Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, taking his first career victory at the Marina Bay circuit, according to RMC Sport. The Red Bull driver started from pole position and led the race to the finish, adding the Singapore win to the sprint race he had already claimed over the weekend.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished second, with Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli third. The result marks the 73rd Formula 1 victory of Verstappen's career, RMC Sport reports.
Why it matters
The win extends Verstappen's strong weekend in Singapore, where he topped the sprint and then converted pole position into a full race victory. For Antonelli, the championship leader, a third-place finish keeps him in position to close out the title very soon.
According to RMC Sport, the Mercedes driver will be crowned world champion at the next round in Austin on 25 October if he wins the race and Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finish no better than fifth and ninth respectively. That gives the Italian driver a clear path to the title with several rounds still to run.
How the race unfolded
Verstappen controlled the race from the front and was never displaced from first place. At one stage his lead over Leclerc stood at more than 15 seconds, though the gap came down to around 10 seconds later in the race as the Ferrari driver pushed to close in. RMC Sport reported that Leclerc continued to trail by more than seven seconds as the laps counted down, with Verstappen closing on the win.
The battle behind him was more fluid. Leclerc and his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton traded places in the fight for second, with Leclerc closing to within a few seconds of Hamilton before the team order played out. RMC Sport reported that Hamilton eventually let Leclerc through so the Monegasque driver could try to chase down Verstappen, who was still leading by more than 15 seconds at that point. Once ahead, Leclerc set about reducing the gap, and RMC Sport noted that he had more than six seconds to make up on Verstappen at one stage, struggling to match the Red Bull driver's pace.
Hamilton's race then came under pressure from behind. RMC Sport reported that 15 laps after giving up second place, the British driver was being threatened by Oscar Piastri, who was pushing to take fifth. Piastri had earlier been close to passing Hamilton when Antonelli caught him out, and the McLaren driver was then overtaken by the championship leader, who moved into third. RMC Sport reported that Antonelli passed both Norris and Hamilton within a few corners to take third place, sitting around 20 seconds behind Leclerc at that stage.
There was also a note of concern from the Mercedes side. RMC Sport reported that Antonelli complained over the radio about not having brakes, at a point in the race when Piastri was making his own stop. RMC Sport also noted that Antonelli was expected to receive a penalty for exceeding track limits.
Pit stops, retirements and the midfield fight
The pit window shaped the middle of the race. RMC Sport reported that Leclerc and Antonelli both stopped, while Hamilton did not, and that George Russell made his first stop just as the virtual safety car period ended. That timing left Hamilton stuck behind Pierre Gasly, who was himself within a second of Nico Hülkenberg in eighth. RMC Sport reported that Hamilton paid the price for stopping at the end of the virtual safety car period, finding himself boxed in behind the Alpine driver.
Leclerc's stop put him back out just ahead of his teammate Hamilton, on medium tyres, according to RMC Sport. Gasly was provisionally the last driver in the points after being passed by Russell for ninth, RMC Sport reported.
The race saw three retirements. RMC Sport reported that Franco Colapinto of Alpine stopped, the second retirement of the Grand Prix after Gabriel Bortoleto went out early. Lance Stroll later halted briefly on track but was able to get going again and move into an escape road, which RMC Sport counted as the third retirement of the race.
Further back, RMC Sport reported that a Red Bull driver passed his compatriot to move into the top 10, and that Isack Hadjar was running close behind Gasly, trying to take tenth place and a single point in the closing laps. RMC Sport also reported that Piastri managed to pass a British driver to enter the top five, just behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
Verstappen's advantage had been built early. RMC Sport reported that even before his own stop, the Red Bull driver was controlling the race with a 17-second lead over Norris, and that there was no change at the front when he rejoined after his stop, still ahead of Piastri, who was due to stop next.
What to watch next
The championship picture now turns to Austin on 25 October, where Antonelli can seal the title if he wins and Hamilton and Russell finish outside fifth and ninth respectively, according to RMC Sport.
