Max Verstappen secured his first Singapore Grand Prix victory today, dominating the event from pole position. The Red Bull driver’s win marks his second of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari, with Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli completing the podium in third place.
The FIA confirmed no further action against Lewis Hamilton following an investigation into him going off track and gaining an advantage during the race. Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, ultimately finished sixth after a challenging strategic call.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur stated Hamilton missed the pit entry, which cost the team a potential podium finish. Hamilton later accepted responsibility for the strategy decision to remain on track under a Virtual Safety Car, a move he acknowledged lost valuable points.
Earlier in the weekend, Hamilton had reported Verstappen for passing him under yellow flags during sprint qualifying. While stewards determined Verstappen breached the yellow flag regulation, they opted not to impose a penalty, citing ‘significant closing speed differential’ and the need to avoid an ‘unsafe situation.’
The Singapore Grand Prix also saw a ‘dangerous’ incident on the opening lap, as Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad expressed concern over a move by Carlos Sainz. Lindblad stated over team radio, ‘That was quite dangerous what Sainz did. If I didn’t brake, all three crashed.’
McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were involved in a collision on the final lap of Saturday’s sprint race at Turn 5. The FIA stewards investigated the incident but decided to take no further action, concluding that both drivers contributed and neither was predominantly to blame.
McLaren CEO Andrea Stella addressed the intra-team contact, emphasizing that the team’s interests supersede any individual ego. He stated that such incidents are ‘simply not acceptable’ and would be discussed privately with the drivers.
Three drivers, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, and Isack Hadjar, were required to start the Grand Prix from the pit lane. Aston Martin made suspension setup changes to both Alonso’s and Stroll’s cars under parc fermé conditions. Alonso also utilized a sixth turbocharger, exceeding the permitted allocation.
Red Bull’s Hadjar also started from the pit lane after multiple power unit components were replaced on his car, including his eighth engine of the season. Aston Martin was additionally cited by the FIA for not covering their cars two hours after qualifying.
George Russell, who started 19th due to a cumulative 60-place grid penalty for exceeding power unit component allocations, recovered to finish ninth for Mercedes.
Max Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, joined him on the podium to collect the constructors’ trophy. Lambiase is scheduled to move to McLaren as Chief Racing Officer no later than 2028, with Red Bull already transitioning Tom Hart into the role of Verstappen’s race engineer for upcoming weekends.
Retirements during the race included Lance Stroll due to a suspected driveline issue, Franco Colapinto with a mechanical problem, and Gabriel Bortoleto after reporting a gearbox issue that led to his car catching fire.
Verstappen’s pit lane exit before the race also drew attention as he swerved across the white line to take Turn 1. However, the stewards did not note the incident, and no investigation was announced.
With his third-place finish, Kimi Antonelli extended his championship lead. He now holds 340 points, positioning him for a potential 2026 world title win at the next event, the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
The final top 10 classification for the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix is as follows: 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 4. Lando Norris (McLaren), 5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 7. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), 8. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), 9. George Russell (Mercedes), 10. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull).
