Max Verstappen secured his first career victory at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix on October 11, 2026, breaking a personal curse at the Marina Bay Street Circuit while Red Bull Racing teammates and rivals vied for critical championship points, motorsport-magazin.com reported.
Verstappen Breaks the Marina Bay Curse
After eight attempts, Max Verstappen finally stood on the top step of the podium in Singapore. The Red Bull driver navigated the demanding street circuit to claim his first victory at the venue. With this win, Verstappen needs only a victory in Madrid to complete a clean sweep, having now won on every other active circuit on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
Charles Leclerc brought his Ferrari home in second place, finishing 7.335 seconds behind the winner. The Ferrari driver admitted to conceding too early against Verstappen at the start of the race, effectively surrendering the lead and settling for second as his absolute maximum potential for the evening.
Antonelli Claims Vital Podium and Puts Hand on Title
Kimi Antonelli delivered a standout drive for Mercedes, capturing third place. Benefiting from a clear tyre advantage in the closing stages of the race, Antonelli sailed past Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton with relative ease.
That third-place finish places the young Mercedes driver in a prime position to potentially clinch the World Championship at the next race weekend in Austin. Meanwhile, the papaya-colored McLaren machines occupied positions four and five, with Lando Norris crossing ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri.
Strategic Pitfalls and Mid-Field Battles
Lewis Hamilton struggled with tyre degradation after making an early pit stop on just the nineteenth lap to switch to the red compound.
Liam Lawson earned “Best of the Rest” honors for Racing Bulls by taking seventh place, finishing two seconds ahead of Audi driver Nico Hülkenberg. Hülkenberg built on his seventh-place finish in the sprint to score points in both outings over the weekend.
George Russell spent much of the race trapped behind Hülkenberg’s Audi after his own pit stop. Despite being bottled up behind the resilient Audi defense, Russell salvaged two championship points after starting from nineteenth on the grid. Isack Hadjar rounded out the points-paying positions in tenth for Red Bull.
Singapore Grand Prix Final Classification
| Place | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Winner |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +7.335 |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +24.573 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +40.506 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +49.644 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +53.188 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +81.666 |
| 8 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | +83.386 |
| 9 | George Russell | Mercedes | +84.677 |
| 10 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +90.862 |
