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Marina Bay: Verstappen takes everything, Antonelli sees the title
Sunday 11 October, Marina Bay, at night. Round seventeen of twenty-three, sixty-two laps of the most punishing street circuit on the calendar. Max Verstappen took sprint pole, the sprint, pole for the race and the race. Charles Leclerc finished second, Kimi Antonelli third, and the championship closed a little further.
Four starts, four wins
A sprint weekend gives you four chances to get it wrong. Verstappen took none of them: fastest in sprint qualifying, winner of the sprint, then pole for the race by 54 thousandths and victory after sixty-two laps. He defended the inside of turn one against Leclerc and never let go again.
It was his 250th Grand Prix start, and his first win in Singapore, the one big date still missing from his record. It is also his second in a row after Sepang last weekend.
His pieces are gathered in the Max Verstappen collection, and the whole grid in the Formula 1 range.
Marina Bay runs at night, under floodlights, over 4.940 km of closed streets. It is the circuit where drivers sweat the most and overtake the least.
Two neutralisations, and everything changes
No full Safety Car, but two virtual ones. The first on lap eight, when Gabriel Bortoleto stopped with a suspected gearbox failure and his car caught fire, controlled by the marshals. The second on lap thirty-nine, after Lance Stroll retired at turn fifteen.
That second neutralisation drew the podium. Leclerc and Antonelli used it to fit fresh tyres. Lewis Hamilton stayed out on softs that were already worn. On lap forty-six Leclerc went past, then Lando Norris, then Antonelli, then Oscar Piastri. He finished sixth. According to the first reports, the choice to stay out came from the driver rather than the pit wall.
Ferrari rescue a second place
Leclerc came home 7.335s behind the winner, never with the pace to trouble him, but ahead of both McLarens. It is the best result available to Ferrari on Sunday, and it sits oddly next to his team mate's closing laps.
The Leclerc collection is still the deepest on the site, thirty-two pieces, well ahead of every other driver collection.
Behind them: Norris fourth, Piastri fifth after a front right puncture on lap forty-two forced an extra stop, Hamilton sixth, Liam Lawson seventh, Nico Hülkenberg eighth.
Russell: ninth from nineteenth
George Russell arrived in Singapore with a forty place engine penalty, which put him nineteenth on the grid. He climbed into the points, then sat behind Hülkenberg until the flag. Ninth, two points.
Two points while his championship rival scored fifteen: the gap between Antonelli and him goes from 84 to 102 points. Three retirements in all: Stroll, Franco Colapinto and Bortoleto.
The standings after Marina Bay
Drivers: Antonelli 340 points, Russell 238, Hamilton 229, Verstappen 221, Leclerc 215, Norris 201. Verstappen's two wins in a row put him back ahead of Leclerc, and within eight points of Hamilton.
Constructors: Mercedes 578, Ferrari 444, McLaren 339, Red Bull 332.
Six races are left and 150 points are still to be handed out. With 102 in hand, Antonelli can start counting. Next round: Austin, on 25 October.
Singapore is not worn, it is hung
Marina Bay does not exist as clothing here. The six circuits available as t-shirts and sweatshirts are Monaco, Spa, Suzuka, Silverstone, Albert Park and Madrid, gathered in the circuit collection.
Singapore exists on canvas instead: the layout in neon over a night map, 4.940 km, in four sizes from 30x40 to 100x140. Which fits the race, since nothing else looks like it once the floodlights are on.
Three names that came out of this Sunday
The winner, the runner up, and the man holding the championship.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix?
Max Verstappen, from pole, ahead of Charles Leclerc by 7.335s and Kimi Antonelli by 24.573s. He had already won the sprint the day before.
Why did Hamilton only finish sixth?
During the second virtual neutralisation, Leclerc and Antonelli fitted fresh tyres while he stayed out on worn softs. Four cars went past him in the closing laps. According to the first reports, the choice came from the driver.
Why did Russell start nineteenth?
A forty place penalty for changing power unit components. He finished ninth, held up behind Nico Hülkenberg late in the race.
How does the championship stand?
Antonelli leads on 340 points ahead of Russell on 238, Hamilton on 229, Verstappen on 221 and Leclerc on 215. Mercedes lead the constructors on 578 points. Six races are left and 150 points are available.
Which race comes next?
The United States Grand Prix, in Austin, on 25 October 2026.
