Max Finally Masters Singapore

Max Verstappen finally conquered the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, completing a perfect weekend with his first victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit after winning the sprint race and securing pole position for both events.

The Red Bull driver crossed the finish line 7.335 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, while Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished third after 62 laps under the Singapore lights.

It was a long-awaited breakthrough for the four-time world champion, who had failed to win or claim pole position in nine previous appearances since making his Singapore debut with Toro Rosso in 2015.

“It has taken a while but I think this race was very good,” Verstappen said after celebrating victory in his 250th Grand Prix start.

“We had pace when we needed to have it on the soft tyre and the medium. So of course very happy to win here.”

The Dutchman’s triumph followed his victory in Malaysia a week earlier, giving him consecutive wins after a difficult start to 2026. His Malaysian success was his first of the season.

Verstappen said Red Bull’s recent improvement had lifted the team’s confidence heading into the remaining races.

“I think the last few races have been really positive for us, we have a lot of motivation in the team to try and deliver even more results,” he said.

McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished fourth and fifth, respectively, ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, whose decision to remain on worn tyres cost him a possible podium finish.

Liam Lawson placed seventh for Racing Bulls, followed by Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Mercedes driver George Russell, who recovered to ninth after starting from the back of the grid because of engine penalties.

Isack Hadjar, who started from the pit lane in the second Red Bull, completed the top 10.

Antonelli’s podium finish extended his championship advantage over Russell to 102 points.

“It was a very tough race out there, but really happy with a podium in the end,” the Mercedes driver said.

Verstappen faced an immediate challenge at the start when Leclerc reacted quickly from the grid. The Red Bull driver moved left to defend his lead into the opening corner.

Leclerc remained close during the early laps while Hamilton held off Antonelli behind them.

Hamilton was the only leading contender to start on medium tyres and became the first among them to pit, switching to soft rubber on lap 19.

Verstappen continued until lap 32 before making his stop. Once the leading six drivers had completed their initial pit stops, their positions remained unchanged.

The decisive moment came when Lance Stroll’s stranded Aston Martin triggered a virtual safety car.

Leclerc and Antonelli took advantage of the interruption to make their second stops, but Hamilton remained on the circuit despite instructions from Ferrari to pit.

That decision left the seven-time world champion defending his position on ageing tyres against rivals with fresher rubber.

Leclerc soon overtook his teammate to reclaim second place.

Norris attempted to pass Hamilton at the beginning of lap 55 but lost a position to Antonelli, who seized the opportunity before overtaking the Ferrari for third.

“I managed to take advantage of the fight with Lando and Lewis, and very happy with that,” Antonelli said.

Norris eventually passed Hamilton on the following lap, with Piastri also getting through as the Ferrari driver’s tyres continued to deteriorate.

Hamilton accepted responsibility for the strategy mistake over team radio.

“Sorry boys. I let you down today with that strategy,” he said.

“My call, and I lost us valuable points. I’ll try and make up for it in the next one.”

Leclerc acknowledged that Ferrari had little answer to Verstappen’s pace despite adopting a different strategy.

“We did a different strategy to Max, I gave it my all and I don’t regret anything. I don’t think there was much more to do today,” he said.</