In hot and humid Singapore, Max Verstappen again demonstrated why he is the most sought-after driver on the F1 grid and one of the greatest ever, as he claimed pole positions for both the Sprint race and the Grand Prix and proceeded to convert them into clearcut victories.

George Russell’s power unit failed late in last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, when running third behind Verstappen and his Mercedes teammate, Kimi Antonelli, meant that he would have to start from the back of the grid for the Singapore Grand Prix. The penalty was because the new replacement power unit he required exceeded the four that each driver is allowed for the whole season, a rule designed to limit costs and encourage manufacturers to make their engines more reliable. Mercedes had been hoping the engine that failed in Sepang would last until the Texas round later this month, but it failed. Of course, the Singapore grid penalty further undermined Russell’s hopes of beating Antonelli to the 2026 Drivers’ World Title, having arrived in Singapore already 84 points adrift.

Lando Norris was relieved to have received just a reprimand from the stewards and not a grid penalty for Singapore after being found guilty of erratic driving by the stewards in Malaysia. Norris had narrowly avoided a high-speed impact with the rear of his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, after cars ahead of him had slowed on the main straight because of the retirement of Russell’s Mercedes and the reigning champion had failed to recognise the situation quickly enough, braking far too late and having to head over the kerbs and into the gravel to avoid a major accident.

Mercedes had introduced numerous upgrades to its cars in Malaysia, but it proved to be uncertain just how beneficial they had been. Therefore, for Marina Bay the team opted for a split strategy, with Russell running his car without the upgrades, while Antonelli continued to grapple with their impact. With Singapore being a Sprint weekend, there was only a single free practice session on Friday, and Russell topped the timing screens, although Verstappen was comfortably the quickest driver on medium rubber. Qualifying for the Sprint race followed, although early software issues regarding power availability and the timing of the cars interrupted its progress. When the action resumed, Verstappen added another pole position to his CV, with Russell the next fastest.

It felt like déjà vu when the start of the Sprint was delayed by heavy rain, but when the race eventually got underway, Russell made a great start and sprinted past Verstappen into an immediate lead. However, he threw it all away at the end of the opening lap after running wide onto a wet white line and crashed into retirement. After a five-lap Safety Car intervention, racing resumed, and Verstappen gradually edged clear of the chasing Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, with this order remaining to the chequered flag. Piastri and Norris had looked set to finish fourth and fifth for McLaren until an overly ambitious last-lap manoeuvre by the latter dropped him to eighth and forced his teammate to retire. Russell’s early exit and a fourth-place finish for Antonelli increased the Italian’s lead in the Drivers’ title chase to 89 points ahead of the following day’s Grand Prix, with the nine retirements in the Sprint setting a new record.

A better Ferrari strategy helped Charles Leclerc finish the Grand Prix in second place

With overtaking opportunities being so limited around the Singapore track, qualifying well for the main event was crucial, and it was Verstappen who claimed back-to-back Grand Prix pole positions and his first in Singapore, with Leclerc, Hamilton and Antonelli the best of the rest. The formation lap prior to the start of the night race began at precisely eight pm local time (one pm back in the UK), and, when those famous red lights had been extinguished, it was Verstappen who held off the Ferraris for an early lead which he was never to relinquish.

On lap eight, a suspected gearbox failure for Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi caused a temporary Virtual Safety Car period, after which Verstappen continued to keep Leclerc and Hamilton behind him. With track position being king in Singapore, the team strategists were cautious about the timing of pitstops, but on lap 19 Ferrari led the way by bringing Hamilton in for soft tyres, suggesting he might be on a two-stop plan. Gradually all the other leading contenders pitted too, although for Verstappen and Norris it wasn’t until lap 32.

A further Virtual Safety Car intervention followed a clutch failure for Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, during which Ferrari pitted Leclerc for a second time, but not Hamilton, who seemed to prefer to stay out on his existing tyres. This left the multiple champion running second, but his strategy failed to work as he was gradually caught and passed by Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris and Piastri and reached the chequered flag only sixth after starting third. It felt like another poor day at the office for the Ferrari strategists and one of its drivers.

So, the podium trio comprised of Verstappen, Leclerc and Antonelli, while Russell fought his way from the back of the grid to a ninth-place finish. This extended Antonelli’s lead over Russell in the Drivers’ Championship to a mighty 102 points, with six races remaining, and Mercedes remained comfortably ahead in the Constructors’ rankings.

After three rounds on consecutive weekends, which has put a real strain on not only the drivers but also all other travelling team personnel, there’s now a little breathing space before heading to Texas for the United States Grand Prix in a fortnight’s time.



2026 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix
1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1hr42m0.785s
2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +7.335s
3 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +24.573s
4 Lando Norris (McLaren) +40.506s
5 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +49.644s
6 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +53.188s
7 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1m21.666s
8 Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) +1m23.386s
9 George Russell (Mercedes) +1m24.677s
10 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +1m30.862s
11 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) Lapped
12 Oliver Bearman (Haas) Lapped
13 Esteban Ocon (Haas) Lapped
14 Carlos Sainz (Williams) Lapped
15 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) Lapped
16 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) Lapped
17 Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) Lapped
18 Alex Albon (Williams) Lapped
19 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) Lapped
20 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Retired
21 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) Retired
22 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) Retired

2026 Formula 1 Singapore Sprint
1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 39m48.162s
2 Lewis Hamilton 2.591
3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +16.871s
4 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +17.238s
5 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +20.632s
6 Oliver Bearman (Haas) +24.321s
7 Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) +27.525s
8 Lando Norris (McLaren) +28.272s
9 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +36.220s
10 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +37.640s
11 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)+50.464s
12 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +52.467s
13 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +55.792s
14 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) Retired
15 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) Retired
16 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) Retired
17 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) Retired
18 Alex Albon (Williams) Retired
19 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) Retired
20 Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) Retired
21 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Retired
22 George Russell (Mercedes) Retired


2026 Drivers’ Championship
1 Kimi Antonelli 340
2 George Russell 238
3 Lewis Hamilton 229

2026 Constructors’ Championship
1 Mercedes 578
2 Ferrari 444
3 McLaren 339