Verstappen wins first Singapore Grand Prix

Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix for the first time on Sunday, finishing ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli at Marina Bay. The Red Bull driver led the closing laps, despite a radio that was breaking up, and brought home his maiden win at the circuit. Leclerc took second. Antonelli finished third and leads the drivers’ championship by 89 points. The podium was decided late, with Lewis Hamilton started third and was running there with 10 laps left, but his old soft tyres failed, and Ferrari’s strategy calls were widely questioned. “I’m losing these tyres, mate,” he told his team. On lap 54 Hamilton went wide at Turn One while defending from McLaren’s Lando Norris, and stayed ahead. That let Antonelli close up, and he passed Norris. A lap later Antonelli passed Hamilton for third, and Norris went through to take fourth. The stewards looked at Hamilton leaving the track and decided no further action was needed. Norris was fourth at the flag, with team-mate Oscar Piastri fifth. Piastri had been right behind Hamilton on the final laps, and Hamilton ended up sixth. Norris offered on the radio to help Piastri pass Hamilton, but his team told him to keep going. McLaren also warned him of a possible sensor problem under braking. Antonelli was warned repeatedly about track limits, with his engineer telling him “track limits, track limits, track limits”. He was not penalised in the stages covered and kept third. George Russell finished ninth after starting 19th. With 10 laps left, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly were also in the points, for Racing Bulls, Audi and Alpine.