Verstappen Wins His First Singapore Grand Prix as Antonelli Moves Closer to the Title

A Perfect Weekend for Verstappen

Max Verstappen had a perfect weekend in Singapore. He started first in both races, won the Saturday sprint race and then won the main race on Sunday. This was his first win at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Before this weekend, it was the only track on the current F1 calendar where he had never won.

The Red Bull driver started from pole position and stayed in front from the first lap to the last. He finished 7.335 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. It was his 250th Grand Prix and the 73rd win of his career. It was also his second win in a row, one week after he won in Malaysia.

Rain and Crashes in the Sprint Race

On Saturday, heavy rain hit the track before the sprint race. The start was delayed by about 30 minutes. George Russell of Mercedes passed Verstappen at the start, but he lost control near the end of the first lap and hit the barrier. Verstappen took the lead and won the race.

There was more drama on the last lap. McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri touched while fighting for position. Both cars spun, and Antonelli moved up to fourth place.

Antonelli Takes Another Step Toward the Title

Antonelli, 20, finished third on Sunday behind Verstappen and Leclerc. His teammate Russell had to start the main race from the back of the grid because of an engine penalty. Russell came back to finish ninth, but he scored only a few points.

Antonelli led Russell by 89 points after the sprint race, and the gap grew bigger after Sunday. With only six races left this season, the young Italian is now very close to becoming the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.

Other Results

McLaren’s Norris and Piastri finished fourth and fifth. Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari finished sixth after his tyre plan did not work. Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls was seventh, and Nico Hulkenberg of Audi was eighth.

The next race is the United States Grand Prix on October 25.