🏁 ‘Singapore finally surrendered to Max Verstappen.’
Pole, Sprint victory and Grand Prix victory gave Red Bull its cleanest weekend of the season. But the larger story may belong to Kimi Antonelli.
Third place moved him 102 points clear of George Russell.
Max won the weekend. Kimi may be edging towards the crown.
♔ Full Story
📍 ‘Singapore has long been one of Formula One’s more awkward examinations.
▪️Hot, humid, unforgiving and usually determined to make everyone look slightly unwell.’
▪️This year, Max Verstappen made it look irritatingly simple.
▪️On his 250th Grand Prix start, he took pole, won the Sprint and led every lap of the Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli.
▪️Red Bull’s recent revival now looks rather more than a flattering photograph.
♔ Why it matters:
▪️Verstappen has momentum, but Antonelli has the championship.
▪️The Mercedes driver extended his lead over George Russell to 102 points and could now seal the title in Austin.
▪️Ferrari showed pace but not perfection. Leclerc finished second, while Lewis Hamilton lost ground after missing a Virtual Safety Car pit opportunity.
▪️McLaren, meanwhile, had the sort of weekend team principals describe as ‘character-building’, which usually means two drivers have annoyed each other.
▪️The Sprint collision between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri received no penalty.
▪️But with McLaren now only seven points ahead of Red Bull, papaya diplomacy suddenly looks commercially important.
♔ The bottom line:
Verstappen reminded everyone he can still dominate.
📍 ‘Antonelli reminded everyone he may not need to.’
