Following his victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Verstappen has now claimed back-to-back Grand Prix wins and completed a perfect weekend after also taking Saturday’s Sprint. Unlike the rain-affected short race, the weather did not play a decisive role this time. Despite the threat of showers, the Grand Prix remained dry, although the intense heat and humidity placed considerable demands on both drivers and machinery.
Leclerc challenges Verstappen at the start
Verstappen started from pole with Leclerc alongside him on the front row. Lewis Hamilton and championship leader Antonelli lined up behind them, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri occupied the third row. George Russell had to start 19th after an engine change, while Isack Hadjar and both Aston Martins began the race from the pit lane.
Leclerc made the better launch and almost drew level with Verstappen on the run to the first corner. The Dutchman defended the inside line firmly, however, and retained the lead. Hamilton held third ahead of Antonelli despite starting on medium tyres, unlike most of the other leading contenders.
Leclerc was able to keep the pressure on Verstappen during the opening laps. At times, less than half a second separated the pair, but following the Red Bull in turbulent air began to take its toll on the Ferrari’s soft tyres.
First interruption shakes up the race
On lap eight, Gabriel Bortoleto was forced to stop his Audi near the pit exit with a technical problem. Race control deployed the Virtual Safety Car. With the car stranded in an awkward position and a pit stop carrying additional risk, the front-runners chose to stay out.
Once racing resumed, Verstappen began to increase the pace. By lap 14, his advantage over Leclerc had already grown beyond two seconds. Hamilton, meanwhile, was beginning to struggle on his medium tyres, with Antonelli, Norris and Piastri waiting behind for an opportunity.
Hamilton eventually reported a lack of rear grip and became the first of the leading drivers to pit on lap 19. Ferrari switched him to soft tyres. Antonelli stopped a few laps later for mediums, with Leclerc following shortly afterwards on the same compound.
Pit stops reshuffle the order
After Leclerc’s first stop, he rejoined just ahead of Hamilton. The seven-time world champion felt considerably faster on his fresh soft tyres and made it clear over the radio that he did not want to remain stuck behind his team-mate. Ferrari initially decided against swapping the cars.
Verstappen stayed out longer and made use of the clear air at the front. The Red Bull driver did not make his only scheduled stop until lap 33, when he switched to medium tyres. His advantage was large enough for him to retain the lead comfortably.
McLaren also extended the opening stints of both cars. Norris stopped before Piastri, while the Australian lost additional time during his own pit visit. At that stage, the podium battle appeared to be developing primarily between the Ferraris and Antonelli.
Second Virtual Safety Car changes the strategies
Lance Stroll stopped with a technical problem on lap 39, triggering the second Virtual Safety Car period of the race. Leclerc and Antonelli took advantage of the reduced time loss to make a second stop and fit fresh tyres.
Ferrari instead kept Hamilton out on his already used set of softs. The decision initially gained him track position but would prove costly in the closing stages.
Piastri suffered another setback as well. A slow puncture forced the McLaren driver to make an additional stop, dropping him behind Norris.
Antonelli, meanwhile, began experiencing braking problems. The Italian reported an unusually long brake pedal but managed to stabilise his pace. He was later shown the black-and-white flag for repeatedly exceeding track limits, leaving him with no margin for another mistake.
Hamilton drops from the podium to sixth
Leclerc quickly made use of his fresher tyres. The Monegasque driver closed a gap of around ten seconds to Hamilton within a handful of laps and eventually passed his team-mate to reclaim second place.
Behind them, the most intense battle of the race developed in the closing stages. Hamilton attempted to defend third place on heavily worn soft tyres against Norris and Antonelli.
Norris attacked the Ferrari in the opening complex on lap 54. Hamilton was forced across the run-off area but initially kept the McLaren behind. Antonelli seized the opportunity, slipping past Norris before also overtaking Hamilton shortly afterwards.
Norris followed one lap later and also moved ahead of Hamilton. On the penultimate lap, Piastri completed the Ferrari driver’s slide down the order. Having spent much of the race in contention for a podium, Hamilton eventually fell to sixth. Ferrari’s decision not to make a second stop had ultimately backfired.
Verstappen stays in control at the front
Leclerc was able to reduce Verstappen’s advantage considerably on his fresher tyres, but he never got close enough to launch a genuine attack for the lead. Verstappen managed the gap and took the chequered flag after 62 laps with a margin of just over seven seconds.
Antonelli secured third despite his brake issues, with Norris and Piastri finishing fourth and fifth. Russell limited the damage after starting 19th by recovering to ninth, while Hadjar also reached the points in tenth after beginning from the pit lane.
The forecast rain never arrived. Weather therefore played a much smaller role in the Grand Prix than it had in the Sprint. Instead, tyre degradation, the two Virtual Safety Car periods and the contrasting strategic choices shaped the race.
Antonelli extends his championship lead
For Verstappen, a second consecutive Grand Prix victory underlines Red Bull’s clear resurgence. With 221 points, he is now fourth in the Drivers’ Championship and only eight points behind Hamilton.
The weekend was even more significant for Antonelli. The Mercedes driver now has 340 points, while Russell remains on 238 following his ninth-place finish. Antonelli’s championship advantage therefore grows to 102 points. Hamilton follows on 229, ahead of Verstappen, Leclerc and Norris.
After an intense triple-header, Formula 1 now takes a short break. The season resumes in two weeks at the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Singapore Grand Prix results
P1 – Max Verstappen – Red Bull – 1:42:00.785
P2 – Charles Leclerc – Ferrari – +7.335
P3 – Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes – +24.573
P4 – Lando Norris – McLaren – +40.506
P5 – Oscar Piastri – McLaren – +49.644
P6 – Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari – +53.188
P7 – Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls – +1:21.666
P8 – Nico Hülkenberg – Audi – +1:23.386
P9 – George Russell – Mercedes – +1:24.677
P10 – Isack Hadjar – Red Bull – +1:30.862
P11 – Pierre Gasly – Alpine – +1 lap
P12 – Oliver Bearman – Haas – +1 lap
P13 – Esteban Ocon – Haas – +1 lap
P14 – Carlos Sainz – Williams – +1 lap
P15 – Arvid Lindblad – Racing Bulls – +1 lap
P16 – Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin – +1 lap
P17 – Sergio Perez – Cadillac – +2 laps
P18 – Alexander Albon – Williams – DNF
P19 – Valtteri Bottas – Cadillac – +3 laps
P20 – Lance Stroll – Aston Martin – DNF
P21 – Franco Colapinto – Alpine – DNF
P22 – Gabriel Bortoleto – Audi – DNF
