MARINA BAY, Singapore — Max Verstappen extended his impressive run of form in the 2026 Formula 1 season by winning the Singapore Grand Prix, securing his first victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and the 73rd of his career.
The Red Bull driver dominated all 62 laps under Singapore’s demanding heat and humidity. He defended his pole position against Charles Leclerc at the start before building a sufficient advantage to control his rivals’ strategies.
Leclerc finished second, 7.3 seconds behind, while Kimi Antonelli completed the podium for Mercedes and extended his lead in the championship standings. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Lewis Hamilton crossed the line sixth after a strategy that compromised his result.
Verstappen entered the race having won Saturday’s Sprint and secured his first pole position at Marina Bay. He started on soft tires, while Hamilton, third on the grid, opted for mediums.
Leclerc made a strong start, but Verstappen closed the racing line into the first corner and retained the lead. The Ferrari driver remained close during the opening laps, getting within 0.6 seconds, although the Red Bull began extending its advantage from Lap 7 onward.
George Russell, penalized for an engine change, started 19th and began a recovery drive that would eventually take him into the points. Isack Hadjar started from the pit lane and also gained positions.
The first interruption came when Gabriel Bortoleto stopped his Audi with a gearbox problem. The incident triggered a Virtual Safety Car, followed by a fire that briefly forced the closure of the pit lane entrance.
Ferrari began evaluating alternative strategies as Leclerc warned about tire wear. Hamilton was the first of the leading drivers to pit, switching from mediums to softs on Lap 19. He rejoined in seventh and quickly recovered ground.
Antonelli made his first stop on Lap 24, while Leclerc pitted one lap later and emerged fourth, just ahead of Hamilton. Verstappen maintained his pace and, when he stopped on Lap 33 to switch from softs to mediums, retained the lead without difficulty.
Norris and Piastri also made their pit stops, although the Australian lost time in the pits. The race was increasingly favoring Verstappen, who already held a 17.9-second advantage over Norris on Lap 28, although the McLaren drivers had yet to change tires.
Lance Stroll stopped his Aston Martin with an apparent clutch problem, triggering another Virtual Safety Car. Leclerc and Antonelli took advantage of the neutralization to make their second stops, while Russell pitted as the period was ending and gained less of an advantage.
Leclerc emerged third, behind Hamilton, while Antonelli moved into fifth. The Mercedes driver, however, began reporting problems with his brakes and the handling of his car. Piastri was also forced to stop because of a slow puncture and returned to the track in sixth.
On fresher tires, Leclerc overtook Hamilton on Lap 46 to reclaim second place, although he was already around 15 seconds behind Verstappen. The Dutchman remained in control despite some radio communication problems with his team.
During the closing laps, Hamilton began losing performance. Norris attempted to overtake him, and the Ferrari driver ran wide while defending his position. Antonelli capitalized on the situation, passing Norris first and then Hamilton at Turn 16 to move into third.
Norris also overtook Hamilton, with Piastri doing the same shortly afterward. Ferrari’s one-stop strategy left Hamilton without sufficient pace in the final stages, dropping him from podium contention to sixth place.
Russell completed his recovery drive by overtaking Pierre Gasly and moving into ninth. Hadjar, who had started from the pit lane, claimed the final points-paying position.
Verstappen crossed the finish line unchallenged to secure his first victory in Singapore, the 73rd of his Formula 1 career and an especially significant triumph coming in his 250th Grand Prix appearance.
Leclerc finished second and Antonelli completed the podium, extending his championship advantage. Norris took fourth ahead of Piastri, while Hamilton finished sixth.
Liam Lawson finished seventh, Nico Hülkenberg eighth, Russell ninth and Hadjar tenth. Among the retirements were Stroll, Franco Colapinto and Bortoleto, all due to mechanical problems.
The victory completed a perfect weekend for Red Bull, which also won the Sprint and secured pole position. Formula 1 will now take a weekend off before resuming the season with the United States Grand Prix, scheduled for October 23–25.
Read the original article in Spanish here.
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