Delivering an emphatic reminder of how imperious he can be when he has the car beneath him, Max Verstappen was untouchable in victory at the Singapore Grand Prix.
It has taken Red Bull most of the season to deliver said ride, however, and the title is beyond the Dutchman. In his wake at the Marina Bay circuit the champion in waiting, Kimi Antonelli, did enough to move to within a race of taking the crown.
The race under the floodlights certainly belonged to Verstappen, who with a commanding run from pole to flag took his first victory at Marina Bay, on the occasion of his 250th race.
He was enthused, understandably. Having wrestled with a recalcitrant car for so long, the Red Bull was purring in Singapore. He took pole and the win in the sprint race and then pole and victory in the grand prix.
His second win in a row this season was taken with consummate calm even given a malfunctioning radio, where all the team could hear from him was the garbled, distorted static beloved of the more vociferous noise metal outfits.
The victory, beating the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc into second place with Antonelli taking third, was of greatest import in that he and the team have proved able to bring performance to the car that they can feed into next year’s model.
On this form they can expect to open 2027 in a far more competitive position, from which Verstappen will expect not to be on the sidelines of a title fight, a fight that this time around has been absolutely bossed by Antonelli.
His third place in Singapore, along with his Mercedes teammate George Russell coming back to take only ninth place, having started from 19th, was enough to ensure the 20-year-old has one hand on the title.
His lead over Russell is now 102 points and he can mathematically win the title at the next round in Austin if he takes victory and Russell finishes ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton, who was sixth in Singapore and is 111 in arrears, is fifth or lower.
The Italian reacted with surprise when told he could seal it and become F1’s youngest champion as soon as Texas. He was counting no chickens but there was, for the first time, an acknowledgment that his dream is within reach.
The manner of how he reached this point was demonstrated in Singapore, where he ground out the best he could with a car that was not competitive at the very front while notably enjoying, as all champions do, a little good fortune as well.
In what was a largely pedestrian race on a track where passing is remarkably tricky and with Verstappen in a class of his own out front, Antonelli understood that banking points from fourth on the grid was all that mattered and proceeded to pound round in a strategic fight with the Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton and the McLaren of Lando Norris.
He complained of feeling liquid at his feet and losing his brakes at one point but held his nerve with the steel of a veteran. Solid but unspectacular, he was in fifth for much of the race until the final stages when Hamilton’s decision not to pit under a virtual safety car came back and bit the Ferrari driver.
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His tyres gone, Hamilton’s pace fell away and he was caught by Norris and Antonelli in the final laps. Norris attacked the Ferrari but in the process was mugged by the Italian, for whom a sniff of a chance yawns open with barn door proportions. Through he nipped and third was his.
Quick GuideF1 Singapore GP results and standings
Show
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1hr 42mins 0.785sec
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +7.335
3 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +24.573
4 Lando Norris McLaren +40.506
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren +49.644
6 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +53.188
7 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +1:21.666
8 Nico Hulkenberg Audi +1:23.386
9 George Russell Mercedes +1:24.677
10 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +1:30.862
11 Pierre Gasly Alpine +1 lap
12 Oliver Bearman Haas +1 lap
13 Esteban Ocon Haas +1 lap
14 Carlos Sainz Williams +1 lap
15 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +1 lap
16 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +1 lap
17 Sergio Perez Cadillac +2 laps
18 Alexander Albon Williams DNF
19 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac +3 laps
Not classified Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
Drivers’ championship
1 Kimi Antonelli 340pts, 2 George Russell 238, 3 Lewis Hamilton 229, 4 Max Verstappen 221, 5 Charles Leclerc 215, 6 Lando Norris 201, 7 Oscar Piastri 138, 8 Isack Hadjar 97, 9 Liam Lawson 75, 10 Pierre Gasly 41, 11 Arvid Lindblad 38, 12 Franco Colapinto 27, 13 Oliver Bearman 23, 14 Nico Hulkenberg 13, 15 Gabriel Bortoleto 10, 16 Esteban Ocon 7, 17 Fernando Alonso 7, 18 Carlos Sainz 7, 19 Alexander Albon 5, 20 Yuki Tsunoda 1
Constructors’ championship
1 Mercedes 578pts, 2 Ferrari 444, 3 McLaren 339, 4 Red Bull 332, 5 Racing Bulls 100, 6 Alpine 68, 7 Haas 30, 8 Audi 23, 9 Williams 12, 10 Aston Martin 7
It enlivened what was an otherwise lacklustre affair and, with Russell stymied in ninth behind the Audi of Nico Hülkenberg, the numbers were suddenly adding up for Antonelli. Austin beckons and, if not there, Mexico a week later will likely see his coronation complete.
Norris went on to take fourth, with his teammate Oscar Piastri in fifth, both having dispensed with Hamilton who by then was crawling round, the rubber he had made last for 42 laps now shot.
Hamilton had started third but took his pit stop early in the race after which Ferrari appeared to be undecided as to fully commit him to a two-stop strategy, notably not calling for Leclerc to move over for him.
All of which was compounded when Hamilton decided for them, opting not to pit under a virtual safety car, despite his team being ready for him. For which he held his hands up . “Sorry, boys. I let you down today with that strategy,” he said. “My call, and I lost us valuable points. I’ll try and make up for it in the next one.”
Another debrief required for Ferrari then as F1 adjusts to what appears to be the new pecking order, with Verstappen and Red Bull at the sharp end, but Antonelli now very much ready to make history.
