Verstappen powers to first Singapore Grand Prix victory after pole and Sprint win at Marina Bay
Max Verstappen has claimed his maiden win at the Marina Bay Circuit, converting pole position into a commanding victory in the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc second after a late charge.
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Verstappen breaks his Singapore duck
Max Verstappen has finally conquered Marina Bay. The Red Bull Racing driver crossed the line to win the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, sealing what F1's official coverage described as his second Grand Prix win on the bounce – and his first at the Singapore street circuit. He was also voted the event's Driver of the Day, with F1's official site characterising the win as dominant. 13
Pole position and a tense start
The weekend began strongly for the Dutchman. In qualifying on October 10, Verstappen claimed his first Grand Prix pole position of the year, with F1's official qualifying coverage recording him crossing the line to seal the top spot. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified second, and was left 'happy and not happy at the same time' after landing P2 in Q3, per F1's interview coverage, while Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton felt his team had the pace to be on pole. 1
That front-row battle came to life on race day. F1's official race coverage showed Leclerc launching hard from second on the grid to challenge polesitter Verstappen into the first turn, but the Dutchman held off the Ferrari attack to keep the lead. Leclerc later said he 'gave it all' to secure second place, according to the sport's post-race coverage. 13
A Sprint weekend of mixed fortunes
Singapore hosted a Sprint weekend, with F1 running qualifying, Sprint qualifying, the Sprint and the Grand Prix across Friday and Saturday. Verstappen took Sprint honours, though F1's coverage recorded him as unhappy with an 'awful' start despite the victory. It proved a chaotic race: F1's reporting described Mercedes' George Russell crashing, while McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collided – with Norris later saying of the last-lap contact, 'I went for it – I have the right to do that'. 13
Russell's Sprint crash left him at the back of the grid for the Grand Prix, but F1's coverage noted he was still eyeing points on Sunday from that starting position. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella addressed the Norris–Piastri clash in comments carried by the sport's official site, saying of the incident, 'It is serious'. 3
Championship picture after Singapore
Despite the marquee win, Verstappen remains on the back foot in the standings. F1's official championship table shows Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli leading on 340 points, with teammate George Russell second on 238 and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton third on 229. Verstappen sits fourth on 221 points, with Leclerc fifth on 215 and Norris sixth on 201 after the Singapore round. 3
The season began with Mercedes on top. George Russell won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, leading home Antonelli for a Mercedes 1-2, with Leclerc third, Hamilton fourth and Norris fifth, according to F1's official race results. At that round, Antonelli told F1's media, 'I think it's going to be a fun year'. 45
Singapore in context: a transformed season
The 2026 campaign is the first under the sport's sweeping new technical regulations, described by Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali at the sport's Honda partnership launch in Tokyo in January as the biggest overhaul in the sport's history, with updated chassis and power units running on advanced sustainable fuel. Honda returned to F1 this year as a works power unit supplier to the Aston Martin Aramco team, with its new RA626H power unit developed by Honda Racing Corporation, per Honda's own announcement. 2
The new regulations have brought change to the grid, with F1's coverage of the season opener noting Cadillac's first race finish and Audi's first Grand Prix points finish in Melbourne. Verstappen said after the Australian round that Red Bull would 'work as a team to try and close that gap' to Mercedes and Ferrari, per F1's interview coverage, and his two consecutive Grand Prix wins since, culminating in Singapore, show the leading teams remain closely matched. 5
Driver market and calendar notes
Away from the track, F1's official coverage reports that Racing Bulls will make a driver decision 'in the coming weeks', an update to watch as the driver market develops. Separately, Formula 1 has revealed the calendar for the 2027 season, with the sport's site also detailing what is new with the F1 Sprint next year. 3
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