Max Verstappen completed a flawless weekend sweep under the Marina Bay floodlights, converting pole position into a composed victory at the Singapore Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver controlled proceedings from the front to take the chequered flag 7.335 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli drove a mature race to round out the podium in third (+24.573s). McLaren banked valuable points with Lando Norris in fourth (+40.506s) and Oscar Piastri in fifth (+49.644s), demoting Lewis Hamilton to sixth after the Ferrari driver struggled on extended tyre life. Further back, Liam Lawson claimed a hard-fought seventh for RB, Nico Hulkenberg netted eighth for Audi, and George Russell and Isack Hadjar completed the top ten following tenacious recovery drives from the back of the grid.
How the Race Unfolded
Verstappen launched cleanly from pole, holding off an aggressive launch from Leclerc through Turn 1, while Hamilton defended third against Antonelli. The opening phase settled into a tactical rhythm until lap 7, when Gabriel Bortoleto pulled off circuit, triggering an early Virtual Safety Car intervention that disrupted initial tyre conservation plans across the field.
Once racing resumed, Verstappen stretched a manageable margin over Leclerc, pacing himself through the tight 19-turn layout. Mercedes and Ferrari split their operational plans across their garages: Antonelli and Leclerc shadowed each other closely, pitting on laps 23 and 24 respectively to swap softs for mediums, while Hamilton committed to an alternative schedule by shedding his starting mediums on lap 18 for a marathon final stint on softs.
A second VSC period in the middle third of the grand prix tightened the midfield and opened a window for second stops. Leclerc and Antonelli both bolted on fresh softs on laps 39 and 40, immediately finding blistering pace. While Leclerc chipped away at Verstappen’s lead, setting the race's best lap of 1:35.202, the Dutchman responded with steady 1:36.2s to keep the Ferrari comfortably at arm's length.
Behind the podium trio, Norris and Piastri utilized their fresher rubber to dispatch Hamilton, whose rear degradation worsened in the humid 30.3°C ambient conditions. Deeper in the pack, Russell sliced through traffic from 19th on the grid following his sprint DNF and grid penalties, while Hadjar—who started 22nd—performed a remarkable rearguard effort to secure 10th ahead of a lapped Pierre Gasly. Lance Stroll and Alexander Albon both failed to reach the flag, retiring late in the running.
Winners and Losers
Winners:
- Max Verstappen and Red Bull: A maximum 33-point Singapore haul across the sprint and the main race delivered back-to-back Grand Prix victories for Verstappen, reaffirming the RB22's sharp edge on street venues.
- Liam Lawson (P7): RB maximized track position from eighth on the grid, giving Lawson another clean, mistake-free drive into the top ten.
- Nico Hulkenberg (P8): Audi walked away with four valuable championship points thanks to Hulkenberg’s measured defense against Russell.
- George Russell & Isack Hadjar: Both drivers extracted every ounce of car performance from the bottom rows of the grid, turning P19 and P22 starts into ninth and tenth-place finishes.
Losers:
- Lewis Hamilton (P6): After qualifying third and finishing second in the sprint, Hamilton fell back three spots in the Grand Prix as his one-stop tyre life gave out against the McLarens.
- Pierre Gasly & Alpine: Starting seventh offered genuine top-eight hope, but Gasly tumbled out of the points into 11th, a full lap down.
- Williams: A double non-score, compounded by Carlos Sainz finishing 14th and Albon retiring on lap 59, left the Grove-based outfit empty-handed.
Strategy Review
Marina Bay’s high track temperatures (42.5°C) and two VSC phases created sharp strategic divergence:
- The Two-Stop Frontrunners: Leclerc and Antonelli ran synchronized Soft-Medium-Soft routines. Antonelli ran softs to lap 23, took mediums until lap 39, and finished on softs. Leclerc mirrored this on laps 24 and 40. This kept both drivers in the low-to-mid 1:35s in clear air.
- The Extended Stint Gamble: Hamilton pitted early on lap 18 to switch from mediums to softs. Asking the red-walled compound to survive 44 consecutive green-flag laps proved costly against McLaren’s fresher rubber.
- Hadjar’s Endurance Masterclass: Hadjar took an unconventional route from P22, swapping mediums for softs on lap 2 and nursing that single set across an astonishing 60 laps to clinch the final point.
What It Means for the Championship
Verstappen’s clean sweep in Singapore delivers a major shakeup in the battle for runner-up. By taking all 33 available weekend points, Verstappen jumps from fourth to second in the drivers' standings with 254 points, leapfrogging both Hamilton (244 pts) and Russell (240 pts). Leclerc is right on their heels at 239 points.
At the summit, Antonelli’s 20-point weekend total moves him to 360 points. With his cushion sitting at 106 points over Verstappen, the Mercedes driver remains in commanding control of the 2026 title fight as the flyaway leg continues.
To see how our predictive model evaluates driver form and track traits for upcoming rounds, check out our latest race predictions.
