Max Verstappen wins Singapore Grand Prix honours for the first time in his career, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 7.335 seconds under the Marina Bay lights on Sunday to complete a perfect weekend.
The Red Bull driver started from pole, won the sprint race, and led the field home after 62 laps. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli finished third, and his podium stretched his championship lead over team-mate George Russell to 102 points.
The win came on Verstappen’s 250th grand prix start. It also ended his longest wait for a victory at any circuit on the calendar. In nine previous visits since his Toro Rosso debut in 2015, he had never won in Singapore and had never started from pole there.
Verstappen wins Singapore Grand Prix at the 10th attempt
Verstappen arrived in Singapore saying the race was unfinished business after nine winless visits. He leaves with every box ticked. Pole position for the sprint and the main race, victory in both, and a controlled drive on Sunday night sealed the set.
Leclerc reacted fastest at the start and drew alongside into the first corner. Verstappen moved left to close the door and kept the lead. After that, the Ferrari stayed close for the opening laps but never found a way past.
Verstappen delayed his only stop until lap 32. Once the leading group had all pitted, the order at the front was unchanged, and he managed the gap to the flag.
The result is his second win in seven days. He won in Malaysia last weekend for his first victory of 2026, and Singapore now makes it back-to-back wins for Red Bull after a long lean spell.
Hamilton’s tyre call costs Ferrari a podium
Lewis Hamilton started third but finished sixth, and the lost places were his own doing. Hamilton was the only front-runner to start on the slower medium tyre, and he pitted first, on lap 19, for soft rubber.
Later, a virtual safety car period, triggered when Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin broke down, pulled Leclerc and Antonelli in for a second stop. Hamilton stayed out on worn tyres against his team’s call to pit. On fresh rubber, Leclerc passed him for second, and Antonelli picked him off for third after a brief fight with Lando Norris.
Norris and Oscar Piastri also passed the Ferrari late on, leaving Hamilton sixth. He apologised to his team on the radio after the race, accepting that the strategy call was his and that it had cost valuable points.
Leclerc said his car had been strong early before the tyres faded, and that a different strategy had been his only real option. Antonelli, meanwhile, learned after the race that he can settle the championship at the next round in Austin. The Italian has 14 podiums this season, and his lead over Russell now stands at 102 points.
Russell climbs from the back to ninth
Behind the top six, Liam Lawson finished seventh for RB, and Nico Hulkenberg took eighth for Audi. Russell, who had set the pace in Friday practice, started from the back of the grid because of engine penalties and recovered to ninth.
Isack Hadjar took the final point in the second Red Bull. He had started from the pit lane, which makes his 10th place another small recovery drive on a night when overtaking was scarce.
The weekend had already carried its own complications before the racing began, with haze restrictions hanging over the Singapore Grand Prix build-up. A track that resisted him for a decade finally gave way, and it gave way completely.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Singapore Grand Prix 2026?
Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix for Red Bull on Sunday, finishing 7.335 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Kimi Antonelli was third for Mercedes, and Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri took fourth and fifth for McLaren.
Why was this win special for Verstappen?
It was his first win and his first pole position in Singapore in 10 attempts going back to 2015. The race was also his 250th grand prix start, and it completed a perfect weekend in which he won the sprint race as well.
What happened to Lewis Hamilton in Singapore?
Hamilton started third but stayed out on worn tyres during a virtual safety car period, against his team’s call to pit. Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris and Piastri all passed him, and he finished sixth.
Can Kimi Antonelli win the championship in Austin?
Yes. His 102-point lead over George Russell means he can mathematically seal his first title at the next round in Austin. (Source: The Express Tribune)
