Verstappen wins in Singapore as Antonelli extends lead

Max Verstappen won the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, October 11, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli. It was the Dutch driver’s first victory at the Marina Bay circuit and came on his 250th Formula 1 start. Third place allowed Antonelli to extend his championship lead: the official drivers’ standings list the Italian on 325 points and George Russell on 236.

The Singapore Grand Prix result

Verstappen completed the 62 laps in 1:42:00.785. Leclerc finished 7.335 seconds behind, while Antonelli crossed the line 24.573 seconds after the winner. Lando Norris was fourth and Oscar Piastri fifth, according to the official race report.

Lewis Hamilton finished sixth, followed by Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, George Russell and Isack Hadjar. Russell started from the back after an engine penalty; Hadjar began from the pit lane and also reached the points.

The dedicated official Grand Prix result page still displayed “No results available” in the retrieved version. The order and times in this article therefore come from Formula 1’s own post-race report, while championship points are taken from its official drivers’ table.

How Verstappen controlled the race

Starting from pole, Verstappen resisted Leclerc’s challenge into the first corner and retained the lead. The Ferrari stayed close during the opening laps, but the Dutchman established a gap before the main sequence of pit stops.

Verstappen began on soft tires and switched to mediums on Lap 33 without surrendering first place. The Virtual Safety Car periods did not disturb his control of the race. Radio problems forced Red Bull to use the pit board for some communication, but they did not threaten the result.

The contest for third changed in the closing laps. Antonelli passed Hamilton at Turn 16; Norris and Piastri subsequently overtook the Ferrari driver, who finished sixth.

A first victory at Marina Bay

The win was Verstappen’s 73rd in Formula 1 and arrived on his 10th attempt in Singapore. Before 2026, he had recorded four podiums at the circuit, including runner-up finishes in 2024 and 2025.

According to Formula 1’s official account of the milestone, the new Madring is now the only venue on the current calendar where Verstappen has not won. His Marina Bay weekend also included victory in the Sprint and his first pole position at the venue.

Red Bull confirms its recovery with consecutive wins

Singapore delivered a second straight victory for Verstappen and Red Bull. The run began at the previous round, described by Formula 1 as the team’s first win of the 2026 season, at the Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia.

The performance also followed upgrades introduced in Azerbaijan. In Singapore, pole position, the opening-lap defense, pace on two tire compounds and a clean pit stop turned that progress into a controlled win.

The effect on the 2026 championship

Antonelli collected 15 points for third and moved to 325. Russell, ninth in Singapore, is second in the championship on 236; Hamilton is third on 221. Leclerc has 197, while Verstappen moved to 196—one point behind the Ferrari driver and ahead of Norris on 189.

Antonelli’s official advantage over Russell is therefore 89 points after the table update. For Verstappen, the more immediate impact concerns the positions behind the leaders: he closed on Leclerc but remains 129 points behind Antonelli. The result has two clear consequences—Antonelli strengthened his position at the top, while Verstappen reinforced Red Bull’s recent recovery without erasing the large championship deficit.