Max Verstappen Wins Singapore GP and Liam Lawson Finishes Seventh – 1News

Max Verstappen secured his maiden victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit during the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, dominating the weekend from pole position after a sprint race triumph. The Red Bull driver completed a clean sweep of the weekend’s events, finishing ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, 1寧 reported. This triumph at his 10th attempt means Verstappen has only yet to win at the new Madring track on the current calendar.

Verstappen Breaks the Singapore Drought Against Ferrari Strategies

Formula 1’s visit to Round 17 brought a historic milestone for Verstappen, who claimed his first-ever victory on the streets of Singapore after recording three second-place finishes and four total podiums in past years, according to Formula 1 coverage. The Dutch driver fended off an opening-lap challenge from Leclerc at Turn 1 to control the feature race from the front. Verstappen, who also won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia last week, said the last two races had been “really positive” and that they had pace on the soft tyre, while the medium tyre was a “struggle” for everyone.

Behind the leader, Ferrari split strategies between Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton started on medium tyres while Verstappen and Leclerc ran soft compounds. Hamilton pitted on lap 18 for soft tyres, while Leclerc waited until lap 24 to swap to mediums. Ferrari declined to order Leclerc to let Hamilton through to maximize his pace, a decision Hamilton questioned from the car. When a Virtual Safety Car emerged on lap 39, Leclerc and Antonelli pitted for cheap stops. Hamilton stayed out on ageing soft tyres to claim second temporarily before falling back as his tyres lost grip.

Leclerc caught and passed Hamilton on lap 46, finishing second, while Hamilton tumbled down the order to sixth place. Hamilton’s strategy backfired into a distant sixth place as he was overtaken by competing cars. Meanwhile, Verstappen managed his pace to cross the line comfortably ahead, noting that the team still needs to address start-line acceleration issues after losing momentum off the line in recent outings. Verstappen described the starts as “horrendous,” noting that he lost the sprint lead off the line and experienced the same issue in Malaysia.

Lawson Secures Double Points Finish for Racing Bulls

New Zealand driver Liam Lawson delivered a strong performance for the Racing Bulls team, finishing seventh in the feature race following a fifth-place result in the sprint. The 24-year-old gained a position on the opening corner and defended his spot to collect vital championship points.

Lawson told media after the race that he was proud of the team following an intense few weeks where results went to plan. He held ninth place in the drivers’ standings with 75 points, sitting 22 points behind Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and 34 points ahead of Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, 1News confirmed.

Antonelli Extends Championship Lead as Russell Hits Trouble

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli capitalized on rival misfortune to extend his lead at the top of the standings. Antonelli finished third in the grand prix after qualifying fourth. His teammate George Russell entered Sunday’s grand prix with a grid penalty.

As the F1 paddock prepares to travel to Austin for the next round, the mathematical possibility remains open for Antonelli to secure the 2026 drivers’ championship with five rounds remaining, depending on results at the Circuit of the Americas.

Celebrities Visit Paddock as Audi Improves Constructors Standing

The weekend saw celebrity appearances in the paddock, with Kim Kardashian cheering for Hamilton and model Romeo Beckham visiting the Alpine garage with girlfriend Kim Turnbull. In the constructors’ standings, Audi matched its best grand prix result to date with an eighth-place finish, as the team chases Haas for seventh.

The weekend’s events were preceded by a downpour at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where software failures occurred in several cars. The FIA issued a software update that was utilized in Singapore this week.

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