Here are Finley Crebolder's main takeaways from the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, in which Max Verstappen claimed victory and Kimi Antonelli finished third to move to within one race of the title.
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Verstappen back to his unbeatable best
Red Bull and Verstappen claimed their first win of the season last week in Malaysia, and they proved that wasn't a flash in the pan in emphatic fashion on the streets of Singapore.
Being a sprint weekend, there were four meaningful sessions in Singapore, and Verstappen topped every single one of them, claiming two pole positions and two race victories, in a car that was by no means much stronger than those of his competitors.
Such dominant displays from the Dutchman were par for the course before this season, but his level had dropped in 2026. Whereas he had squeezed every drop of potential out of his cars in previous years and frankly destroyed his teammates, he wasn't doing either as he questioned whether he wanted to stay in Formula 1, let alone with Red Bull. Now, though, he's committed to his team by signing a new contract, has been armed with a better car, and is untouchable again.
The other Red Bull of Isack Hadjar was nowhere near Verstappen in the qualifying sessions that he was able to compete in before being hindered by a mechanical issue, and despite having a faster car, not even the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were consistently quick enough to get the better of the four-time world champion throughout the weekend.
This resurgence has come too late for Verstappen to stage a late title charge as he did in 2025, but I'd be surprised if he doesn't claim second in the standings now. Beyond that, looking at the way he's driving and the way Red Bull are developing, it's difficult not to see him as the big favourite for the 2027 season.
Hamilton's horror show
Verstappen's quest to win the race in Singapore and finish in the top two of the standings were made much easier on Sunday by an absolute nightmare of a day from Lewis Hamilton.
When able to put everything together, Hamilton had more pace than anyone across the weekend, and yet he qualified third and finished the race in sixth. And while Ferrari have so often let him down, he only has himself to blame on this occasion.
After topping the first two sessions of qualifying for the main race, he missed out on one of the most valuable pole positions in Formula 1 after tweaking the setup of his car for the final run and - in his own words - "tipped it over the edge."
A day later, he was driving well and in within a chance of beating teammate Leclerc to second, but then ended his hopes of even finishing on the podium by opting to go against his team's instructions by not pitting under the Virtual Safety Car. As everyone except him could see coming, the wear on his tyres then cost Hamilton a huge amount of pace in the closing stages and allowed Leclerc, Antonelli and the McLarens to pass him. Had he pitted when told to, he would have finished third at the very least.
There have been multiple occasions since joining Ferrari where Hamilton has benefited from choosing his own strategy instead of following theirs, and on Sunday, it looked as if that has left him devoid of trust in their judgement and over-confident about his own. That's hardly a recipe for success.
I wrote after the Malaysian Grand Prix that, in terms of pure ability, he remains the closest challenger to Verstappen on the grid, but isn't consistent enough these days, and that was clear to see in Singapore.
Antonelli unflappable
Hamilton's loss was Antonelli's gain, with the Italian snatching a podium to move to within one race of becoming a Formula 1 World Champion.
At one point on Sunday, it looked like he was going to wilt under the huge pressure. Running in fifth, he was one warning away from getting a five-second penalty for track limits, was struggling so much in the brutal heat that he was putting one hand outside of the cockpit to try and cool down, and was encountering brake problems. And then he overcame it all.
The way in which he took advantage of a mistake from Lando Norris to take fourth was masterful, and he then made much easier work of passing Hamilton than the reigning champion had to seal a top-three finish that had looked near-impossible with 15 laps to go.
The performance was yet another remarkable display of composure from someone who's only just turned 20, has been on the F1 grid for under two years and is competing in his first title fight. Not that he's ever really let it become much of a fight.
He's likely to face one of the biggest challenges in the history of Formula 1 next season, a battle for the world championship with Max Verstappen, but despite his inexperience, he already looks ready for it.
Finley Crebolder has been a news editor for Flashscore since 2023. His specialist areas are Dutch football, Formula 1 and tennis, and being based in London, he can often be found covering sporting events in and around the English capital. You can follow him on X here and read his latest features here.
