Verstappen Completes Singapore Sweep With First Grand Prix Win
Max Verstappen converted pole position into his first Singapore Grand Prix victory on Sunday, October 11, completing a sweep of the 2026 Formula 1 weekend at Marina Bay after also winning Saturday’s sprint.
Verstappen led Charles Leclerc home by 7.335 seconds after 62 laps, according to Formula 1’s final race result. Kimi Antonelli placed third for Mercedes, 24.573 seconds behind the winner.
A first Singapore Grand Prix win
The result closes one of the few gaps in Verstappen’s Formula 1 record. His wet sprint victory on Saturday was his first win of any kind in Singapore, but he said afterward that he did not count it as winning the Grand Prix. One day later, he took the main race as well.
Verstappen started from pole after narrowly beating Leclerc in qualifying. He kept the Ferrari behind at the start and controlled the race through the pit-stop cycle and two virtual-safety-car periods. Leclerc reduced the gap late in the race on softer tires, but never reached striking distance before the finish.
Antonelli turns a difficult race into a podium
Antonelli started fourth and spent much of the race behind Lewis Hamilton and the McLarens. His route to the podium opened late as Hamilton’s long tire stint faded. Antonelli passed the Ferrari, and Lando Norris also moved ahead before Oscar Piastri passed Hamilton on the final lap to secure fifth.
The final top six was Verstappen, Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris, Piastri and Hamilton. Antonelli’s third place increased his reported championship total to 340 points, 102 ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell. Russell recovered to ninth after starting near the back because of a power-unit penalty.
Those standings put Antonelli in position to clinch the drivers’ championship at the United States Grand Prix, depending on the points scored there.
How the weekend unfolded
Singapore’s first sprint-format weekend began with Verstappen taking sprint pole. He then won a rain-delayed sprint marked by a record nine retirements before securing the 50th pole position of his Formula 1 career for the Grand Prix.
The main race was calmer, but strategy still reshaped the podium fight. Hamilton ran long while several rivals used a second stop around a virtual safety car. Leclerc passed his teammate, Antonelli capitalized as Hamilton’s grip fell away, and Norris and Piastri followed through before the flag.
For the background to Sunday’s race, read Chiefs Review’s reports on Verstappen’s Singapore sprint win and his 50th career pole.
Final Singapore Grand Prix podium
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull — 1:42:00.785
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari — +7.335 seconds
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes — +24.573 seconds
Sources
- Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix event hub, October 9–11, 2026
- Formula 1 race-result page
- FIA Singapore Grand Prix decision documents
- The Guardian live race report, October 11, 2026
Featured image: illustrative archive photograph of a Red Bull Formula 1 car on a street circuit; it is not a photograph from the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix. Photo by Roy Tsong via Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License.