The rain that fell just a few hours before the start of the Singapore Grand Prix had no impact on the race outcome. The track was completely dry by lights out, allowing drivers to comfortably complete the event with a single pit stop. The only variable, in most cases, came down to the initial tyre compound chosen on the starting grid.
Strategy recap
Before diving into the analysis, here’s a quick recap of the strategic picture. As anticipated earlier in the day (in agreement with Pirelli’s projections), the one-stop strategy was the most popular approach. The most successful combination turned out to be the Medium C4–Hard C3, adopted by race winner George Russell, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Oliver Bearman (all finishing in the top ten), along with Gabriel Bortoleto and Esteban Ocon.
Max Verstappen attempted a more aggressive start by opting for the Soft C5 compound before switching to the Hard tyres, but his plan did not pay off. The same strategy was followed by Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda, although neither managed to finish in the top ten.
Some of the most interesting one-stop strategies excluded the Hard compound entirely. Fernando Alonso, despite encountering an issue in the pits, managed to climb up to eighth place using a Soft–Medium combination (which later became seventh due to a five-second penalty issued to Lewis Hamilton). Lance Stroll and Franco Colapinto used the same strategy. Carlos Sainz also performed superbly on a Medium–Soft combination, finishing tenth after starting from the back of the grid — an impressive recovery drive. Alex Albon and Liam Lawson followed similar approaches.
Lewis Hamilton found himself on a two-stop strategy (Medium–Hard–Soft), taking advantage of a large gap over Alonso. The idea wasn’t bad, as in the final laps — despite the extra stop — he was close to attacking Antonelli for fifth place. Unfortunately, a braking issue dropped him to seventh, and after cutting the track while defending from Alonso, he received a penalty that demoted him to eighth. Pierre Gasly and Nico Hülkenberg were also on similar two-stop plans, though their second stops weren’t entirely by choice.
For the second year in a row, the Singapore Grand Prix ran without a single Safety Car period — quite an unusual occurrence for this circuit. Moreover, there were no retirements during the race.
Russell wins with ease, Verstappen takes the wrong gamble
The British driver of Mercedes delivered a flawless race. Once the lights went out, George Russell quickly pulled away from Max Verstappen, capitalizing on the superior grip of his Medium tyres while the Dutchman struggled on Softs. Even though Verstappen appeared slightly faster at times on the Hard compound later in the race, Russell managed the pace perfectly and never came under serious pressure.
Verstappen made two key errors. The first was starting on the Soft compound, which proved to be less effective than the Mediums. The second mistake was pitting too early for Hard tyres, which left him vulnerable in the second stint, while others who extended their first runs benefited from stronger pace later on. As a result, Verstappen couldn’t threaten Russell and instead had to focus on defending against Lando Norris.
It’s worth noting that overtaking in Singapore is notoriously difficult. After an early push from Lando Norris, McLaren mainly aimed to keep pressure on Verstappen from a distance. The British driver made only one real attempt in the closing laps, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome. In hindsight, since Verstappen had started on Softs, he might have been better off following Alonso’s example — extending the first stint and switching to Mediums for the closing phase. Judging by Alonso’s pace, that strategy could have been Verstappen’s only realistic chance to challenge Mercedes.
Ferrari with nothing to comment on…
For Ferrari, it was a forgettable race. The team stuck to a standard strategy and suffered from ongoing technical issues. There was potential in Lewis Hamilton’s case, as his initial plan could have secured a fifth-place finish, but brake troubles ultimately cost him dearly. The real concern for Scuderia Ferrari is that their problems are not confined to one specific area — there are several aspects in need of improvement.
Special mention for the Spanish drivers
In our view, the two best strategies of the day did not come from the top three finishers — who, notably, represented three different teams. The most competitive race plans were executed by Fernando Alonso (Soft–Medium) and Carlos Sainz (Medium–Soft), both for the reasons discussed earlier. The Medium C4 compound proved to be the optimal tyre for this circuit. Unsurprisingly, Alonso was voted Driver of the Day, although Sainz was equally deserving given his recovery from the back of the grid. His stint on the Medium tyres was particularly impressive, lasting a remarkable 50 laps.
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