Max Verstappen Wins Singapore Grand Prix on His 250th Formula 1 Start
Max Verstappen led from pole position to the chequered flag to win the Singapore Grand Prix, claiming his first victory at Marina Bay on what was the 250th grand prix start of his career.
Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli third for Mercedes. It was Verstappen's second consecutive win following his success at the Bahrain Grand Prix, and it came after he had already won Saturday's sprint race, meaning he took maximum points from the weekend.
A Weekend Without a Weakness
Marina Bay had been one of the few circuits missing from Verstappen's record, and he arrived in Singapore without a win or a pole position there. He left having taken both, along with the sprint victory, having effectively controlled the entire event from Friday onwards.
The grand prix itself offered little in the way of jeopardy for him. He converted pole at the start, established a gap through the opening stint and was never seriously threatened by Leclerc behind. On a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult and where track position is usually decisive, the race settled quickly into a procession at the front.
Verstappen was joined on the podium by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, a recognition of the milestone start rather than of the race result alone. The pair have worked together for the bulk of Verstappen's career.
The Sprint That Set It Up
Saturday's sprint was the first ever held at Marina Bay and it was considerably more chaotic than the main race. Heavy rain soaked the first and third sectors of the circuit, the start was delayed by around half an hour, and every car ran on intermediate tyres.
George Russell took the lead from Verstappen at the start but crashed at the final corner on the opening lap, ending his afternoon almost immediately. Nine cars failed to reach the finish. Verstappen, having started from sprint pole, led the remainder of the race to win by 2.591 seconds from Lewis Hamilton, who had climbed from sixth on the grid. Leclerc took third, 16.871 seconds back.
Antonelli finished fourth, 17.238 seconds behind, after Lando Norris made contact with Oscar Piastri on the final lap, an incident the stewards subsequently issued a decision on. Liam Lawson came home fifth, Oliver Bearman sixth and Nico Hulkenberg seventh. Norris recovered to eighth.
Antonelli's Lead Holds
Despite finishing behind Verstappen across both races, Antonelli leaves Singapore with his championship position intact. He had arrived in Singapore 84 points clear of Russell, on 320 points to his team-mate's 236, with Hamilton third on 214.
With a maximum of 33 points available across a sprint weekend, there was no mathematical route for Antonelli to seal the title at Marina Bay regardless of results. The earliest he can now clinch it is at the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Mercedes remain in a commanding position in the constructors' championship on 556 points, ahead of Ferrari on 405 and McLaren on 316.
Seventeen Down, Six to Go
Singapore was round 17 of the 23-race season. The calendar now moves on with Verstappen having strung together consecutive victories at a point in the year when he had appeared to be out of contention for the drivers' title, and with the fight behind Antonelli for second place in the standings still unresolved between Russell and Hamilton.
For Ferrari, Leclerc's second place was a solid return from a weekend where the team had looked competitive in both wet and dry conditions, though not quick enough to challenge Verstappen when it mattered.
