Max dominantly wins Singapore Grand Prix: 'It has taken a while'

Published on 11 October 2026 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen has won the Singapore Grand Prix for the first time in his career! Max led the race from start to finish, securing his 73rd Formula 1 victory in dominant fashion. The win has moved him up to fourth place in the World Championship, leaving him just eight points behind third place.

After the Singapore Grand Prix, Max Verstappen said: “It has taken a while. I think this race was very good. We had the pace when we needed it, both on the softs and the mediums. Although I think the mediums were a bit more of a struggle for everyone. It worked, so I am very happy to win here.”

Finally, Max reflected on the positive results of the last few races. “I think the last few races have been very positive for us. That is great to see. There is a lot of motivation within the team to try and achieve even more results. It is a really good group of people, and I enjoy working with them. So hopefully we can have a bit more fun through to the end of the year,” the delighted winner concluded.

Max Verstappen starts from pole position at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. On a brand-new set of soft tyres, he lines up alongside Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who starts on a used set of softs. When the lights go out, Leclerc gets the better start, but Max defends strongly to retain the lead. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (both McLaren) follow in that order. Leclerc stays close to Max during the opening stages, but he does not have the pace to take the lead.

The first incident of the race occurs on lap 8. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) stops and has to pull his car off the track. He manages to stop in a safe place, so only a virtual safety car is required. Once Bortoleto’s car has been removed, Max begins to pull away from Leclerc lap after lap. By lap 20, Max has a 5.5-second lead over the second-placed driver.

The pit stops begin on lap 19. Hamilton is the only driver in the top six to have started on the medium tyres, but he lacks pace on that compound. The Briton pits and switches to softs, dropping to P7 behind Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls). He quickly passes Lawson again, allowing him to begin chasing the leaders. Antonelli and Leclerc follow on laps 24 and 25 respectively. Both switch to medium tyres, with Antonelli rejoining behind Hamilton and Leclerc ahead of him.

Meanwhile, Max continues to extend his lead over the drivers behind him. On lap 33, the four-time world champion finally pits and switches to the mediums. The Oracle Red Bull Racing pit crew delivers a good stop of 2.2 seconds. Max retains the lead when he rejoins the track. After the pit stops, he leads Leclerc by five seconds, with Hamilton, Antonelli and Norris behind them.

On lap 40, another virtual safety car is deployed. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) retires, triggering the VSC. Leclerc and Antonelli take the opportunity to pit for soft tyres. Antonelli drops to P5, while Leclerc rejoins in P3. The Monegasque then begins chasing Max and Hamilton. The Briton’s tyres begin to give up, and Leclerc soon passes him, allowing him to set his sights on the race leader. Max has to contend with a half-broken team radio. He can hear messages from the team, but they cannot understand a word he says in reply.

Leclerc closes the gap a little further, but Max does an excellent job of managing his advantage. Behind them, things get messy in the closing stages. Hamilton, Antonelli and Norris battle for third place. The Ferrari driver fights to hold his position on tyres that are past their best, but eventually loses ground. Norris finds himself stuck behind Hamilton at an unfortunate moment, allowing Antonelli to pass the reigning champion. Both Antonelli and Norris then get past Hamilton, with the Italian taking over P3. Hamilton eventually drops to P6 after being overtaken by Piastri.

Nevertheless, the spotlight belongs to Max Verstappen. After a perfect weekend featuring sprint pole, sprint victory and pole position for the Grand Prix, he now adds the race win. On his 250th Grand Prix appearance, Max claims his first-ever Singapore Grand Prix victory. He is also voted ‘Driver of the Day’ by the fans. Leclerc and Antonelli complete the podium. George Russell (Mercedes) and Isack Hadjar (Oracle Red Bull Racing) started further back but finish P9 and P10 respectively after impressive drives through the field.

Results Grand Prix Singapore: