Max Verstappen has finally conquered Singapore, completing a perfect weekend at Marina Bay with victory ahead of Charles Leclerc and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Red Bull driver controlled the race to claim his 73rd Formula 1 win, while Antonelli’s third place means the Mercedes driver will have his first opportunity to clinch the 2026 world championship at the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Verstappen’s triumph completed an extraordinary Singapore weekend consisting of Sprint pole, Sprint victory, Grand Prix pole and victory in Sunday’s race. Charles Leclerc returned Ferrari to the podium in second, while Lewis Hamilton finished only sixth after missing the opportunity to pit during the second Virtual Safety Car. George Russell recovered to ninth from the back of the grid, leaving Antonelli with an even stronger position in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship.
Max Verstappen finally wins the Singapore Grand Prix
Max Verstappen had never previously won at Marina Bay, but the four-time world champion ended that unwanted statistic in emphatic fashion. He was the benchmark throughout the weekend, delivering exceptional qualifying pace before managing both of his race stints with authority.
The victory was made even more impressive by the fact that the Red Bull driver completed the race without working radio communication because of a malfunction.
It was the 73rd victory of Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 career and another major sign of Red Bull’s recent recovery with the RB22. A car that had previously appeared unable to match the leading teams has now won twice in two consecutive weekends, equalling Ferrari’s total number of victories this season in that short period.
The nature of the Singapore circuit makes that progress particularly significant. Power-unit performance is less decisive at Marina Bay than at many other tracks, suggesting that Red Bull’s improvement is no longer confined to one specific strength and that the overall RB22 package is now working effectively.
Verstappen controls Leclerc after decisive Turn 1
Max Verstappen’s principal task at the start was keeping Charles Leclerc behind. The Dutchman made good use of a fresh set of Soft tyres and produced an aggressive braking manoeuvre into Turn 1 to retain the lead.
From that point onwards, his race became largely an exercise in tyre management and controlling the gap. His pace remained beyond the reach of his rivals, allowing him to complete the weekend with the Singapore victory that had previously been missing from his career record.
Charles Leclerc returns Ferrari to the podium
Charles Leclerc upheld Ferrari’s challenge with second place after an aggressive race in which he remained Verstappen’s closest rival.
The Ferrari driver produced strong stints on the Soft compound, although his period on the Medium tyres proved more complicated than expected. Even so, second place ended a run of five consecutive Grands Prix without a podium for Ferrari.
The result therefore carries two different messages for Maranello. Returning to the podium represents an important positive, but Singapore was also considered one of Ferrari’s strongest remaining opportunities to secure its third victory of the season.
The characteristics of the Marina Bay Street Circuit appeared well suited to Ferrari’s strengths, making Verstappen’s ability to beat the SF-26 particularly significant.
Hamilton loses double Ferrari podium chance during Virtual Safety Car
Lewis Hamilton had an opportunity to give Ferrari a double podium but lost ground by remaining on track during the second Virtual Safety Car, triggered by Lance Stroll’s retirement on lap 39.
Hamilton chose not to pit and stayed out on his Soft tyres. That decision proved costly as Charles Leclerc, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri all passed him in succession.
The seven-time world champion eventually finished sixth, turning what had been an opportunity for two Ferraris on the podium into a more disappointing result.
Antonelli takes third and earns first 2026 F1 title match point
Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed the podium despite struggling with the heat for much of the race and accumulating several track-limit infringements.
One of the defining moments of his drive came when he passed Lando Norris. The McLaren driver was focused on attacking Lewis Hamilton, allowing Antonelli to recognise the opportunity and make his move.
The Mercedes driver did not possess the same race pace as Verstappen, but third place was more than enough to strengthen his already commanding championship position.
Combined with George Russell’s ninth-place finish, the result means Andrea Kimi Antonelli will have his first mathematical opportunity to secure the world championship in two weeks at Austin. His advantage has continued to grow after previously reaching 81 points over Russell, and Singapore has moved the title fight another significant step towards the Italian.
Norris misses possible podium as McLaren finishes fourth and fifth
Lando Norris was left to regret an error late in the race when he became focused on attacking Lewis Hamilton. Andrea Kimi Antonelli took advantage of the situation and effectively removed Norris from a realistic podium opportunity.
Norris eventually finished fourth ahead of Oscar Piastri in fifth, leaving McLaren as the fourth-fastest force over the Singapore weekend.
The MCL40 had been expected to perform more strongly at Marina Bay, but a combination of mistakes and insufficient performance prevented either McLaren driver from fighting for the most important positions.
George Russell recovers only to ninth
George Russell completed his recovery drive in ninth place, but the result represents another significant blow to his championship hopes.
The Mercedes driver struggled badly during his final stint on Soft tyres and became stuck towards the lower end of the top 10. With Andrea Kimi Antonelli finishing third, the championship leader will now arrive at Austin with his first opportunity to secure the title.
The latest result further underlines how quickly the championship balance has shifted despite Mercedes having produced one of the strongest cars of the season. Earlier in 2026, the dominance of the Mercedes W17 had been central to the championship picture, but the intra-team battle has increasingly moved in Antonelli’s favour.
Lawson delivers seventh as Hülkenberg impresses for Audi
Behind Lewis Hamilton in sixth, Liam Lawson produced another excellent result for Racing Bulls with seventh place. The New Zealander collected valuable points in the team’s fight for fifth in the constructors’ championship.
Nico Hülkenberg also completed an impressive weekend for Audi by scoring points in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix. The German produced another strong performance at a circuit where power-unit performance is less decisive and successfully kept George Russell behind him for 15 laps.
Isack Hadjar completed the top 10 after passing Pierre Gasly in the closing kilometres of the race. Gasly finished 11th, leaving Alpine without points despite a competitive Sunday drive.
Haas, Williams and Aston Martin miss out on points
Haas had impressed during Saturday’s Sprint but was unable to reproduce that performance in the Grand Prix. Oliver Bearman finished 12th, directly ahead of team-mate Esteban Ocon, although more than 20 seconds separated the pair at the chequered flag.
Carlos Sainz brought the only Williams to the finish in 14th, while Arvid Lindblad could manage only 15th.
Fernando Alonso had expected more from Aston Martin at a circuit where engine performance was not the overriding factor. Instead, the team struggled and Alonso finished 16th, ahead only of the two Cadillacs. Sergio Pérez finished ahead of Valtteri Bottas by a substantial margin.
Bortoleto, Colapinto and Stroll retire in Singapore
While Nico Hülkenberg secured another strong points finish for Audi, Gabriel Bortoleto’s race ended almost immediately after a gearbox failure on lap eight prevented the Brazilian from mounting any recovery.
Franco Colapinto also retired early, dropping out on lap three for Alpine.
Lance Stroll’s retirement came much later on lap 39 and triggered the second Virtual Safety Car, the moment that ultimately played a major role in Lewis Hamilton’s race strategy.
It completed a disappointing weekend for Aston Martin. On paper, the AMR26 appeared capable of fighting towards the lower end of the points, but neither driver achieved that target.
Verstappen wins, but Antonelli closes in on the championship
Singapore ultimately belonged to Max Verstappen. Pole positions for both races and victories in both races completed a faultless weekend and finally gave him a first Marina Bay Grand Prix triumph.
But the championship story increasingly belongs to Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Third place, combined with another difficult result for George Russell, means the Mercedes driver will head to Austin with the first opportunity to turn his extraordinary 2026 campaign into a Formula 1 world championship.
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