The 2026 GT4 America season came to an end with a double-header weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Actor-turned-racer Frankie Muniz was in position to win the championship, skipping multiple NASCAR races where he is a full-time Truck Series driver to chase the crown with co-driver Tyler Stone.

They entered the weekend with just one point over their closest competition, but a pair of runner-up finishes was enough to secure them the Am class title by 19 points over James Walker Jr. and James Clay. They started tenth in the finale, and had to fight their way up through the field.

The No. 30 TechSport Racing team ended 2026 with three race wins and seven podiums. They swept the weekend in Road America, and earned another victory in Race #2 at Barber Motorsports Park.

Frankie Muniz, Team Reaume

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

Muniz had to skip several NASCAR Truck races where he drives for Reaume to make this happen, and he was elated after the race. He was also the one to drive the car into the podium positions in the closing minutes of the race, passing a title rival in the process.

"I mean, going into this, I've never raced sports cars," said Muniz. "My first time ever in a GT4 car was for the first practice session at Sonoma. You know, I thank Ford Racing for pushing me in this direction. It was so incredible. I mean, I feel like halfway through the year, we really figured everything out and we won a few races and put ourselves in the position to win the championship.

"With yesterday, we had a great race. We finished second, had the lead in the points, but we had a kind of a bad break with the start. We had to start 10th today in class, so I didn't really know what was going to happen, but he [Stone] drove incredibly, handed me the car off, we had a clean pit stop, and now we are the champs. And this is the best feeling in the entire world for sure."

Muniz has worked on becoming a race car driver for nearly two decades, running three seasons in the Atlantic championship between 2007-2009, as well as making starts in Formula BMW and Mazda MX-5 Cup. He later broke into the upper levels of stock car racing in 2024. He has since made starts in two of the top three NASCAR divisions, and the ARCA Menards Series. He has been very open about his struggles and trying to keep a positive mindset despite the setbacks.

For those chasing their dreams, Muniz said: "I mean, definitely go for it. I know sometimes you have to take a leap and it's scary. You can't be afraid to fail. I mean, I feel like I failed. I mean, not failed, but it was a working process for 20 years, but it took me 20 years to feel this feeling of winning and being champions.  And thanks to Tyler and Texport Racing, Ford Racing. I love this so much. Thank you so much."

Stone got to watch from the pits as Muniz drove the car home. "First of all, I want to say thank you to the Lord and Savior for there was a lot of prayer between Frankie and I throughout the season, and I truly believe that's why we are here today," said Stone. "But as far as that, we had no idea. The way we started the season, we were on the podium. 
I think we got a second at Sonoma. We couldn't believe it, and we were like, oh my gosh, we actually could do this. Then early part of the season, we had some struggles, but then once we got to Road Atlanta, I think we hit our stride.

"Ford Racing, Tech Sport Racing, they put together an incredible car for us all season, and we just had to keep our heads up and keep fighting. I can't say enough about all the competitors in the AM class or just GT4 America period, but we have a really tight field and lots of good competitors out there, and kudos to all of them. They all did a great job. 
Everybody drove a great race, fairly clean race. It sounds like I have a lot of words, but I'm really lost for words right now, but I really can't believe it."

Frankie Muniz earns emotional win in GT4 America race with co-driver Tyler Stone

Frankie Muniz gives up NASCAR Truck seat to help teammate in selfless move

Lando Norris has conceded he “let down the team” when colliding with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in the sprint race of Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix.

The papaya cars clashed on the last lap of the 20-lap contest, as Norris dove down the inside of Piastri in Turn 5, eventually making contact with the sister MCL40’s right-rear tyre, which sent both of them into a spin. Instead of finishing fourth and fifth, the Briton dropped down to eighth and the Australian retired.

Team principal Andrea Stella branded the incident as “not acceptable” and said there would be talks to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Andrea Stella: Singapore F1 sprint collision between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri "simply not acceptable"

What's so "serious" for McLaren about the Norris-Piastri Singapore collision

Asked if he was expecting more chats and how they had gone so far, Norris said: “No, it's pretty straightforward.

“I can't attempt what I did. I should never have attempted in the first place, even if the move was on. I've got to think of the team that I represent more than myself.

“It was a mistake on my part, and I let down the team. I've also apologised to all of them, I owe them all an apology, and I will do better next time.”

