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Kimi Antonelli avoided a five-second penalty at the Singapore Grand Prix after the FIA ruled that his fourth track-limits infringement, at Turn 7, was caused by braking problems and did not give him an advantage. Under Formula 1 rules, a fourth track-limits violation normally brings a five-second penalty. Antonelli had earlier been flagged for deletions at Turn 2 twice and Turn 19 once, and Mercedes successfully challenged one of his laps, leading stewards to revoke that lap deletion.

Antonelli said the final off at Turn 7 happened when he went to brake and “nothing happened.” He said Mercedes had brake issues and no reliable temperature data, which made the car difficult to control. He was repeatedly warned over the radio about track limits before the FIA cleared him of the usual sanction.

Antonelli finished third, and a standard five-second penalty would not have dropped him behind fourth-placed Lando Norris, who finished 15.9 seconds back. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the situation stressed the team, called Antonelli’s race management “mature and good,” and later joked that he was pushing the limits too much despite avoiding punishment.

Fernando Alonso voiced frustration with Aston Martin-Honda’s engine and energy deployment problems after the Singapore Grand Prix, saying the issues cost him track position and pace as he finished 16th. Alonso started from the pit lane after an engine component change and the fitting of new power unit parts, and he had already been slowed by traffic in Q2 during qualifying. On team radio, he said, “Haha. Energy. It’s so ridiculous this engine.”

Alonso said Aston Martin struggled with understeer and repeated energy deployment problems, with the setbacks proving especially costly after Virtual Safety Car periods. During one restart, Isack Hadjar passed him as the field resumed, and Alonso said the deployment issues cost him positions. He was also passed by two cars during a Virtual Safety Car restart.

Both Aston Martin cars started from the pit lane after work was done under parc fermé conditions, but Lance Stroll retired with a clutch issue, leaving Alonso as the team’s only finisher. Alonso said Aston Martin-Honda had scored points in Malaysia earlier in the triple-header, and he had scored all seven of Aston Martin’s points in Formula 1 in 2026. Aston Martin remained 10th in the constructors’ standings, five points behind Williams.

Red Bull’s recent run has put the reigning champions back at the center of the Formula 1 title conversation, with Max Verstappen winning the Singapore Grand Prix and Saturday’s sprint race after also taking the Bahrain Grand Prix the previous weekend. George Russell said Red Bull is now “the team to beat” and praised its form over the last three races on very different tracks, while Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called Red Bull’s development impressive and said next year would be a “full-on fight” between the teams.

Red Bull’s pace has been helped by its Baku upgrade, which made the RB22 quicker and more predictable. Verstappen said the car has become more drivable and predictable as Red Bull has found more performance.

Mercedes is still trying to unlock its own upgrade package after introducing it for the W17 in Malaysia. Kimi Antonelli said the team is still working to understand how to extract its full potential, describing the car’s operating window as very narrow and highly sensitive to driving style and setup, and said Mercedes may be missing some of the gains shown in simulations. Both Mercedes drivers said the upcoming United States Grand Prix in Austin should give the team a better chance to find the right setup and realize the upgrade’s potential.

George Russell described his Singapore Grand Prix weekend as “the story of the season” after a run of setbacks that started with a crash in Saturday’s wet Sprint and ended with a ninth-place finish after he had started 19th on the grid at Marina Bay. Russell’s Mercedes was rebuilt in time for evening qualifying, and he recovered to qualify sixth, while teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli was fourth.

Russell’s grid slot was then dropped to the back of the field because of a penalty for new power-unit components after his retirement in Malaysia. He said he made good progress in the first stint, but a Virtual Safety Car ending just as he entered the pit lane cost him time, and he was unable to pass Nico Hülkenberg in the fight for eighth place.

Toto Wolff said Russell’s mistake was unusual, and said the damp track and power delivery made conditions difficult. Wolff added that the rushed repair likely meant some sensors were missing and the car did not feel as good as it had before the crash. He said Mercedes needed more race data before fully trusting its upgrade package, and Russell said the team must understand why its recent updates have not stopped Red Bull from setting the pace. Russell also said another engine-related penalty could come later in the season, possibly in Las Vegas.

Mercedes mechanics found a problem in Kimi Antonelli’s front brake assembly just before the formation lap at the Singapore Grand Prix, then rushed a repair at Marina Bay that had to last the full 62-lap race. Mercedes said the brake scare came from heat soak in the brakes after a sensor issue on the reconnaissance lap.

Antonelli said he felt he had “not brakes” after a Virtual Safety Car pit stop on lap 40, and said that when he went to brake at Turn 7, “nothing happened.” He said Mercedes had brake issues and no reliable brake temperature data, which made the car difficult to control. He managed by lifting and coasting and easing pressure on the pedal.

Antonelli was repeatedly warned over the radio about track limits and recorded four violations, which normally would have brought a five-second penalty. Mercedes challenged one of his laps, and the stewards revoked that lap deletion, leaving him without a sanction. Antonelli recovered enough to finish third after Lando Norris ran deep and he overtook Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari.