Max Verstappen gained his maiden race on the Marina Bay Road Circuit after a dominant lights-to-flag efficiency on the System 1 Singapore Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen took his first Singapore GP win after main the whole lot of the 62-lap race.
Charles Leclerc took the chequered flag behind the Crimson Bull driver, adopted by championship chief Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who benefitted from a late-race scrap between Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris to increase his championship lead.
How the race unfolded
Verstappen bought off to a greater begin from pole than Saturday’s Dash race because the 5 lights went out for the Singapore GP. Behind him, Leclerc matched the Crimson Bull driver however was squeezed into the primary chicane.
Hamilton, on the yellow-walled Medium tyres, held on to 3rd regardless of Antonelli’s try to drive across the outdoors of the Ferrari. The McLarens of Norris and Piastri stored line astern to spherical off the highest 5.
Pierre Gasly misplaced two locations at the beginning, dropping right down to ninth because the likes of Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg bought themselves into seventh and eighth, respectively.
Carlos Sainz held the ultimate factors place, because the battling Haas duo of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman stored the followers in attendance entertained with a spirited multi-lap scrap.
George Russell, ranging from nineteenth, was already as much as seventeenth by the top of the primary lap.
Three laps into the 62-lap race, Leclerc stored his SF-26 pinned to the gearbox of Verstappen- although whether or not it was an absence of tempo for the RB22 or the four-time World Champion managing his tyres was nonetheless to be seen.
Hamilton and Antonelli had been proper within the combine for the lead of the race, too; the highest 4 separated by just below three seconds.
Russell bought himself previous the Williams of Alex Albon, into Flip 1, and as much as fifteenth on Lap 5. In the meantime, Bearman bought his elbows out and muscled previous Sainz and into the highest 10.
Leclerc and Verstappen stored buying and selling quickest laps, and on Lap 6, he was as shut as three-tenths of a second to the Dutchman. That stated, Verstappen stored his RB22 as huge as attainable, holding himself within the lead.
The longer this battle went on, the higher for Crimson Bull as Leclerc ran the chance of disintegrating his Mushy tyres within the soiled wake of Verstappen.
Gearbox points hit Gabriel Bortoleto on Lap 8 because the Brazilian racing driver was compelled to park his Audi up proper on the pit exit, triggering the VSC. However because the marshals rapidly pulled the stricken Audi again into the pits, the VSC was referred to as off halfway via the ninth lap.
Hamilton misplaced out on the restart, falling three seconds off the leaders.
Verstappen lastly began pushing from the lead, as on Lap 12, he bought outdoors the one-second overtake zone of Leclerc for the primary time.
Additional down the grid, after a lot effort, Russell lastly bought previous the Williams of Sainz and into twelfth.
In the meantime, Verstappen had prolonged his lead over Leclerc to over two seconds by Lap 14. His pit wall suggested him to maintain leaning on the Mushy tyres to construct out a spot. Verstappen complied, posting the brand new quickest lap of the race on Lap 15.
And as Crimson Bull began displaying its true tempo on the entrance, the battle for third grew to become a four-car scrap. Hamilton led Antonelli by just below a second, adopted by Norris and Piastri.
Hamilton had began to wrestle together with his tyres on Lap 17 as he complained of getting “no tempo” and no rear tyres. This compelled Ferrari to start out contemplating a change in technique.
In the meantime, McLaren began considering an undercut with Norris.
Ferrari compelled into technique reshuffle at Marina Bay
Hamilton dove into the pits on Lap 19, bolting on a set of Mushy tyres, and popping out in seventh. His team-mate, by Lap 20, was greater than 5 seconds off the tempo of the race chief, Verstappen.
Leclerc was lapping seventh-tenths a lap slower than the Crimson Bull driver, with a pit cease imminent for the Monegasque. The Ferraris weren’t trying too good for tyre put on on the scorching tarmac of the Marina Bay Road Circuit.
On Lap 24, Mercedes pulled the set off with Antonelli. The Italian fitted the Medium tyres and got here out behind the Ferrari of Hamilton.
In the meantime, McLaren, seeing the Ferrari committing to a possible two-stopper, went for a “goal plus 15” message to Norris, basically reverting him, and presumably his team-mate Oscar Piastri, to a confirmed one-stop technique.
Leclerc got here into the pits on the next lap for a set of Mediums, and simply forward of his team-mate in fourth.
However by Lap 27, it was clear that the Monegasque was struggling on the Mediums, simply as Hamilton had finished on his first stint.