This marked a noticeable shift from the reigning world champion’s initial stance on the clash, as he stated on Saturday afternoon: “It was a big gap, so I went for it. I have the right to do that. The rest, we go review as a team.”

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

“As good as we could achieve” on Sunday

Norris bounced back from his sprint setback with fourth place on Sunday, with a podium finish eluding him.

The McLaren driver was fifth until Kimi Antonelli, who was eight seconds up the road, opted for a second pitstop under the lap-39 virtual safety car.

Norris inherited fourth place, six seconds ahead of Antonelli, and was 13 seconds adrift of Lewis Hamilton, who was struggling on used soft tyres.

The 26-year-old caught the Ferrari in just 11 laps, but struggled to make a move stick and was overtaken by a resurgent Antonelli before he finally found a way past a defiant Hamilton.

Norris finished fourth, but the end of the race showed he couldn’t have matched the Silver Arrow’s new-tyre pace, as he ended up 16 seconds adrift on the finish line.

“The result was as good as we could achieve today,” Norris said. “I think I could have achieved it in a better way and at least put up a good fight with Kimi.

“Both me and Lewis obviously wanted to see who would brake later into [Turn] 1. He didn't even brake into [Turn] 1, so this kind of meant I was also going off. I could have put up a better fight with Kimi in that case and could have fought for a podium.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

“So I could have done a better job in trying to achieve the result we had today, but I think he would have passed me no matter what. Fourth was the best we could do today, so I'm happy I achieved that and we got some good points.”

Still, this won’t overshadow McLaren’s step back in the pecking order. This is a third consecutive podiumless race for the team, after Norris won the Hungarian and Dutch grands prix back-to-back in the summer.

Asked if he was feeling better for Austin, Norris pessimistically replied: “No, not really. The car is not quick enough and it's too difficult to drive. We're a long way off, so...”

Winward Mercedes driver Maro Engel does his job and wins the final race of the 2026 DTM season, but the title goes to Thomas Preining in the Manthey Porsche. The Austrian finishes third and, after 2023, crowns himself DTM champion for the second time in his career.

"It was a horror day today, especially with the late race, having to wait three hours longer," Preining says on ProSieben. "It's not exactly pleasant when you can basically only lose." The goal had been "to drive a clean race, without contact, and we managed that. I'm really proud of my team."

Engel celebrates the win, but not the title. "I put everything into this weekend and I think we can be proud of what we've done," the AMG driver says on ProSieben. "The joy outweighs everything. It was a fantastic race. Thanks to my guys, thanks to Mercedes-AMG."

Maro Engel wins, but only finishes runner-up

Engel is runner-up in the 2026 season. "As our founder of Mercedes-AMG once said, you don't have to become champion every year with Mercedes-AMG, but you should always be in a position to fight for the championship with it," he adds. "We did that again this year and we will keep fighting."

Manthey Porsche driver Ricardo Feller finishes second after being allowed through by Preining on the final lap. "I had cramp in my foot," the champion says with a smile. Land Porsche driver Bastian Buus, who had started the race from pole, finishes fourth. Ben Dorr (Dorr McLaren) takes fifth place.

Matteo Cairoli (Emil Frey Ferrari) finishes sixth, followed by Marco Wittmann. The Schubert BMW driver had also gone into the finale with title chances, but ultimately played no role. "You have the ambition, we fought until the very end and in the end we didn't have the chances to make anything happen there," he says on ProSieben.

"Nevertheless, you really have to congratulate Thomas, Manthey and Porsche, who really did an outstanding job, were extremely strong, made no mistakes and are deserved champions accordingly," says Wittmann. "And we simply weren't in a position to do anything against them."

Arjun Maini (HRT Ford) crosses the finish line eighth, while Marco Mapelli in the Abt Lamborghini and Mirko Bortolotti (Grasser Lamborghini) complete the top 10.

Thomas Preining makes perfect race start

Preining pursuer Engel was under pressure in the finale, because only a win would have given the AMG driver any chance of taking the title in the final sprint. Starting third, the German therefore worked his way up to second over the course of the opening lap, while polesitter Buus initially took the lead.

Preining made a good start and immediately gained several places from seventh on the grid. After just a few corners he was already in third place, closely followed by Manthey team-mate Feller. The third title contender, Wittmann, also made up ground in the midfield and was quickly in the top 7, before making no further progress.

