Max finishes second in Singapore: 'More difficult than I hoped'

Published on 05 October 2025 by Misha van der Kroon

Max Verstappen finished second in the Singapore Grand Prix. The Dutchman was not happy with his RB21, but did manage to hold off Lando Norris in a tense final phase. George Russell delivered a commanding performance and took the victory. Lando Norris secured the final podium spot and celebrated double success as McLaren clinched the Constructors’ Championship. Oscar Piastri finished fourth, with Kimi Antonelli in P5, after an intense race that, remarkably, saw no retirements and no safety cars.

“The track only just got dry, and I started on the dirty side, so we wanted to try something different,” Max said after the race. “It was a gamble to go for the soft tyre. The problem was that we had very little grip at the start. So, we tried it, but it didn’t really work.” From there, it was a matter of survival, according to Max: “I was, of course, trying to keep those tyres alive. We had to switch to the hard tyre a bit earlier than planned, but the biggest issues were elsewhere. I had a lot of problems with downshifting and upshifting. The rear of the car was also very twitchy, so that made things difficult. The whole race was difficult, more difficult than I had hoped, for several reasons.”

During the race, Max made it clear over the radio that he was unhappy with several aspects of the car. He says he and the team will investigate what went wrong: “There are a few things we need to understand. But even if we’d had more pace, you still can’t pass here without anything crazy happening. For us, second place was the maximum result.” Max had a moment during the race when he ran wide in Turn 14. He explained: “The car kept pushing on during downshifts, so I had to make quite a few balance adjustments. Downshifting pushed the car forward, but at the same time, I had oversteer from the balance. So it was very tricky to control. That’s why I locked up once. After that, it was just about surviving and trying to hold on to second place.”

On Friday and Saturday, Max was positive about the car. When asked if today’s result surprised him, he said: “Of course, we didn’t do a proper long run, just like everyone else. But over the weekend, we had to make a few changes to the car. I think those turned out to be negative for the race. There just wasn’t any more in it today. I tried to make the best of it. It’s getting better, but still not good enough.”

As always, it's hot and humid in Singapore: 29 degrees in the air and 33 degrees on the asphalt. Many drivers decide to wear cooling vests to cope with the heat. Those who don’t, like Max Verstappen, must carry 500 grams of ballast in the car. Up until half an hour before the start, rain had fallen on the Marina Bay Street Circuit, but by race time the track has mostly dried, with only a few damp patches remaining. Max starts from P2 alongside George Russell. The entire top seven begins on medium tyres, except for Max, who opts for the soft compound.

Russell gets away cleanly at the start, immediately building a gap. There’s some contact between the two McLarens, as Lando Norris damages his front wing in an attempt to overtake teammate Oscar Piastri, much to Piastri’s frustration. Neither McLaren nor the stewards take further action. Meanwhile, Russell sprints away at the front, with Max unable to follow. Norris also loses touch with the Red Bull ahead. Max reports over the radio that his downshifts are not working properly. McLaren tries to apply pressure by hinting at an undercut for Norris, but ultimately keeps him out, a move Red Bull Racing does not fall for, keeping Max on track as well.

Russell looks untouchable in Singapore. By lap 20, the Brit has built a ten-second gap to Max. The Dutchman dives into the pits for a fresh set of hard tyres and rejoins in P7, just ahead of Fernando Alonso. With a clear track and eight seconds to Lewis Hamilton, Max begins to push forward. His pace is solid, though his radio messages remain frustrated, claiming that everything is working against him, referring to his car.

After his stop, Max is quicker than Russell and clocks several fastest laps. When Russell pits, he rejoins in P3, four seconds ahead of Max. Following the McLarens’ stops, Russell regains the lead. Both Alonso and Piastri lose valuable time due to very slow pit stops. In this phase of the race, Max is faster than Russell and starts closing the gap. The McLarens of Norris and Piastri run similar lap times but fail to make real progress.

Max’s hard work is partly undone when he locks up into Turn 14, narrowly avoiding the wall. The gap to Russell increases to five seconds, while Norris quickly closes in, just 1.5 seconds behind. A small mistake from Norris gives Max some breathing room again. Verstappen asks his team for support, reporting that the rear brakes feel like a handbrake and that the balance is terrible.

Nico Hülkenberg briefly brings out a yellow flag after spinning under braking, but the German avoids the barriers and continues without damage. Meanwhile, Norris is right on Max’s tail again as Russell pulls further away. Piastri also finds his rhythm and closes in on his teammate. Lap after lap, Norris remains within DRS range of Verstappen, but doesn’t manage to overtake the Dutchman.

Lewis Hamilton also shows strong pace in the closing stages after making a second pit stop for soft tyres, climbing back into the top five. His luck runs out quickly as he loses his brakes, allowing Antonelli and Leclerc to move past. Max spends the final laps defending from Norris but holds firm, and Verstappen finishes second. Russell takes a dominant win, with Norris completing the podium. It’s double celebration for McLaren, as they also secure the Constructors’ Championship in Singapore.

Results Grand Prix Singapore: