Verstappen wins Singapore GP for first time from pole

Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, leading every lap from pole position to take the one race on the calendar he had never won.

The Red Bull driver finished about seven seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, according to Sky Sports and PlanetF1. PlanetF1’s results table put the gap at 7.3 seconds. Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes was third, 24.5 seconds back.

Verstappen had qualified on pole on Saturday, edging Leclerc by 0.054 seconds, and had also won the sprint. He said after qualifying he was “very happy to be on pole because this is the one I wanted.” Sky Sports reported it was his 50th career grand prix pole and his first in Singapore.

Lando Norris of McLaren was fourth and teammate Oscar Piastri fifth. PlanetF1 reported that Piastri pitted with a slow puncture and passed Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton on the final lap. Hamilton finished sixth after starting third.

Hamilton’s strategy went wrong when he stayed out during a virtual safety car and fell down the order on old soft tyres, Sky Sports reported. “Sorry boys. I let you down today with that strategy,” Hamilton said on the radio, as quoted by Sky Sports.

Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls was seventh, Nico Hulkenberg of Audi eighth, George Russell of Mercedes ninth and Isack Hadjar of Red Bull 10th. Russell started 19th after an engine-change penalty and worked his way into the points.

Four drivers retired, according to Sky Sports. Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi stopped on Lap 8 with a gearbox problem, and PlanetF1 reported his rear brakes smoked and the car caught fire, briefly closing the pit lane. Franco Colapinto of Alpine, Canadian Lance Stroll of Aston Martin and Alex Albon also retired. Stroll’s stoppage on Lap 39 brought out the virtual safety car, PlanetF1 reported. No full safety car was needed.

Antonelli, who was warned repeatedly about track limits and reported having “no brakes” late in the race, still extended his championship lead. Sky Sports reported he leads Russell by 102 points.

Antonelli can clinch the drivers’ title at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, from Oct. 23 to 25 if he outscores Russell by 23 points, Sky Sports reported.

The win also marked Verstappen’s 250th grand prix start, Sky Sports reported. He won last week’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

Via Sky Sports and PlanetF1.

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