Engel could no longer count on support at the front as the race went on, because team-mate Jules Gounon had to park his Winward Mercedes at the end of the opening lap after a collision with Thierry Vermeulen (Emil Frey Ferrari). That left Engel as the only AMG driver in the leading group.

Maro Engel snatches the lead from Buus

Shortly before the first pit stop, the fight for the lead intensified, as Engel had closed the gap to leader Buus. The Land Porsche driver defended his position by all means, especially at the hairpin. That also allowed Preining and Feller to close in, creating a four-car pack at the front.

Just like the previous day, when the AMG driver had forced his way past Wittmann with a hard attack, Engel also launched a risky overtaking move in the final race of the year. He barged past the Land Porsche with contact and took the lead.

Unlike the previous day, the move on Buus was hard but not unfair, because the Dane did not have to leave the track. Nevertheless, the Land Porsche dropped back to third behind Preining as a result of the attack, before Buus headed in for his first mandatory pit stop. Preining then set off in pursuit of Engel.

The Manthey driver stopped a little later, before his title rival, who, however, headed into the pits just one lap later. Unlike the previous day, the Winward squad's stop was perfect this time. The AMG driver was therefore able to defend his lead despite Preining's undercut.

Manthey Porsche driver Preining takes no risks

The Austrian had the advantage in the finale that he was being followed by Manthey team-mate Feller as well as fellow Porsche driver Buus, and therefore at least did not have to fear an attack from behind. He basically only had to bring his position home over the distance.

That was not changed by Engel being able to extend his lead to four seconds before the second stop. Light rain even began during the second pit-stop window, but it was not enough to add extra tension or even prompt a switch to wet tyres.

Preining again headed into the pits for his second tyre change one lap before his title rival. But the second stop also brought no changes: Engel held his lead ahead of the Manthey Porsche driver, who understandably took no risks on cold tyres.

In the closing stages, the Austrian received further cover from team-mate Feller, who was actually faster but did not want to launch an attack. On the final lap, Preining then let the Swiss driver through without a fight. AMG driver Maro Engel had done his duty with his victory, but in the end still missed out on his first DTM title.

Manthey also wins the teams' championship this year ahead of Winward and Schubert. Only in the manufacturers' standings can Mercedes-AMG celebrate the title. Porsche takes second place in that classification, followed by BMW and Ferrari.

The DTM now heads into the winter break. The 2027 season opener takes place from April 23 to 25, 2027 at the Red-Bull-Ring in Austria.

There were still two races on the current Formula 1 calendar missing from Max Verstappen's list of victories: the Madring and the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Given that F1 only visited the street circuit in Madrid for the first time this year, that is understandable, but Singapore has proved to be Red Bull's Achilles' heel for years.

Until this season. In 2026, Verstappen was dominant in Singapore, claiming two pole positions and two victories over the sprint weekend. On Sunday, the main focus was on the start – a major headache for Red Bull this year – although Verstappen managed to hold his position this time.

“The start was critical, and it was just good enough. Again, something was not particularly right at the start, so I need to understand what went wrong there”, Verstappen revealed.

F1 Singapore GP: Max Verstappen dominates for Marina Bay double

“Before releasing the clutch, it didn't feel good. Then we had a few laps with some deployment issues, so that's where Charles almost got me into Turn 7. Once we had cleared the deployment problems, it was fine.”

According to Verstappen, those starting problems were different from what he had experienced in recent weeks. On those occasions, things had gone wrong when he released the clutch, but this time the problem had already emerged at an earlier stage.

“I need to understand what went on with the engine before even dropping the clutch, because I think that did hurt my start. It was again not fantastic, you can say that.”

Afterwards, Verstappen braked late on the outside line and also managed to survive the deployment issues. That meant the threat from his rivals had passed, although the Dutchman still had to deal with another inconvenience for the remainder of the race: his radio was not working properly.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Getty Images

The four-time world champion could still hear the team, but his responses were unintelligible.

“Maybe GP was happy that it was not working!” Verstappen laughed in the post-race press conference.

“I couldn't really say anything. He did try at one point to ask me a few things in code, and I think he understood well what I meant or what I didn’t want! But it's never nice. I've been having difficulties with my radio already the whole season, and this weekend has been particularly bad.”

