Max Verstappen secured his maiden Singapore Grand Prix victory with a commanding performance that saw him lead every lap of the race, despite being hampered by a radio malfunction that prevented communication with his team throughout the event. The Red Bull driver's second consecutive win came on his 250th Grand Prix start and marked his 73rd career victory, cementing his status as the dominant force in the championship battle.
Verstappen's control of the race was evident from the opening moments. Pole-sitter Verstappen had expressed pre-race concerns about Red Bull's poor starting record in 2026, but he executed a masterclass at the first corner when Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari made a strong initial getaway and nearly drew fully alongside him into Turn 1. The Dutchman smartly pinched the Ferrari driver and secured a better angle to sweep around the outside, crucially retaining first place.
In the early stages, Ferrari appeared to possess competitive pace as Leclerc consistently remained within one second of Verstappen during the opening 15 laps. However, Verstappen was carefully managing his tyre degradation and gradually began to extend his advantage as the first stint progressed. By the time Leclerc pitted on lap 25, Verstappen had built a nine-second cushion.
The substantial lead Verstappen had constructed allowed him to pit on lap 33 and still emerge in front. When a Virtual Safety Car was deployed following Gabriel Bortoleto's Audi stopping near the pit-lane exit—the car later caught fire, and the pit-lane entry was briefly closed—on lap 39, Leclerc pitted for fresh soft tyres but remained unable to close the 17-second deficit to Verstappen. The Red Bull driver crossed the line to secure victory.
Leclerc finished second, 7.335 seconds behind Verstappen, while Kimi Antonelli capitalised on late-race chaos to claim third place. The Mercedes driver took advantage of an intense battle between Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris late in the race, with Hamilton struggling on degraded soft tyres in the closing stages.
The last few races have been really positive for us. It's just great to see and we have a lot of motivation in the team to deliver even more results. It's a really good group of people, I really enjoy working with them, and hopefully we can have a bit more fun to the end of the year.said Verstappen after the race.
Antonelli's third-place finish extended his championship lead over George Russell to 102 points, positioning him to potentially clinch the world title at the next race in Austin on October 23-25, should he outscore Russell by 23 points and Hamilton by 14 points.
Hamilton's strategy gamble backfires
The dominant narrative of the Singapore Grand Prix centred on a bold strategic decision by Hamilton that unravelled completely, with the British driver taking responsibility for the miscalculation immediately after the chequered flag.
Hamilton was the only front-runner to start the race on medium tyres, a choice that appeared inferior to the soft compound selected by Verstappen, Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris and Piastri. Running in third, Hamilton became the first of the leading contenders to pit on lap 19, switching to soft tyres in an attempt to gain an early advantage on fresh rubber.
He produced some impressive lap times on the new compound but found himself trapped behind Leclerc after the Monegasque driver completed his own pit stop and switched to medium tyres. Believing he was being held up, Hamilton faced a critical decision when the Virtual Safety Car appeared for Bortoleto's stoppage. Ferrari instructed him to pit and execute a double stack behind Leclerc, but Hamilton opted to remain on track.
Sorry boys. I let you down today with that strategy. My call, and I lost us valuable points. I'll try and make up for it in the next one.Hamilton said on the radio after crossing the line.
This decision left him exposed for the remainder of the race on ageing soft tyres. Leclerc swiftly caught and overtook him, but Hamilton's troubles were only beginning. Norris and Antonelli were closing at a rapid rate, and although Hamilton believed he could hold position given the notorious difficulty of overtaking at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, his defences crumbled.
In a desperate attempt to keep Norris behind, Hamilton got his elbows out against the McLaren driver and cut the first chicane during their battle for third position. This manoeuvre enabled Antonelli to move into fourth ahead of Norris, before the Mercedes driver also passed Hamilton a lap later. Norris eventually got through as well, and Oscar Piastri—who was forced to pit for a second time due to a slow puncture—also overtook the Ferrari driver.
Hamilton's sixth-place finish will prove massively frustrating for Ferrari, who had harboured hopes of challenging Verstappen for victory. Russell recovered to ninth after starting 19th due to grid penalties for a new power unit, with overtaking proving extremely difficult throughout the 62-lap race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Points and retirements
Norris finished fourth ahead of his McLaren team-mate Piastri in fifth. Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson secured seventh place with another strong result, while Audi's Nico Hulkenberg claimed eighth. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar progressed from the pit lane to score points in tenth.
Four drivers failed to see the chequered flag. Gabriel Bortoleto's Audi, Lance Stroll's Aston Martin, Franco Colapinto's Alpine and Alex Albon's Williams all retired with reliability issues. No full Safety Cars were required during the race, though the Virtual Safety Car period proved decisive in shaping the final outcome.
What happens next
Formula 1 now heads to The Americas for another triple-header, with the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas scheduled for October 23–25, with the race on Sunday, October 25. The race will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available through NOW without requiring a contract.
