Max Verstappen took his maiden Singapore Grand Prix victory ahead of Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli in a hazy Sunday night showdown on the streets of Singapore.
The victory came on Verstappen’s 250th Grand Prix start, while Antonelli strengthened his grip on the Drivers’ Championship and Lewis Hamilton could only manage sixth after Ferrari’s decision to keep him out during a Virtual Safety Car period left him nursing his soft tyres for 43 laps.
The 62-lap race at Marina Bay Street Circuit delivered a strategic battle under the lights, with Verstappen converting pole position into victory while Ferrari’s gamble with Hamilton’s tyres failed to pay off.
Verstappen finally conquers Marina Bay.
Verstappen’s victory marks his first Singapore Grand Prix win, adding a victory on one of Formula 1’s most demanding street circuits to his list of career achievements.
The Red Bull driver started from pole after edging Leclerc by just 0.054 seconds in qualifying. He then controlled Sunday’s race to cross the finish line in first place, 7.3 seconds ahead of the Ferrari driver.
Leclerc finished second, his fourth podium of the year, while Antonelli claimed the final podium position for Mercedes, crossing the line nearly 25 seconds behind the winner.
The result capped a strong weekend for Verstappen, who had also won Saturday’s rain-affected Sprint. It was a clean sweep of the weekend’s two races, with the Dutchman demonstrating his pace in both wet and dry conditions.
The victory was a long time coming. Verstappen secured his maiden Singapore Grand Prix win on his 10th attempt, having previously recorded four podium finishes at Marina Bay, including consecutive second-place finishes in 2024 and 2025.
Hamilton’s strategy gamble loses out.
Hamilton apologised after the race for making some of the strategy calls that led to him tumbling down the order in the closing stages of the race due to worn tyres.
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