It meant Lambiase had to get creative to obtain Verstappen's input. In the closing stages of the race, he asked the Dutchman to remain silent if he wanted to make another pitstop in the event of a safety car, and to press the radio button if he preferred to maintain track position.

Team principal Laurent Mekies clarified that these radio problems were entirely on Red Bull's side and were not related to any wider technical issues in Singapore.

“I don’t think it’s the circumstances, no, I think it’s on our side”, Mekies said on Sunday night.

“It was not the same issue as in FP1, but it was a little bit painful. These cars are complicated and there is a huge amount of dialogue that needs to happen between the drivers and engineers. But as you have seen, GP found his ways to communicate with Max and vice versa when it mattered.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images

“Of course, it's something that we take seriously like everything else. And I'm sure we will come back with a strong solution for it, because it could cost you decisive time in crucial moments.”

Hart to replace Lambiase as Verstappen's race engineer in Austin

As a reward for all his efforts, Red Bull sent Lambiase onto the podium alongside Verstappen, which also came as a surprise to the four-time world champion.

“Yeah, I didn't expect that. I remember he said to me last year in Vegas, "This might be the last time I'm on the podium." I said, "Don't be silly, we're going to win much more." But I almost jinxed myself there, I guess!” Verstappen laughed.

Winners and losers from F1's Singapore Grand Prix

“It was just super nice that they sent him up. We all know that he is leaving, but I think it was very special to share the podium on a track that we had not won together. So yeah, very nice to see him up there.”

At the same time, Red Bull is planning the transition to Verstappen's future race engineer, Tom Hart. He was initially set to join Williams as Alexander Albon's race engineer, but when Verstappen made his preference for Lambiase's successor known internally, Red Bull did everything it could to reverse that move and retain Hart – successfully.

There is no official date yet for when Hart will permanently take over from Lambiase, although Red Bull is in discussions with McLaren about Lambiase's start date and his gardening leave. The timing of the transition partly depends on those arrangements, with 2027 theoretically emerging as a logical outcome.

Before that happens, Hart and Verstappen will already have several race weekends to become more familiar with working together. Red Bull has confirmed to Motorsport.com that Hart will serve as Verstappen's race engineer in Austin, Brazil and Las Vegas, replacing Lambiase in that role.

The team added that Lambiase will still be present at the circuit during those weekends, carrying out his duties as Head of Racing.

The last leg of a brutal triple-header can really go either way. As fatigue accumulates around the paddock, there is often the potential for political intrigue, bickering and human error.

Off the track, things were relatively well behaved over the Singapore weekend, but a few drivers will be wishing they had made different decisions.

Winner: Gianpiero Lambiase

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images

You may have rightly expected the name of Max Verstappen to headline this week's edition, but on what may turn out to be a historic weekend for Red Bull, it's fair to pass the flowers onto the Dutchman's trusted race engineer.

As Verstappen put Red Bull's vastly improved car to good use to snare a controlled victory on the team's historical bogey track, Red Bull's choice to push a tearful Lambiase onto the podium to receive the constructors' trophy is significant because it may well be the Briton's very last win as Verstappen's race engineer.

F1 Singapore GP: Max Verstappen dominates for Marina Bay double

As is well known by now, Lambiase will be phased out at Red Bull ahead of his eventual McLaren move, with Tom Hart his replacement. Hart will already take over the microphone for a number of races later this season, so despite Red Bull's upturn in form there is no guarantee that the formidable Verstappen-Lambiase combo will add to its tally of 73 grand prix wins.

If this is it for one of the most successful pairings in F1 history, then Verstappen and Lambiase went out in style by sweeping the Singapore sprint weekend, with the radio system hiccup adding a comedic note to an emotional evening.

Loser: Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Getty Images

Sat in a packed lounge in Ferrari's hospitality, team boss Fred Vasseur clearly felt a bit cornered after the latest barrage of questions on the team's Singapore strategy.

There appears to be no easier team to blame for its race strategy than Ferrari, and some of that reputation is of course steeped in precedent. But far from the madding crowd on social media, there was some logic to what Ferrari was trying to do in Singapore. It split the strategies of soft-starter Charles Leclerc and medium-runner to put some pressure on Verstappen, and when that proved in vain, it was still in a good position to consolidate a double podium.

The main problem was that the medium tyre was particularly rubbish in Singapore, something McLaren recognised by putting both of its drivers on softs, and perhaps something Ferrari could have snuffed out too. But getting Hamilton off the worn medium tyre early was therefore an inevitable consequence.

Why Ferrari caved in to Lewis Hamilton’s failed Singapore F1 gamble

The main mistake today was made by Hamilton himself, who was called in for a double-stack pitstop under a virtual safety car by refusing to come in. If he had done so, the team would have likely secured second and third, with Hamilton instead taking responsibility for limping home in sixth on an excessively long stint on soft tyres.

"Did you ask this many questions to McLaren, yesterday?" Vasseur bristled.

Loser: Lando Norris

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

Actually... yes, Fred. We did!

This column is predominantly weighted towards the result on Sundays, and we don't want to give sprint races any more importance than they really need to get. But Saturday's coming together on the final lap of the 20-lap sprint, through a half-hearted lunge by Lando Norris on team-mate Oscar Piastri, was a very unwelcome return of the papaya rules saga and felt particularly unnecessary given what little was at stake.

On Sunday, Norris appeared to show more contrition and self-reflection, commenting on his first, botched overtake attempt on Hamilton that it was one of several poor decisions he had taken over the weekend.

Team principal Stella commented that the Norris he saw on Sunday - offering his services to help back Hamilton into Piastri - was a hell of a lot closer to the one he wanted to see going forward. Having said that, the Italian also confirmed there will be more conversations heading into the United States Grand Prix weekend to flush Singapore out of the team's collective system.

What's so "serious" for McLaren about the Norris-Piastri Singapore collision

"I can't attempt what I did," Norris told the press after the race. "I should never have attempted it in the first place, even if the move was on. I've got to think more of the team I represent than myself. It was a mistake on my part, and I let down the team."

Winner: Kimi Antonelli

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Jayce Illman / Getty Images

Asked if he was happy Verstappen isn't much closer to him in the standings than he is right now, Antonelli replied: "Yeah, I know, because it would be very scary. It would be very, very scary."

Even when he's on the verge of winning the championship, which he could theoretically pull off the next race in Austin, Kimi Antonelli refuses to get overly excited.

What we saw earlier in the season was the first phase of Kimi Antonelli's coming of age. Pure domination from pole to flag with the best car in the field. The next phase arrived when he longer had the car to beat, and was forced into a damage-limiting role which required more maturity.

The 20-year-old's outstanding recovery drive in Baku already spoke volumes about how far he has come, and there was more of the same in Malaysia and Singapore, even if it was less flashy.

How can Kimi Antonelli become world champion at F1 US GP?

What's also refreshing about the Italian youngster is that he's not persisting with the usual bogus lines people tend to trot out in his position. "One race at a time, not thinking about the title yet, anything can happen."

Antonelli acknowledged his maiden title is around the corner now, and uses it as motivation to stay sharp and keep firing on all cylinders rather than fooling himself, pretending it doesn't exist. "For sure. I know it's very close, I know it's there," he said.

"But I just need to make sure that I keep doing the best I can. This weekend I haven't particularly driven that well. I felt like I could have done a better job. But I feel confident that I have a week to reset. If I don't do my job well, then the result won't come. So in order to achieve what I want, I need to perform. It's as simple as that."

Loser: Honda

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

We all know the correct answer here is Aston Martin, and regular readers will also know we don't like to keep kicking the same hard-working people when they're down. However, this is a circuit that should have suited the combination of the AMR26 and the Honda engine, but that doesn't count for much when the latter doesn't work as it should.

The entire weekend was hampered by power unit-related issues which meant neither Fernando Alonso nor Lance Stroll could really compete, triggering pitlane start for both drivers from which there was no recovery.

It really was a poor follow-up to what was a much more promising weekend in Malaysia which yielded points for Alonso, and other circuits may not be offering the same opportunities.

With Andrea Kimi Antonelli rapidly closing in on the 2026 world drivers' championship and veteran George Russell battling through relentless grid penalties on the opposite side of the garage, the internal dynamics at the Mercedes F1 Team could easily fracture under the pressure. However, team principal Toto Wolff has actively engineered a garage culture strictly built on equal treatment to prevent the intense toxicity that often destroys championship-winning squads.

