2026 Singapore Grand Prix: Recap
This past weekend, Formula 1 braved the high heat and humidity at the iconic nighttime Singapore Grand Prix. Before the race, George Russell (Mercedes) brought up the cooling vest and how Mercedes chose to invest money in the car rather than the device. During the race in Singapore, drivers can lose up to 3kg in body weight. He urged the FIA to invest in the device, but so far, nothing has come of it, and the vest remains optional.
On race day, the top three were Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in pole position, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in P2, and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) in P3. Antonelli was in P4, and the McLaren teammates were just behind. Notably, Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) started from the pit lane, and Russell started P19 because of a grid penalty.
At the race start, Verstappen stayed ahead. Leclerc had the faster start reaction time, but Verstappen pushed him close to the edge to hold him off. The starting lineup for the rest of the top runners remained the same. On lap 9, a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was called for Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), who retired from a gearbox issue.
By lap 17, Hamilton began to struggle with his pace, losing grip on his tires. He went into pit and Antonelli moved into P3. By lap 30, after multiple pit stops, Verstappen remained in pole, with Lando Norris (McLaren) behind. On the next lap, Franco Colapinto (Alpine) retired from the race. At the same time, Russell and Hadjar were moving up into the points. On lap 39, Lance Stroll also retired from the race, and a VSC was called. Hamilton overrode his team’s call to pit and chose to remain on soft tires until the end, which got him into P2.
Hamilton’s strategy did not seem to last long when, on lap 46, Leclerc took P2 on Turn 7. Hamilton told his team, “I’m losing these tires.” Norris then entered a battle with Hamilton for P3. Hamilton went off the track, and in the midst of the chaos, Antonelli squeezed by to P3. Norris passed Hamilton again and took P4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) then passed Hamilton into P5.
On the final lap 62, Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix—his first race win here! He celebrated back-to-back victories and his 250th Grand Prix start! Leclerc finished in P2 and Antonelli in P3. Hadjar finished out of the points in P10.
In the post-race interview, Verstappen revealed his comms were down, and he couldn’t speak to the team, but he noted his team had great communication despite this. Leclerc stated it was a shame to miss out on a win, but Red Bull was too quick. Going into the next Grand Prix, Antonelli still leads the championship, with the gap only continuing to grow. Tune in to the next race, the 2026 United States Grand Prix, Sunday, October 25, with East Bay F1! More details are available here.
