Intriguing Formula One storylines emerge ahead of Singapore GP; Marcus Armstrong makes IndyCar switch

Lando Norris during practice at the Singapore GP. Photo / Getty Images

Formula One arrives in Singapore

While there is no news regarding New Zealander Liam Lawson and a definitive seat for 2025 at the time of going to press, this weekend’s race in Singapore will still have a bunch of intrigue.

Our cousins across the ditch will be keen to see Oscar Piastri continue to hassle and harangue not only Max Verstappen, but also his teammate Lando Norris — an interesting conundrum for McLaren chief executive Zak Brown.

With only seven races left, McLaren now lead Red Bull Racing in the constructor’s championship, but it’s the driver’s championship that’s hotting up. Verstappen may still have a 59-point buffer over Norris, but if his team don’t give him a car in which he can challenge for a win, he’ll be struggling as he did in Baku.

It won’t be ideal if Norris gets over the qualifying speed bump he had in Baku and starts on the front row. Singapore isn’t a track Red Bull has had recent success at, so they need to bring a few tweaks to the car to hold off the McLaren and Ferrari challenge.

Verstappen leads the championship on 313 points, followed by Norris (254), Charles Leclerc (235), Piastri (222) and Carlos Sainz (184).

Kiwi makes IndyCar switch

From the moment it was announced earlier this year that IndyCar team Chip Ganassi Racing was reducing its driver cohort from five to three, Kiwi Marcus Armstrong was always going to be in the headlights.

Armstrong won rookie of the year in 2023 despite not racing on any ovals and has delivered strong results in his first fulltime season with Ganassi. The IndyCar championship is one of the most closely fought top-level motorsport categories in the world.

This is abundantly evident this year alone, with seven different race winners during the season. Armstrong equipped himself well this year, picking up his first podium finish at Detroit and notching three top-five finishes.

“This year, I got closer to where I want to be performance-wise, including oval racing for the first time, and I’m looking forward to continuing to push up the order,” said Armstrong, who finished 14th in the championship for 2024.

While the 24-year-old may not be racing under the Chip Ganassi flag in 2025, he will still have a relationship with the multi-championship-winning team and home to fellow New Zealander Scott Dixon.

His new home is Meyer Shank Racing (MSR), who will have a technical tie-up with Chip Ganassi Racing starting in 2025. Armstrong, who replaces David Malukas, will be joining ex-Ganassi racer Felix Rosenqvist in the No 66 Honda-engined car.

“I’m very proud to be joining Meyer Shank Racing in 2025. I had a great feeling when I met both Mike Shank and Jim Meyer, their passion for performance and meticulous work ethic was obvious from our first conversation and I want to thank them both for this opportunity,” Armstrong said.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone at MSR over the off-season, with the goal of hitting the ground running at the first race of the season in St Pete. We want to be at the front, fighting for wins, and I believe we have the recipe to do it.”

MSR are in their ninth season racing IndyCar and have qualified inside the top six 15 times and finished 10 times in the top 10. Co-owner Shank is confident the addition of Armstrong will move the team into a position to produce consistent results next season.

“We’re very excited to welcome Marcus onboard,” said Shank “He’s really shown a lot of growth and consistency in his first two years in IndyCar, which is really difficult to do.

“This series is probably one of the most competitive series out there, and he has proven himself to be a real contender. We are going to do everything we can to give him the car and the tools to produce results next year.”