to urgently assess damage. “We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can,” she said.

At a parliamentary session Tuesday, Takaichi pledged the government would continue its utmost effort and reminded people they have to protect their own lives.

The 7.5 magnitude quake struck around 11:15 p.m. in the Pacific Ocean, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main Honshu island. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 7.6 magnitude and said it occurred 44 kilometers (27 miles) below the surface.

A tsunami of up to 70 centimeters (2 feet, 4 inches) was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, just south of Aomori, and waves up to 50 centimeters struck other communities in the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. NHK reported the waves damaged some oyster rafts.

The agency lifted all tsunami advisories by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said about 800 homes were without electricity and Shinkansen bullet trains and some local lines were suspended in parts of the region in the early hours of Tuesday. East Japan Railway said it is aiming to resume bullet trains in the region later Tuesday.

Power was mostly restored by Tuesday morning, according to the Tohoku Electric Power Co.

About 480 residents sheltered at Hachinohe Air Base and 18 defense helicopters were mobilized for a damage assessment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.

About 200 passengers were stranded for the night at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, NHK reported. Part of a domestic terminal building was unusable Tuesday after parts of its ceiling cracked and fell to the floor, according to the airport operator.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said about 450 liters (118 gallons) of water spilled from a spent fuel cooling area at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, but that its water level remained within the normal range and there was no safety concern. No abnormalities were found at other nuclear power plants and spent fuel storage facilities, the NRA said.

JMA cautioned about possible aftershocks in the coming days. It said there is a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level quake and possible tsunami occurring along Japan's northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido. The agency urged residents in 182 municipalities in the area to monitor their emergency preparedness in the coming week, reminding them that the caution is not a prediction of a big one.

Monday's quake occurred just north of the coastal region where the magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011 killed nearly 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

“You need to prepare, assuming that a disaster like that could happen again," JMA official Satoshi Harada said.

Smaller aftershocks were continuing Tuesday. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 6.6 and later a 5.1 quake in the hours after the initial temblor.

People cover the broken glasses with a blue sheet at a beauty salon in Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, following a powerful earthquake on late Monday. (Kazuki Kozaki/Kyodo News via AP)

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo after a strong earthquake struck northeastern Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)

Evacuees get ready to return home as a tsunami advosory has been lifted in Hidaka town, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, following a powerful earthquake on late Monday. (Kyodo News via AP)

Papers are scattered on the floor at an office in Hakodate, Hokkaido, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, following a powerful earthquake on late Monday. (Kyodo News via AP)

A man clears the debris from a powerful earthquake at a commercial facility in Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Ren Onuma/Kyodo News via AP)

This aerial photo shows a vehicle sitting on a damaged road in Tohoku town, Aomori prefecture, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, following a powerful earthquake on late Monday. (Kyodo News via AP)