Max Verstappen claimed his first Singapore Grand Prix victory on Sunday, dominating the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. This win marked his 73rd career Grand Prix triumph and his second successive victory in the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The Red Bull driver completed a clean sweep of the Singapore weekend, securing pole position for both the sprint race and the main Grand Prix. He also won the sprint race on Saturday.
Verstappen led the 62-lap race from start to finish, crossing the line 7.335 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli completed the podium in third position.
Despite his dominant performance, Verstappen battled severe radio communication issues throughout the Grand Prix. This problem had affected him earlier in the weekend and has been a recurring difficulty for him this season.
His race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, resorted to coded messages and a non-verbal binary system to communicate with the driver. Verstappen would remain silent for agreement or key his mic for disagreement.
Verstappen also reported an issue with his car’s start, stating that ‘something wasn’t right at the start again.’ He narrowly defended his lead into Turn 1 from Leclerc.
Leclerc acknowledged Verstappen’s ‘difficult start’ and deployment issues in the initial laps. The Ferrari driver admitted he might have misread these as ‘one-offs’ and did not fully utilise his battery.
The victory in Singapore means the Marina Bay Street Circuit is no longer a venue where Verstappen had not won. The new-for-2026 Madrid track is now the sole circuit on the current calendar where he has yet to triumph.
This win, on his 250th Grand Prix start, follows Red Bull’s first victory of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The team’s recent performance indicates a resurgence in form.
In the Drivers’ Championship standings, Verstappen moved to fourth place with 221 points. He is now eight points behind Lewis Hamilton in third and 17 points adrift of George Russell in second.
Kimi Antonelli maintains a significant lead in the championship with 340 points. He could mathematically secure the 2026 world title at the upcoming United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Mercedes leads the Constructors’ Championship with 578 points, followed by Ferrari with 444 points. Red Bull is in fourth place with 332 points, seven points behind McLaren.
Lewis Hamilton, starting third, finished sixth after Ferrari’s strategy left him on older tyres following a mid-race safety car. George Russell recovered from a P19 start due to an engine penalty to finish ninth.
The top ten finishers at the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix were: Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Liam Lawson, Nico Hülkenberg, George Russell, and Isack Hadjar.
