Marco Rossi · F1 Correspondent
Max Verstappen dominated the Singapore Grand Prix from pole to checkered flag, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured third place and strengthened his grip on the drivers' championship.
Max Verstappen claimed victory at Marina Bay Street Circuit on Sunday evening, capturing his first win at the Singapore Grand Prix and making his 250th Formula 1 start a memorable one with a lights-to-flag performance. Charles Leclerc finished second in his Ferrari, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli rounded out the podium and took another crucial step in the title fight. The midfield and back of the grid, however, continued a difficult weekend that had already generated headlines during Saturday's sprint.
A milestone victory on point
Starting from pole, Verstappen left no doubt whatsoever. The Red Bull driver controlled the race from start to finish and crossed the line with a 7.335-second advantage over Leclerc. It was Verstappen's first career win at Singapore, remarkably coming at his 250th Grand Prix start, a milestone that made his weekend special beyond the results alone. He had already topped Saturday's sprint as well.
That Red Bull would appear so dominant in Marina Bay was far from certain after a mixed Friday practice session, when Verstappen ran more than seven tenths adrift of George Russell in the opening session. By qualifying and the sprint, however, the picture shifted dramatically, and during the race itself the Dutchman faced no serious challenge.
Ferrari confirms form, Antonelli makes his statement
Leclerc remained the closest challenger all evening, though the deficit widened considerably by the finish. For Ferrari it was nonetheless a strong showing, as Lewis Hamilton also brought his car home in sixth place, 45.853 seconds behind his teammate. Hamilton's decision to forego a second stop cost him positions, and he apologized to the team over the radio afterward. Both Scuderia drivers collected important points in a season where Ferrari has struggled for consistency against Mercedes and McLaren.
The real story of Sunday, though, belonged to Andrea Kimi Antonelli. With third place, 24.573 seconds behind Verstappen, the Mercedes driver extended his championship lead to 102 points over Russell. With 150 points still available, he could already clinch the title at the next race in Austin. To do so, he would need to lead every rival by more than 125 points afterwards, which means gaining at least 24 points on Russell, among others, a scenario that leaves the rest of the field precious little time to close the gap.
McLaren salvages the sprint fallout, Russell fights back
For McLaren, Sunday was all about damage control after a turbulent sprint weekend. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had collided on the final lap of Saturday's sprint, with Piastri retiring from contact and Norris limping to eighth place. Team principal Andrea Stella called the move unacceptable afterward, though stewards found no grounds for a retrospective penalty after their review. In the main race, both drivers found their way back into the points, with Norris fourth and Piastri fifth, allowing McLaren to recover at least part of the sprint deficit even if they couldn't match the pace of Verstappen or Leclerc that evening.
George Russell also produced a remarkable recovery drive. After starting from 19th on the grid due to an engine penalty, he clawed his way up to ninth place, just 1.291 seconds behind Nico Hülkenberg, who finished eighth for Audi. Following his sprint retirement when he ran off the track from a strong start in the opening lap, this race performance was a reminder that Mercedes had pace in the car at this circuit beyond just Antonelli.
Retirements define the midfield
Gabriel Bortoleto's Grand Prix ended after just seven laps when the Audi driver pulled over near the pit lane exit with a suspected gearbox problem, and the car subsequently caught fire, triggering a virtual safety car period. Alexander Albon was dogged by misfortune as well, having already been caught up in a collision during the sprint, he retired from the race proper and was classified 18th. Lance Stroll, who stopped in Turn 15 with a suspected clutch failure and triggered a second virtual safety car, and Franco Colapinto rounded out the retirement list, while Liam Lawson secured the best result among the remaining midfield runners with seventh place for Racing Bulls.
Looking at the championship, Singapore will be remembered primarily as the night Verstappen claimed his first win at this venue while Antonelli took a decisive step toward the title. Whether the Mercedes driver can actually clinch it already in the United States remains to be seen, but the arithmetic for doing so is certainly in his favor after Marina Bay.
