For the second racing weekend in a row, Max Verstappen has dominated the most important outings thus far, as he claimed his first ever win at the track in the 2026 F1 Singapore GP Sprint Race. The Red Bull Racing driver won from pole and held on to his lead throughout the entiriety of the 20 racing laps.
He was not able to fend off Mercedes’s George Russell at the start, with the Brit beginning his day in the damp Marina Bay circuit much stronger off the line than Verstappen. Following Russell’s Lap 2 crash, Scuderia Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton posed a continued threat, remaining close for most of the race.
The Sprint Race is strong basis to build on for the 2026 F1 Singapore GP for Verstappen
Ultimately, however, the Dutch driver was able to develop a consistent lead over the Brit, which allowed the four times World Champion to maintain his top spot.
Verstappen discussed in detail his 2026 F1 Singapore Sprint Race, as in spite of the strong driving performance he was able to put in under the rain, he was not thoroughly content due to the launch.
”The start was horrendous again, so that’s definitely something that we need to improve on, because if you have something like that tomorrow, that’s your race over if nothing crazy happens. So yeah, not ideal, but then we got, of course, a bit lucky with what happened with George out of the last corner.”
While glad for the points gained today and for the great performance he was able to put in, which definitely sent off a string signal for his rivals ahead of Qualifying, Verstappen’s goal is to have a similar, dominant display in the full length race tomorrow.
In order for him to achieve his goal, the Dutch driver is aware of the importance of Qualifying.
“After that you just want to keep it calm and under control, because you know that you can’t pass around here, and especially, in a condition like this with the intermediates. So we will just try to bring it home and, of course, happy to win here in the sprint, but I also know that I want to win tomorrow, not today.”
Already looking forward to his next outing
Verstappen is looking forward to return on track under the Singapore lights, especially as he aims to secure his first ever full race victory at the Marina Bay circuit, although he is aware of the rather similar timings the entire grid put in in the previous Sprint Qualifying session.
Consequently, he is ready to take on this new challenge, with the confidence he has in the pace of his RB22.
“I want to win tomorrow. I don’t see this as a win in terms of actually winning a Grand Prix, you know, so we need to have a good qualifying. It will be very close with a lot of cars, and we just need to try and make sure we are the best one out of them, but it will be hopefully a good battle.”
