Singapore GP diary: Horner knocks on Haas’ door, McLaren reshuffle, FIA heat alert and a pitlane shake-up
Singapore’s night race usually cranks the drama up a few notches. This year, the headlines got there first.
Christian Horner has sounded out Haas about a potential role, team boss Ayao Komatsu has confirmed. The former Red Bull team principal has been out since July after his dismissal and, unsurprisingly, is exploring routes back onto the pit wall. Whether Haas is that door remains to be seen, but the approach alone tells you Horner is not done with Formula 1. For Haas, it’s a fascinating flirtation: a team in a rebuilding phase being courted by one of the most decorated operators of the turbo-hybrid era. Expect denials, deflections, and a lot of paddock side-eye as Marina Bay gets up to speed.
Over at McLaren, there’s movement in the junior ranks. Irish prospect Alex Dunne has split with the team’s Driver Development Programme with immediate effect. He’s already being linked elsewhere on the grid, and the rumor mill is pointing towards a switch that could put him on a very different ladder. McLaren’s academy strategy has been brisk and unsentimental in recent years; this fits the pattern, even if the timing just before Singapore raises an eyebrow.
The biggest immediate talking point, though, is the heat. The FIA has issued its first-ever heat hazard warning for a Grand Prix weekend, with Singapore’s heat index forecast north of 31°C. Drivers now have a formal choice: run a cooling vest in the cockpit or add extra ballast to the car to offset thermal risk. It’s the first time we’ve seen the policy activated, and it lands at the most physically brutal race on the calendar. Teams will be poring over the numbers — a kilo or two in ballast is a painful price to pay in qualifying trim, but late-race fade in these conditions can be just as costly. Expect fitness coaches to earn their money this week, and for engineers to take a more conservative view on cooling margins, brake ducts, and fluid management. This is round 18 of the season, fatigue is real, and Marina Bay does not forgive.
There’s more boardroom heat, too. The McLaren versus Alex Palou case opened in London, where CEO Zak Brown was accused of “deceiving” the IndyCar star over the prospect of an F1 race seat. McLaren is seeking damages after Palou walked away from an agreement to join the team in 2023. It’s a $20 million dispute that lays bare the sharp edges of F1’s talent market — multi-series contracts, opaque pathways, and promises that are only as strong as the signatures under them. As ever, allegations are just that until the court decides, but the testimony could make for uncomfortable reading across a paddock that trades heavily on trust and timing.
And in a late procedural tweak with real-world consequences, the FIA has removed team access to calibrated weighing scales in the pitlane from this weekend onward. That’s not nothing. Those scales have been a handy reference for build checks and correlation work; losing them nudges teams back toward their own equipment and the scrutineering weighbridge. It’s a small rulebook line with the potential to complicate run plans, especially in the frantic throes of practice when setup swings meet parc fermé paranoia. Watch for tighter choreography and fewer last-minute checks on out-laps.
All told, it’s a spicy start to Singapore: a heavyweight name shopping for a comeback, a junior programme reshuffle, a fresh FIA posture on heat and equipment, and a courtroom saga humming in the background. Even by Marina Bay’s standards, that’s quite a grid of storylines before the lights go out.
