Red Bull's Max Verstappen wins 2026 S'pore Grand Prix for 1st time, after winning Bahrain GP in M'sia

Red Bull's Max Verstappen emerged victorious at the Singapore Grand Prix on Oct. 11, 2026

This marks his second Grand Prix victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season, following his previous win at the Bahrain Grand Prix, held at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Oct. 4.

The victory was also Verstappen's first at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Claimed pole position

Verstappen started the 62-lap race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit from pole position, having clocked the fastest lap of 1:31.373 during Saturday's (Oct. 10) Qualifying session.

Pole position is the first starting spot at the front of the grid.

He beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by just 0.054 seconds, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton qualifying third.

This was Verstappen's 50th career pole position and his first at the Singapore Grand Prix.

It was also his second consecutive pole position, having topped the timesheets at Sepang the previous weekend.

With Verstappen's victory, the Singapore Grand Prix has now been won by the driver starting from pole position for four consecutive years.

Won S'pore Sprint race

He also won Singapore's first-ever F1 Sprint race on Saturday, before securing pole position for Sunday's main race later that evening.

Unlike a traditional Grand Prix, an F1 Sprint is a shorter race lasting around 30 minutes, with no mandatory pit stops.

Mercedes' George Russell initially took the lead from Verstappen but crashed on the opening lap, allowing the Red Bull driver to regain first place.

Verstappen finished ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in second and Lewis Hamilton in third.

Championship standings

Following his Singapore Grand Prix victory, Verstappen sits fourth in the 2026 Drivers' Championship standings with 221 points.

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli still leads the 2026 Drivers' Championship with 340 points, followed by teammate George Russell with 238 points.

The next Formula 1 race will be the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, from Oct. 23 to 25.