Verstappen claims maiden Singapore Grand Prix win as Verstappen dominates Marina Bay

Verstappen finally conquers Marina Bay

Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix in commanding fashion, leading throughout the 62-lap encounter to claim his first-ever victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on his 250th Grand Prix start, according to Formula1.com's race report. The Red Bull driver defended his position from Charles Leclerc into the first corner, built a significant gap at the front and enjoyed a smooth mid-race stop, switching from soft to medium tyres without losing the lead. ¹

Red Bull Racing's own race report described it as a lights-to-flag maiden win, noting that Verstappen had previously scored four podiums at Marina Bay without winning. His Red Bull team reported a 2.2-second pit stop on lap 32, and the Dutchman set the fastest lap on lap 7 as he eased clear of Leclerc. Verstappen's radio failed during the race, forcing the team to communicate through pit boards. ⁴

"It's taken a while, but I think this race was very good," Verstappen said after the race, per Formula1.com. "We had pace when we needed to have it on the soft tyre and on the medium, even though I think the medium tyre for everyone was a bit more of a struggle. It worked out, so of course I'm very happy to win here." It was his 73rd career win and his second of the 2026 season, adding to a dramatic rain-affected Sprint victory the day before. ¹⁴

Leclerc second as Hamilton's one-stop gamble unravels

Leclerc crossed the line 7.335 seconds behind the winner, with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli completing the podium in third, Formula1.com reported. Lewis Hamilton, the only front-runner to start on the medium tyre, gambled on a one-stop strategy that ultimately failed. Ferrari's team reactions, published by Formula1.com, explained that Hamilton missed the pit entry when the team called both cars in under the late Virtual Safety Car, and the seven-time World Champion later admitted staying out was his own decision. ¹³

Leclerc passed his team mate on lap 46 with fresher rubber, while Hamilton faded badly in the closing stages, losing places to Antonelli, Lando Norris and finally Oscar Piastri on the penultimate lap. "A painful lesson today, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made," Hamilton said in the team reactions reported by Formula1.com, apologising to Ferrari for the points lost. ¹³

Antonelli's podium extends his championship lead

Antonelli took third after pitting under the second Virtual Safety Car for fresh soft tyres, sacrificing track position to Norris before capitalising on the McLaren's battle with Hamilton to pass both cars in the closing laps, according to Formula1.com's race report. The result extended the Mercedes driver's championship lead to 102 points, meaning he can clinch the title at the next round, per the team reactions published by Formula1.com. ¹³

Mercedes noted in its team reactions that the weekend had been spent evaluating an update package against the previous specification, with Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin saying the data gathered showed encouraging signs in both qualifying and race conditions once the car was closer to its operating window. George Russell, starting 19th after an engine penalty, climbed to ninth in a recovery drive that stalled behind Nico Hulkenberg. ³

McLaren takes fourth and fifth after eventful races

McLaren's own race report described a hard-fought evening in which both cars gained a place on their starting positions, with Norris fourth from fifth and Piastri fifth from sixth. The team explained that the pair extended their opening soft-tyre stints hoping for a Safety Car, but the lap 39 Virtual Safety Car instead gave Leclerc and Antonelli cheap stops, and Piastri was then forced into an unscheduled second stop on lap 41 with a slow puncture on his front right tyre. ²

Norris initially offered to drop back and hold up Hamilton to help his team mate, but McLaren's strategists saw Piastri had the pace to close the gap unaided, and the Australian made the pass on the penultimate lap, per McLaren's report. Norris managed a developing sensor failure in the final laps to bring his MCL40 home. "Today's P4 was the best we could achieve, and I'm pleased we maximised the result," Norris said in McLaren's report, adding that the team was clearly the fourth-fastest at the moment and that Red Bull had taken a big step. Team Principal Andrea Stella said the result reflected the car's current performance level and pointed to upcoming updates. ²

Difficult night for the Williams drivers

Alex Albon was classified 18th for Williams despite retiring in the closing stages, while team mate Carlos Sainz finished 14th and a lap down, Formula1.com reported. Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson took seventh ahead of Hulkenberg, with Russell and a recovering Isack Hadjar completing the top 10 after starting from the back of the grid and the pit lane respectively. ¹⁴

Dive Bomb reported that Sainz jumped three places at the start and ran as high as 10th early on, but a battery problem cost him the chance of points. "Unfortunately we had some issues with the battery which very quickly we lost a couple of positions to the Haas," Sainz told Dive Bomb, adding that the points opportunity disappeared once Russell and Hadjar began working through the field. ⁵

Sainz told Dive Bomb the triple header had been a strong personal run, with the lighter FW48 helping Williams reach Q2 more often since Baku, but that on tracks with downforce sensitivity the team lacked the race pace to score. "We need some help from the others," he said. Dive Bomb reported that Williams sit ninth in the constructors' standings on 12 points, ahead of only Aston Martin and Cadillac. ⁵