The foundation for Wolff's fiercely transparent management style stems directly from a revealing grid conversation he had with four-time world champion Alain Prost regarding his legendary, bitter rivalry with Ayrton Senna at McLaren.

The dangers of hidden favouritism

During Wolff's early years in the Formula 1 paddock as an executive at Williams, he approached Prost to understand exactly how the relationship between two generational talents completely deteriorated.

"It was very early in my Formula 1 life; I was at Williams," Wolff revealed. "I said to him, I saw it on TV the whole thing, and I said how did that escalate between the two of you almost in a naive way, because I didn't understand the dynamics between the two drivers."

Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

According to Prost, the core issue was a complete lack of transparency from the pitwall regarding equal status.

"He said the problem was that you never knew whether you were favoured," Wolff recounted. "He said at times I felt that, you know, it was me... and then at different stages of the years it was Senna who was favoured. And he said that created a dynamic of mistrust in the team, and you felt that your direct opponent may be given advantages."

Engineering emotional equality

Because modern racing drivers spend their formative years relying entirely on individual survival instincts in highly pressurised junior series, Wolff believes a team principal must actively provide a secure, balanced psychological environment where favouritism doesn't exist.

"At the end, the drivers are little traumatised eight-year-olds that were put in a go-kart," Wolff explained. "They were scared; it was a parent's dream that they were chasing. It's wet, and you need to race, and then eventually you end up in Formula 1, and they tell you, you know, now you have to play the team game."

To prevent the mistrust that destroyed the Prost-Senna dynamic, Wolff established a strict rule of absolute honesty and equality inside the Mercedes garage.

"You need to feel emotionally protected by the team," Wolff stated. "If you don't do that and you keep it transparent and balanced, that can create moments where the driver just loses confidence."

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

If the team ever needs to officially pivot its strategy and explicitly favour Antonelli over Russell to secure the 2026 Drivers' Championship, Wolff guarantees he will not hide the strategy behind closed doors or vague radio messages. Both sides of the garage will be informed openly and equally.

"From that learning for me, it was OK; I can never do that. I need to be transparent," Wolff declared. "And if one day we decide to play the team game in whatever form, I will say so. I will say, these are the rules now, and we'll be very open and transparent. And if we have a discussion because the driver disagrees... then fine, let's have the discussion."

By ensuring neither driver ever has to guess where they stand in the internal hierarchy, Wolff intends to keep the Mercedes garage completely unified as they head into the final rounds of the season.

Mercedes has a new upgrade for it to analyse, but team principal Toto Wolff has briefly turned his focus to Red Bull who have shown incredible improvement over the last few races. The Austrian believes the gains have come from three aspects: the car, the development path, and Max Verstappen - a driver who has the ability to extract everything from what he's driving.

The Brackley outfit is yet to determine whether its recent upgrade package has delivered the performance they expected. Malaysia's track conditions meant it was difficult for the team to draw any reliable conclusions on its new components, meaning Singapore became the next test bed as the team split its drivers. Kimi Antonelli had the new package plus a new front wing, and Russell ran the old set-up.

Red Bull has the results Mercedes wants

Changes made by Red Bull for the Azerbaijan race were quite substantial. There were updates to the floor, diffuser, sidepods, mirrors and the halo to create more aerodynamic load, and the team's subsequent form has been off the back of this.

Max Verstappen took his first win of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, and with a second consecutive grand prix win this Sunday in Singapore, Wolff has commented on whether he believes the Milton Keynes outfit is now the benchmark team.

“Really you need to take your hat off to what Red Bull has done this season," he said. "How they have developed the car and how it's all come together as a package and then you put Max Verstappen in the car and when he feels that this thing is driving like he wants it to drive then you know these are the results.

"So in by far the quickest guy today, has been the quickest guy in quali and let's see if, you know, when our upgrade hopefully starts to work and land in a place where we think it should be, whether we can be competitive against him.

"But one thing is for sure, next year it's full on the fight between the teams and Red Bull is part of that.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Wolff comments on new upgrade package

Wolff gave his evaluation of the upgrade package after a sprint weekend of running at the hands of the championship leader.