Hamilton, now on most well-liked Mushy rubber, got here onto his crew radio comms to provoke crew orders. Leclerc was requested to select up the tempo, and he did, posting the quickest lap of the race on Lap 28.
Midway via the race, Verstappen led the Singapore GP by a whopping 20 seconds to Norris, adopted by Piastri, Leclerc and Hamilton. Antonelli was in sixth, with Lawson, Hulkenberg, Bearman and Russell rounding off the highest 10.
Verstappen survives late-race scare to win at Singapore
Colapinto spluttered to a cease out on monitor on Lap 31 however was in a position to park up his stricken A526 safely. In the meantime, Russell was as much as eighth, albeit but to make a pit cease.
Verstappen got here in for his solely pit cease on Lap 33, bolting on a set of brand-new Mediums. Verstappen retained his lead as Oscar Piastri took P2 from Norris, who had additionally made his pit cease.
The Australian made his cease on the following lap, slotting in behind Norris on the pit exit. With the highest six now having all made their necessary pit stops, Verstappen led Leclerc, adopted by Hamilton, Antonelli, Norris and Piastri.
By Lap 38, Verstappen had eked out a five-second hole to Leclerc. However as Stroll locked up after which got here to a cease out on monitor with a reported clutch concern, the VSC was referred to as once more.
The VSC prompted Leclerc to chunk the bullet and are available in for his second cease of the race. Antonelli adopted the Ferrari driver into the pits, too. Each drivers opted for the Mediums.
Russell additionally got here into the pits, however no sooner did he hit his marks than the VSC got here to an finish. The Briton rejoined the race in tenth. His team-mate alternatively, began affected by brake points. “I’ve no f***ing brakes! I simply went straight [on],” he reported.
Piastri got here into the pit lane on Lap 42 with a suspected gradual puncture, rejoining the monitor in sixth. With 19 laps to go, Verstappen led Hamilton, adopted by Leclerc, Norris and Antonelli.
In the meantime, Hamilton wished to increase his stint and finish the race on a one-stopper. However both means, Hamilton discovered himself between a rock and a tough place: whether or not he pitted once more or not, each Leclerc and Norris had been taking chunks out of his benefit lap after lap.
Leclerc bought previous Hamilton and into P2 at Flip 7 on Lap 46. Norris was now simply six seconds off the second Ferrari with 16 laps to go.
Russell secured ninth after a spirited battle with the Alpine of Gasly on Lap 48. The Audi of Hulkenberg and the Racing Bulls of Lawson had been up subsequent for the Mercedes driver.
In the meantime, Antonelli was proven the black-and-white flag for monitor limits. Another infringement, and a five-second time penalty was on the way in which for the present championship chief.
With 10 laps to go, Verstappen out of the blue misplaced over a second to Leclerc as he went huge on the last nook. The hole between the 2 drivers was now down to only beneath 10 seconds.
Crimson Bull got here onto the crew radio comms to debate a attainable late-race cease to cowl Leclerc. However with static points for Verstappen, Gianpiero Lambiase needed to improvise to get a solution from his driver. “When you don’t thoughts pitting behind Leclerc, don’t say something,” the Italian urged.
Simply down the order, nevertheless, Norris was proper on the gearbox of Hamilton for the ultimate podium place.
The McLaren driver made his transfer on Hamilton on Lap 54, however Hamilton’s staunch defence compromised Norris popping out of Flip 3. Hamilton ran straight off the highway, and Antonelli bought the MCL40 of the 2025 F1 World Champion and into fourth. Antonelli then bought himself into P3 at Flip 16.
Norris bought himself previous Hamilton on the following lap into Flip 10.
Seven laps to go, and Leclerc had reduce Verstappen’s benefit to 9 seconds. No matter was shedding lap time for the four-time F1 Champion had seemingly stabilised.
Antonelli was once more reminded of the upcoming time penalty for monitor limits with 4 laps to go.
Isack Hadjar accomplished his restoration drive from the pit lane and into the factors on Lap 59 with a modern transfer on Gasly.
On the chequered flag, Verstappen took his first-ever F1 win on the Marina Bay Road Circuit, making it back-to-back wins in 2026. Leclerc got here in second for Ferrari.
Antonelli took his 14th podium of the season, extending his championship lead by 102 factors heading into the US GP weekend in two weeks’ time.
READ MORE – F1 2026 Singapore GP – Race Outcomes