Max Verstappen arrived at the Singapore Grand Prix wanting a win. By Sunday, he had one—and a weekend that made Red Bull look like it may have the fastest car on the Formula 1 grid again. “I want to win tomorrow,” he said after the sprint. A few hours later, he took pole position. Then he led the Grand Prix from start to finish.
There was more than one story unfolding in Singapore. The final sprint brought the season’s first real wet racing, adding a genuine change of conditions to a year that had yet to deliver it. But when qualifying and Sunday’s Grand Prix came around, Verstappen and Red Bull had a clearer opportunity to show what their latest changes could do.
The signs were promising. Red Bull’s car has recently been updated, and its power unit is described as having the strongest V6 in the field, even if its hybrid system may not be the best. That does not automatically make it the fastest package everywhere, but in Verstappen’s hands the combination now looks capable of setting the pace.
Verstappen started Sunday on pole, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton behind him. He kept the lead through the race, including after a tire stop that did not cost him first place. The car’s tire management helped, and Verstappen said racing in clean air—without another car immediately ahead—was a welcome change in Singapore.
There was a small but telling complication: Verstappen could hear his engineer over the radio, but his own replies were unintelligible. He still managed the race without surrendering the lead. That is not an argument for making team communications optional; it is a reminder of how much a driver and car have to handle at once, even when the lap times are going their way.
Verstappen credited the car’s improved behavior as much as its outright speed. “It’s just been more driveable and more predictable,” he said, adding that this was what he needed to “fight up front.” That distinction matters. A fast car that is difficult to trust can make every corner a negotiation. A predictable one lets a driver use its pace more consistently.
Across the last three races, Verstappen has scored two wins and a second place. One weekend does not prove Red Bull has solved every weakness, and the hybrid system remains a possible limitation. But Singapore offered a convincing result: pole, a lights-to-flag victory, and a car Verstappen says is easier to drive. Rivals now have to find out whether this was a circuit-specific high point or the start of a more serious shift in the fight at the front.
Sources: Glitch Please! and Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/10/f1-in-singapore-theres-a-new-fastest-car-now/ — Source article and quoted remarks from Max Verstappen
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