Max Verstappen finally conquers Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit, securing his 73rd Formula 1 victory after dominating the Sprint and Grand Prix weekend.
For a driver who has conquered almost everything Formula 1 has thrown at him, the Singapore Grand Prix has remained a particularly stubborn exception for Max Verstappen.
But, tonight he finally claimed his maiden Singapore Grand Prix victory on Sunday, completing a remarkable clean sweep of the 2026 race weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
The four-time World Champion had already secured pole position and victory in Singapore’s inaugural Sprint race, before adding another pole position for Sunday’s main event.
In his 250th Grand Prix start, Verstappen delivered the finishing touch. Starting from the 50th pole position of his career, the 29-year-old Dutchman led all 62 laps to finish 7.335 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli completing the podium.
It marked Verstappen’s 73rd Formula 1 victory, moving him into fourth place in the Drivers’ World Championship.
A Long-Awaited Victory
The opening lap would prove crucial. Verstappen held off Leclerc into Turn 1, maintaining the advantage he had worked so hard to secure during qualifying. From there, the Red Bull driver gradually established a comfortable lead, building a four-second advantage by quarter-distance.
By the halfway point, that margin had grown to almost 20 seconds following the opening round of pit stops. A Virtual Safety Car period shortly afterwards introduced some strategic uncertainty, with teams adopting different approaches to tyre selection and pit stops. But while the chasing pack shuffled its strategies, Verstappen remained firmly in control.
“It’s taken a while,” Verstappen admitted after the race. “But I think this race was very good! We’re very happy to win here.”
Leclerc, meanwhile, pushed hard in pursuit, setting the fastest lap of 1 minute 35.202 seconds on lap 41. “We did a slightly different strategy to Max with the Safety Car,” the Ferrari driver explained. “I pushed a lot at the beginning of that last stint. I gave it my all and I don’t regret anything.”
Antonelli Impresses As Ferrari’s Strategy Falters
While Verstappen enjoyed a relatively uneventful afternoon at the front, the battle behind him was considerably more entertaining.
Lewis Hamilton initially appeared set for a two-stop strategy, only to change his approach as the race progressed. The decision ultimately compromised his pace, prompting the seven-time World Champion to apologise to his Ferrari team over the radio. “I let you down with my strategy. It was my call, and I cost you valuable points. I’ll try and make up for it in the next one.”
Antonelli, meanwhile, produced one of the race’s standout moments on lap 54. The 20-year-old Italian capitalised on a battle between Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris, overtaking both drivers to secure third place.
His afternoon was not entirely without controversy, however, as a fourth track-limits infringement earned him a five-second penalty. Fortunately for the Mercedes driver, his advantage over fourth-placed Norris was sufficient to retain his podium finish. “It was a very tough race out there,” Antonelli said. “I managed to take advantage of the fight of Lando and Lewis to make the move on both.”
Despite Marina Bay’s reputation for punishing mistakes, only three of the 22 starters retired from the race. Gabriel Bortoleto suffered gearbox problems in his Audi, Franco Colapinto retired with a driveline issue, while Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin succumbed to clutch failure.
A Weekend Of Firsts
Verstappen’s victory makes him the ninth different winner of the Singapore Grand Prix, ending a lengthy wait for success at one of Formula 1’s most demanding circuits.
More importantly, it underlines Red Bull’s improving competitiveness as the championship enters its remaining rounds.
Having secured both pole positions and victories across the Sprint and Grand Prix, Verstappen leaves Singapore with maximum satisfaction and renewed momentum.
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