Did Verstappen just win the Singapore GP from lights to flag after Hamilton’s tyre gamble blew up Ferrari’s day?

Verstappen finally conquers Marina BayNine starts in Singapore, four podiums, zero wins. That was Max Verstappen’s record at Marina Bay before Sunday night. It’s gone now. He led from the first lap to the last and took the chequered flag 7.335 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc. It was his 73rd career victory, in his 250th Grand Prix start, and his second win in a row.

I’ll be honest, this one means more than the number suggests. Marina Bay is a place where you can be quick and still go home with nothing, because the walls don’t forgive anyone. Over 62 laps, in 77% humidity, he never handed them a chance.

Leclerc takes second, Hamilton loses the plot on tyres

Leclerc had no answer to Verstappen’s pace, and his radio message told the story: “let’s not lose time.” Second place was there to be taken, and he took it.

His teammate had a very different night. Lewis Hamilton was running on the podium and then went for a tyre gamble that didn’t pay off. “I’m losing these tyres,” he told the team as the grip fell away. He dropped from third to sixth and finished 53.188 seconds behind the winner. On a track where overtaking is brutally hard, one bad stint is enough to ruin an evening, and this one cost Ferrari a double podium.

Antonelli inches closer to the title

Kimi Antonelli finished third, 24.573 seconds behind Verstappen. It wasn’t a stress-free night: at one point he reported “no brakes” over the radio, which is the last thing you want to hear on a street circuit. He still brought the car home on the podium. Another good result leaves him far ahead in the championship and puts a possible title clinch within reach in the coming rounds, maybe as soon as Austin, depending on what his rivals score. I wouldn’t bet against him.

The middle of the order

Lando Norris was fourth and Oscar Piastri fifth, which McLaren will probably take after the mess of the sprint. Liam Lawson was seventh for Racing Bulls and Nico Hulkenberg eighth for Audi. Clean points, nothing flashy.

Russell and Hadjar, the comeback stories

George Russell started 19th, last among the cars on the grid, after a 60-place penalty for extra power unit components. Finishing ninth from there is a very strong recovery, especially on a circuit where passing is so hard.

Isack Hadjar did something just as good. He started from the pit lane after parc fermé changes and still collected the final point in tenth. Before the race he had said “everything is breaking apart this weekend.” He found a way to put it back together.

The retirements

Four cars did not reach the flag. Here is what is known.

Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi). He was out first, around lap 8, with a gearbox problem and a fire at the back of the car.
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin). He stopped on track near Turn 15 on lap 39, which brought out the Virtual Safety Car. He had started from the pit lane after setup changes made under parc fermé conditions.
Franco Colapinto (Alpine). A driveline failure ended his race. He also spun and ended up facing the wrong way at one point.
Alexander Albon (Williams). He was classified 18th as a non-finisher. I could not find a reliable report on why he retired, so I won’t guess.

Singapore GP 2026, Race Results

Was Hamilton’s tyre gamble a brave call or a mistake Ferrari should have seen coming?

Tell us in the comments if0 you think anyone can stop Antonelli from winning the title.

SOURCES: PlanetF1, Total Motorsport, Motorsport Week, The Race, Crash.net, GrandePremio, GrandPrix247, PitDebrief, RacingNews365