"When we entered the weekend we made the highly earlier order to do the unusual move in a cutting edge technology business to have two different cars because we felt we need to accelerate our learning curve, and that was good. But fundamentally looking back at the race now at the end of the weekend, I think that this new car needs a very different set-up philosophy than the previous car and this is what we're learning at the moment.

"Was it an easy car today like the previous one? I don't think it was does it have the performance that we were hoping the upgrade would bring? I don't think so yet.

"But it was a step in the right direction and in Austin we should see whether we can continue to consolidate that and whether in effect it has more performance because it's crucial for the development direction for next year."

How Kimi Antonelli will cope with pressure of clinching F1 title at US GP

Toto Wolff delivers brutal verdict on F1’s overtaking after Russell’s Singapore nightmare

How can Kimi Antonelli become world champion at F1 US GP?

As Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur faced the media following Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix, the hot topic was Lewis Hamilton.

Most of the questions revolved around the unsuccessful strategy that saw Hamilton collapse from third to sixth in the Marina Bay race, as he stayed out under the VSC to complete a mammoth 44-lap stint on soft tyres.

Across the last 22 of those, following the neutralisation, Hamilton haemorrhaged 2.5s a lap on average relative to Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc. That is how he ended up sixth behind Kimi Antonelli and the McLarens.

With the unwell Briton exempted from his post-race media commitments to visit the medical centre instead, Vasseur faced scrutiny from journalists keen to establish how that decision was made to the highest level of detail. And the Frenchman wasn’t enjoying that prospect; he even interrupted the first question, suggesting it wasn’t necessarily “the big event of the weekend”.

Lewis Hamilton takes blame for poor Singapore GP strategy

Regardless, Hamilton’s post-race radio apology made it clear that he had made the call to stay out during the VSC – so how exactly did that discussion pan out?

“[It] was very clear,” Vasseur insisted. “We were P2-P3 on the track. We called two cars, ‘Guys, you pit behind the VSC’. One of my guys said, ‘No, I prefer to stay on track’. Or he didn’t say – he said, ‘I missed the pit entry’.

“Don't blame the team.”

Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari

Photo by: Anni Graf - Formula 1 via Getty Images

Vasseur, who was yet to speak to his driver, said Hamilton’s decision was “clearly a mistake”, doubling down on what he previously told broadcasters.

But is it OK for a driver to override the team’s strategy, given he does not have the same exhaustive data and global view as engineers do?

“When you see the outcome, it was not a good call,” Vasseur admitted. “But on the other hand, quite often you are also telling us that we have to listen to the drivers, because they are into the car, they have the feeling with their tyres and so on.

“But I think on this one it was clear for me. But I have also to respect their feeling when they are into the car.”

Hamilton: “A painful lesson today”

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Ferrari subsequently provided a statement from Hamilton – making up for his absence in the post-race media pen – in which the seven-time world champion described the setback as a “painful lesson”.

“Today wasn’t the result we were looking for and it was on me,” Hamilton was quoted as saying. “At a track that’s difficult to overtake, you need to try something different and I chose to start on a new medium tyre, to go long and try to make a one-stop work. Unfortunately, the medium didn’t perform as well as the soft.

“I had a good second stint and the pace was back, but I couldn’t make the progress I needed. Under the VSC, the team called me in but I missed the entry. After that, I decided to stay out and try to hold track position to the end but, in the closing laps, I was struggling massively with tyre degradation and lost three places, finishing P6, which doesn't reflect the pace we had in the car today.

“A painful lesson today, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made. Not every call will work out, and I can accept getting it wrong but I’m sorry for the team for the points we lost today. They put so much into every weekend, and I wanted to deliver more for them.

“I’ll continue to put the work in and come back fighting at the next race.”

Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli has vowed to keep the same mindset for the United States Grand Prix, where he could clinch his maiden world title.

The Mercedes driver has been the dominant performer of 2026 as he holds a 102-point gap over team-mate George Russell in second, thanks to 14 podiums including eight wins.

Antonelli’s most recent result was third at Singapore on Sunday and it means he now has his first opportunity of clinching the title at Circuit of the Americas next time out.

To do so he must win and hope Russell finishes ninth or lower with anything else most likely taking the fight to Mexico at the end of October, so the chances of it happening in Austin are slim.

How can Kimi Antonelli become world champion at F1 US GP?

When asked at Marina Bay if he will be thinking of the title at Austin, the 20-year-old replied: “For sure. But at the same time, I know it's very close, I know it's there, but I just need to make sure that I keep doing the best I can.

