Max Verstappen won the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix ahead of Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli, following up his victory in Malaysia to complete a perfect fortnight. The Dutchman proved virtually untouchable around the streets of Marina Bay, benefiting from a revitalised Red Bull that has become more competitive than ever. Ferrari emerged as his closest challenger, but the race also exposed the limitations of the SF-26 and a series of strategic decisions that compromised Lewis Hamilton’s chances of joining his team-mate on the podium.
Despite Charles Leclerc’s strong qualifying performance and an encouraging opening phase, Ferrari could not prevent Max Verstappen from controlling the race. The team’s decision to split its tyre strategies initially offered different possibilities, but the early pit stops and subsequent Safety Car intervention ultimately left Lewis Hamilton in sixth place. The technical analysis of the Singapore Grand Prix reveals where Ferrari lost ground and why a potential double podium slipped away.
Singapore GP technical analysis: Ferrari comes close, but not close enough
Despite Ferrari’s excellent qualifying performance, Charles Leclerc had already admitted that winning would require either a miracle when the lights went out or an outstanding strategy. The Monegasque did indeed put Max Verstappen under pressure at the start, but the Red Bull driver defended his position right on the limit of the regulations.
It was a precise and decisive move that proved fundamental to the outcome of the race. In fact, it could be argued that Max Verstappen had already laid the foundations for victory by the time the cars exited the third corner. Although Charles Leclerc initially appeared capable of challenging the Dutchman, running so close behind the Red Bull did little to help his tyre temperatures.
By the end of the opening stint, Charles Leclerc had fallen more than ten seconds behind the leader. The rear axle remains the biggest mechanical limitation of the Ferrari SF-26, an issue that continues to influence the car’s performance and tyre management.
As has often been the case this season, tyre wear itself was not a major concern. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc pushed hard from the beginning, quickly pulling away from their pursuers and opening a pit-stop window over the midfield runners. That situation allowed Lewis Hamilton to pit after just 19 laps.
It was an unexpected stop, particularly because Lewis Hamilton was the only driver to start the race on Medium tyres. Ferrari’s initial plan appeared straightforward: challenge Max Verstappen directly by putting Charles Leclerc on Soft tyres, while allowing Lewis Hamilton to run longer and create a tyre offset, ideally benefiting from a Safety Car before his stop.
Instead, the British driver was the first Ferrari driver to pit, forcing Charles Leclerc to make his own stop to avoid falling behind his team-mate. The early change of strategy, also reflected in Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Plan B during the Singapore Grand Prix, would have significant consequences for the rest of the afternoon.
Ferrari compromises its own strategy at the Singapore Grand Prix
After bringing Lewis Hamilton into the pits so early, the better option would arguably have been to give the seven-time world champion a clear track ahead of him and allow him to exploit his fresh Soft tyres.
However, Charles Leclerc’s pit stop on lap 25 effectively blocked that opportunity. The Monegasque had just switched to Medium tyres, which were considerably less competitive than the Soft compound at that stage of the race. Nevertheless, surrendering track position would have meant losing more than three seconds to Ferrari’s rivals.
It was an unfortunate situation, especially considering that Ferrari had effectively created the problem itself by stopping Lewis Hamilton so early. Instead of allowing the two drivers’ different strategies to complement one another, the team found itself managing a situation in which one Ferrari was restricting the potential of the other.
The contrast between the two drivers’ tyre programmes can also be explored through the F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis, which provides a broader comparison of compound choices and stint lengths throughout the season.
Lewis Hamilton misses a crucial opportunity under the Safety Car
The neutralisation caused by Lance Stroll subsequently allowed Charles Leclerc to return to Soft tyres. More importantly, it also presented Lewis Hamilton with an opportunity to fit a fresh set for the closing stages of the Grand Prix.
However, the British driver chose to remain on track, compounding the difficulties that had begun several laps earlier. Lewis Hamilton eventually finished sixth after completing the race on a set of Soft tyres that had been used for 43 laps.
The decision proved particularly costly because the seven-time world champion had been in a position to fight for a podium finish. While victory was certainly beyond Ferrari’s reach, a double podium had appeared to be a realistic outcome before the strategic situation unravelled.
The decisive sequence, including Ferrari’s decision to pit Charles Leclerc while Lewis Hamilton remained out during the Virtual Safety Car, created a substantial difference in tyre performance between the two team-mates.
Charles Leclerc was able to benefit from fresher rubber, while Lewis Hamilton had to complete the final phase on increasingly worn tyres. The result left Ferrari with plenty to regret at the end of another race weekend in which its potential was not fully converted into championship points.
Kimi Antonelli approaches his first Formula 1 title opportunity in Austin
Kimi Antonelli’s excellent podium finish, combined with difficult weekends for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, means the Italian will arrive in Austin with his first mathematical opportunity to secure the Formula 1 World Championship.
The conditions required for Kimi Antonelli to clinch the title are extremely demanding. Nevertheless, the fact that the championship could potentially be decided so early demonstrates the extraordinary dominance established by the Mercedes driver, who was born in 2006.
Once again, even on a weekend when the Mercedes W17 did not appear to be working in his favour, Kimi Antonelli found a way to overcome the difficulties. The Italian delivered another strong performance and finished ahead of drivers who appeared to have greater outright speed.
His result at Marina Bay further strengthened his position in the championship and underlined his ability to maximise opportunities even when the car is not performing at its best.
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