It has genuinely taken a while, but the wait is finally over for Max Verstappen around the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The Red Bull driver powered to a stunning victory on Sunday night, conquering the streets of Singapore at his 10th attempt.
Prior to this breakthrough weekend, the Dutchman had collected four podium finishes at the circuit, which included back-to-back P2 results in 2024 and 2025. But the top step had stubbornly eluded him until now. Proving to be the absolute class of the field across both the Sprint and the main Grand Prix, this latest P1 leaves just one venue on the current Formula 1 calendar where he has yet to take victory: the new-for-2026 Madrid.
That milestone moment also arrived during a rather special personal landmark, marking none other than his 250th Grand Prix start. “It’s taken a while, but I think this race was very good,” Verstappen smiled after the triumph.
Setting up the drive required some sharp work right from the lights, featuring a stern defence against Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc off the line. Verstappen admitted that his getaway was simply good enough before cleanly building and controlling an advantage at the head of the field. “We had pace when we needed to have it on the soft tyre and on the medium, even though I think the medium tyre for everyone was a bit more of a struggle. It worked out, so of course I’m very happy to win here,” he explained.
The result hands Red Bull successive wins, following their breakthrough first victory of the 2026 season last time out at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. This recent upturn in form follows significant car updates introduced in Azerbaijan, and the momentum within the garage is palpable.
Reflecting on the change in fortunes, Verstappen added: “I think the last few races have been really positive for us, and it’s just great to see. We have a lot of motivation in the team to try and deliver even more results. It’s a really good group of people. I really enjoy working with them, and hopefully we can have a bit more fun until the end of the year.”
