Max Verstappen won his first Singapore Grand Prix, leading a Red Bull Racing charge at Marina Bay Circuit ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, with the result setting up a potential championship coronation for Antonelli at the next round in Austin.
Verstappen controlled the race from the front despite a troubled start and intermittent radio failure throughout the weekend. The Dutchman acknowledged issues before releasing the clutch, which allowed Leclerc to draw alongside into Turn 7 in the opening laps. Deployment problems in the early stages compounded the situation before Red Bull resolved them and Verstappen pulled clear.
“The start was critical, so that was just good enough,” Verstappen said in the post-race press conference. “Before releasing the clutch, it didn’t feel good. And once we had cleared the deployment problems, yeah, it was fine. The car was really good on the tyres.”
Verstappen also confirmed persistent radio problems that forced him and race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to communicate in code during the race. “I’ve been having difficulty with my radio already the whole season, and this weekend has been particularly bad,” he said.
Leclerc ran a different strategy to Verstappen around the Safety Car period, pitting for a fresh Soft tyre in the final stint, but ultimately could not close the gap. The Monegasque driver acknowledged Red Bull’s superior pace while noting Ferrari had made progress with new parts brought to Singapore. “Max had a bit more pace than we did, which was expected, but we were maybe a little bit closer than what we expected as well,” Leclerc said.
Antonelli’s third place was the result of opportunistic racing. The Italian driver capitalised on a battle between Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to pass both and secure the final podium position. Antonelli, who leads the drivers’ championship, was informed on track by Jenson Button that a strong result in Austin could be enough to clinch the title.
“Can I really? Well, let’s not worry about that. Let’s try to do the best weekend as possible and finish the job,” Antonelli said.
Verstappen, who also won the previous round in Sepang, described the recent run of form as a product of improved car drivability. “Our car has taken a really nice step forward. It’s just been more driveable and more predictable. That’s what I wanted and needed from the car to find that last step to fight up front,” he said. Verstappen conceded the championship is beyond reach, with Antonelli holding a commanding lead, but said his focus is on winning races through the end of the season.