Max Verstappen continued his dominant form by securing his first-ever victory at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday. Starting from pole position, the Red Bull driver maintained his lead throughout the race, marking his second consecutive win of the season following a successful weekend that included a sprint race victory. This performance marked a significant achievement for the Dutchman, who had previously characterized the Singapore round as an opportunity to resolve his unfinished business. Nearly lining up alongside the Dutchman heading into turn one, but the Red Bull driver veered to the left to shut the door on the Ferrari and retain his lead, leclerc reacted faster than polesitter Verstappen at the start. As the race progressed, Verstappen steadily pulled clear on soft tyres, with Red Bull urging him to manage their life as Ferrari threatened an undercut.
Reflecting on the race, Verstappen noted the tactical challenge of tyre management. While he admitted that the medium compound proved difficult for the entire grid to handle, he expressed satisfaction with the pace he was able to extract from the soft tyres when it mattered most. Despite encountering radio communication issues for the second time during the weekend—which forced his team to utilize a coded silence-based feedback system—Verstappen remained in control. He rejoined the race in the lead following his pit stop on lap 33, ultimately finishing nearly 15 seconds ahead of his closest challenger. “It’s taken a while but I think this race was very good. “But it worked out, so of course very happy to win here. The last two races have been really positive for us and it’s just great to see.”.
Charles Leclerc claimed second place for Ferrari after a strategic race, having overtaken Lewis Hamilton on lap 46 during a period of shuffled pit stops. The race saw intense strategy shifts triggered by the retirement of Lance Stroll, whose clutch failure induced a Virtual Safety Car period. This sequence proved particularly costly for George Russell, who had started from the back of the grid due to engine penalties; a mistimed stop during the VSC saw him drop to 10th place, eventually finishing ninth behind Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg.
Kimi Antonelli further solidified his championship campaign by finishing third, extending his lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell to 102 points. With this result, the Italian driver is now in a position to mathematically secure the drivers’ title during the upcoming round in Austin. Upon learning of his potential championship clinching status, a surprised Antonelli stated that he prefers to focus on delivering the best possible performance in the next race to complete the mission. Let’s try to do the best weekend as possible and finish the job.”.
The evening proved difficult for Lewis Hamilton, who struggled for pace on his medium tyres. Frustration was evident as he requested that Ferrari allow him to pass teammate Leclerc, arguing that he had superior speed. However, his pace eventually collapsed in the final stages of the race, leading to a slide down the order. On lap 54, a challenge from Lando Norris forced Hamilton wide, allowing Antonelli to move into fourth position. Shortly after, Antonelli overtook Hamilton for the final podium spot, and Oscar Piastri also managed to pass the Ferrari on the final lap, relegating Hamilton to sixth place. Hamilton’s struggles became apparent early as he lost pace on medium tyres in third place and Ferrari brought him in for softs before Leclerc pitted on lap 25 in a move timed to emerge ahead of his teammate.
Ferrari’s tactical approach saw Leclerc pit on lap 25, an attempt to stay ahead of his teammate, while Hamilton was brought in earlier for soft tyres to address his performance deficit. Despite this, the strategy chaos allowed Leclerc to capitalize and climb the standings. The competitive nature of the weekend underscored the evolving dynamics at the top of the field, with Verstappen’s command of the Marina Bay circuit proving decisive in his maiden win at the venue.
