Samwise F1 Newsletter
Monday, October 12, 2026
Verstappen Wins Singapore Grand Prix for the First Time
Max Verstappen claimed his first Singapore Grand Prix win on Sunday, adding victory in the 62-lap race to his win in Saturday’s sprint. The Red Bull driver resisted Charles Leclerc off the line and through the opening laps, then steadily increased his advantage around the first pit stops. Leclerc halved the gap in the closing laps but finished 7.335 seconds behind in second, with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli third. Ferrari squandered a double podium by fumbling Lewis Hamilton’s strategy, and he finished sixth. Verstappen’s biggest late dramas were a failure of his driver-to-team radio and a wide moment out of the final corner.
Antonelli Stretches Championship Lead to 102 Points
Kimi Antonelli stretched his Drivers’ Championship lead to 102 points after finishing third at the Singapore Grand Prix, behind Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who had to start from the back, could only finish ninth after being held up by Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg. Antonelli now has 340 points to Russell’s 238, with Lewis Hamilton third on 229 and still in contention. With six races to go and 150 points to play for, Antonelli will be world champion if he wins the United States Grand Prix and Russell does not finish eighth or higher. Mercedes lead the constructors with 578 points.
Vasseur Says Hamilton Ignored Pit Call That Cost Him a Podium
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur said Lewis Hamilton ignored calls to pit during the Singapore Grand Prix, a decision that saw him tumble from third to sixth. When Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin broke down on lap 39, Ferrari wanted to double stack both cars under the virtual safety car. Charles Leclerc pitted for soft tyres, but Hamilton stayed out and was later passed by Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli and the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. “Lewis wanted to stay on track, and it cost him the podium,” Vasseur said. Hamilton apologised on team radio: “Sorry, boys I let you down today with that strategy. My call.”
Norris Accepts Blame for Sprint Clash with Piastri
Lando Norris has accepted blame for his collision with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri on the final lap of Saturday’s Singapore sprint, revising the stance he took after the race. The pair touched at Turn 5 while fighting for fourth and fifth, leaving McLaren with one point. The stewards ruled neither driver was predominantly to blame, and team principal Andrea Stella called the clash “unacceptable.” After finishing fourth in Sunday’s grand prix, Norris said: “I can’t attempt what I did. I should never have attempted it in the first place, even if the move was on.” He added that he owed the team an apology.
Antonelli Avoids Penalty Despite Four Track Limits Violations
Kimi Antonelli had four laps deleted for track limits during the Singapore Grand Prix but avoided the standard five-second time penalty. The Race understands Mercedes challenged one of the violations and the stewards revoked it. Antonelli said his final off, at Turn 7 on the virtual safety car restart, came with really poor brake power: “When I went to brake, nothing happened.” Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff joked about the deletions but said it showed “he’s pushing the limits a lot but coming back.” Antonelli has racked up more track limits deletions in races than any other driver this season.
Russell and Hadjar Recover to Points as Four Cars Retire
George Russell recovered to ninth in the Singapore Grand Prix after starting 19th due to grid penalties for a new power unit, as overtaking proved very difficult at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar went from the pit lane to the points in 10th. Reigning world champion Lando Norris finished fourth ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, while Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson had another strong result in seventh and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg was eighth. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Williams’ Alex Albon all retired with reliability issues, but no full safety cars were required.
Sources: Sky Sports
FIA Blames Missed Pop-Up Window for Sprint Qualifying Error
FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has explained that human error caused the overtake mode problem in Singapore sprint qualifying. After a red flag for Sergio Perez’s Cadillac, overtake mode was not switched back on, costing drivers up to 0.6 seconds. It was then switched on for 27 seconds before being switched off again. “There was a pop-up window that came on somebody’s computer that was not acted on quickly enough,” Tombazis told Sky Germany. He said the problem “interfered with the results” of the first session and that the FIA is analysing the mistake to make sure it does not happen again.
Lambiase Joins Verstappen on Singapore Podium in Possible Farewell
Max Verstappen said he did not expect his long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to join him on the Singapore Grand Prix podium to collect Red Bull’s winning team trophy. Lambiase, who has engineered Verstappen since his winning Red Bull debut at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, is expected to go on gardening leave at the end of the season ahead of an agreed move to McLaren in 2028. “It could be the last one, so, at least it’d be one with a special meaning,” Verstappen said. Tom Hart will engineer Verstappen in Austin, Interlagos and Las Vegas as Red Bull eases in the replacement.
Hamilton Misses Media Duties After FIA Medical Check
Lewis Hamilton did not speak to the media after the Singapore Grand Prix after receiving a medical exemption from the FIA. Ferrari confirmed the 41-year-old reported feeling unwell after the race and was sent to see the FIA’s medical team, after which he was given permission not to attend the post-race media pen. No further information about his health was available. Hamilton started the humid night race in third before a self-admitted strategy mistake saw him slide to sixth on old soft tyres. It was the second time that weekend he apologised for a strategy error, following his sprint qualifying run plan.
Round 17 of 23 — After the Singapore Grand Prix
Drivers’ Championship
| Pos | Driver | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | 340 |
| 2 | George Russell | 238 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 229 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | 221 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 215 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | 201 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | 138 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | 97 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | 75 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | 41 |
| 11 | Arvid Lindblad | 38 |
| 12 | Franco Colapinto | 27 |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | 23 |
| 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | 13 |
| 15 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 10 |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | 7 |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | 7 |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | 7 |
| 19 | Alex Albon | 5 |
| 20 | Yuki Tsunoda | 1 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | 0 |
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | 0 |
| 23 | Sergio Perez | 0 |
Constructors’ Championship
| Pos | Constructor | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 578 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 444 |
| 3 | McLaren | 339 |
| 4 | Red Bull | 332 |
| 5 | Racing Bulls | 100 |
| 6 | Alpine | 68 |
| 7 | Haas | 30 |
| 8 | Audi | 23 |
| 9 | Williams | 12 |
| 10 | Aston Martin | 7 |
| 11 | Cadillac | 0 |
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency