Verstappen ends the weekend with victory at Marina Bay
Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, 11 October 2026, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli. It is his first Grand Prix victory at Marina Bay, following Saturday’s Sprint win. The provisional FIA classification confirms victory after 62 laps in 1:42:00.785. Leclerc finished 7.335 seconds behind, Antonelli 24.573 seconds behind.
The start: Leclerc attacks, Verstappen keeps the lead
Starting from pole position, Verstappen resisted Leclerc’s attack at the first corner. Hamilton remained third. According to GPblog, Gabriel Bortoleto’s retirement with a gearbox problem brought out a Virtual Safety Car on lap eight. After racing resumed, Verstappen built his advantage.
The first stop brings Hamilton back towards Leclerc
Hamilton stopped before his main rivals and switched to Soft tyres. His pace after the change brought him towards Leclerc, and Ferrari’s battle shifted from chasing Red Bull to managing two strategies. GPblog reports that Hamilton requested to pass his team mate; the positions were not immediately reversed.
The second VSC separates Ferrari’s strategies
Lance Stroll’s stoppage, attributed by GPblog to a clutch problem, brought another neutralisation. Leclerc took the opportunity to fit fresh Soft tyres, while Hamilton continued without a second stop. The Monegasque then regained second place. The difference in tyre wear became decisive for the finish.
Antonelli wins the fight for the final podium place
Hamilton entered the closing laps under pressure from Norris and Antonelli. During the Ferrari–McLaren battle, the Mercedes driver moved ahead of Norris, and both then passed Hamilton. Piastri also gained a position towards the finish. At the flag: Antonelli third, Norris fourth, Piastri fifth and Hamilton sixth.
FIA verdict: Hamilton receives no penalty for the Norris battle
FIA Document 86 closes the investigation into Hamilton leaving the track at Turn 1 with a “No further action” decision. The stewards found that Norris also left the track in his overtaking attempt and that both drivers rejoined in the correct order. Both nevertheless lost their position to Antonelli. The decision concerns this incident; it is not the race’s final classification.
Provisional FIA classification: the top ten
The table reproduces the top ten positions from FIA Document 87, published after the race. Gaps are to the winner. The results are provisional and remain separate from any final classification or subsequent stewards’ decisions.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time / gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:42:00.785 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +7.335 s |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +24.573 s |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +40.506 s |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +49.644 s |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +53.188 s |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +81.666 s |
| 8 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | +83.386 s |
| 9 | George Russell | Mercedes | +84.677 s |
| 10 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +90.862 s |
What decided the race — the APEX interpretation
Verstappen kept his position at the start and converted his race pace into a manageable advantage. Ferrari took second with Leclerc, but Hamilton’s strategy without a second stop did not sustain a podium place. For Antonelli, patience behind the Hamilton–Norris battle created the decisive opportunity. This is APEX’s editorial interpretation of the reported facts, without assuming access to the teams’ telemetry.
Sources and verification status
Editorial verification: 11 October 2026, 17:06 in Romania (Europe/Bucharest). The FIA published its provisional classification, Document 87, and Hamilton’s decision, Document 86. The race chronicle was checked against GPblog’s reports and Formula1.com’s official feed. At verification, the FIA register did not yet include a final classification. Any subsequent change must be checked against the official document before updating the article.