“The mindset is always the same to go out there and win and perform the best way I can. I think this weekend I haven't particularly driven that well. I felt like I could have done a better job.

“But I feel confident that, you know, a week to reset and I'm really looking forward to be back in Austin.

“At the end of the day, if I don't do my job well, then the result won't come. So in order to achieve what I want, I need to perform as simple as that.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

The foundations of his title charge came early in the season as Mercedes made a dominant start to the regulation switch by winning the opening six rounds from pole, Antonelli taking five victories.

Ferrari and McLaren subsequently fitted various upgrades to close the gap, meaning Antonelli won only three of the next nine rounds before a Baku update in September saw Red Bull enter the fray.

Max Verstappen has therefore won the last two races from pole, as well as the Singapore sprint, while Mercedes is still trying to figure out the update it brought to Sepang last weekend.

So Antonelli can be thankful that Red Bull made a slow start to the year, with just one podium in the opening five rounds, otherwise the threat from four-time world champion Verstappen would be higher.

“It would be very scary,” he told Sky Sports, when asked about the possibility of Verstappen being less than 119 points behind at this stage.

“It would be very, very scary. But all in all I feel like we're doing a great job. At the end, you look at the season and we've always been there.

“So obviously we've had a great car and now we're trying to understand this new package but I'm very proud of the team this weekend because we pushed through the difficulties and we started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“So it's just a matter of time. Now we go back to Austin again. A normal weekend, standard weekend, where we can hopefully do a lot of changes and understand more of this package.”

Lewis Hamilton takes blame for poor Singapore GP strategy

Following a punishing 62-lap battle under the extreme heat and humidity of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Scuderia Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton was completely absent from the mandatory post-race media pen.

A medical exemption

A Ferrari spokesperson has officially confirmed that the seven-time world champion required immediate medical attention after stepping out of the SF-26 cockpit. 

"A Ferrari spokesperson says that Hamilton felt unwell after the race and was seen by the FIA medical team," Luke Smith reported. As a direct result of his physical condition, Hamilton was explicitly granted permission by the governing body to skip all of his standard post-race media obligations. 

Online racing publication RacingNews365 also verified the Ferrari garage statement, noting that the intense physical rigours of the gruelling street circuit forced the veteran driver to be thoroughly checked over by track doctors.

The cost of a strategy error

The intense physical toll of the Singapore climate was massively compounded by a critical strategic blunder made directly by Hamilton mid-race. After actively ignoring a pit call from the Ferrari pitwall during a late virtual safety car period, Hamilton was forced to wrestle his car around the demanding layout on heavily degraded, older tyres.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

That severe lack of grip left him completely powerless to defend his track position in the closing stages of the grand prix. Hamilton violently plummeted down the running order, getting steamrolled by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli and both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. After initially running comfortably in the podium places, he ultimately crossed the finish line in a highly disappointing sixth place.

Interestingly, this is not the first time the suffocating Marina Bay climate has physically broken the British driver. During the 2024 campaign, both Hamilton and his then-Mercedes team-mate George Russell also felt severely unwell following the chequered flag in Singapore.

It has been very clear from early on that Kimi Antonelli will become Formula 1 world champion in 2026 after an impressively dominant year for the Mercedes driver.

The 20-year-old has made a huge jump from his up-and-down rookie campaign and with five, consecutive wins from round two to six, Antonelli has been the man to beat virtually all season.

Now, the first chance for him to wrap up the title is finally in sight next time out in Austin with a 102-point gap over team-mate George Russell in second.

If he were to clinch the title at the United States Grand Prix, then Antonelli will have become champion with five rounds remaining - one shy of the record held by Michael Schumacher from 2002.

Here is how he could do it.

How many drivers can still win the F1 2026 world title?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Although it is clear which way the title is going, six drivers are still in mathematical contention due to there being 150 points left available in the 2026 campaign.

That leaves Antonelli, Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris all with some kind of chance of winning the championship as 139 points separates the top six in the standings. 

How Antonelli becomes F1 world champion at US GP

Considering it is 25 points for a grand prix win and there are five rounds after Austin, Antonelli must hold an advantage of at least 125 points to become champion. That is the maximum total available post-Texas but because the Italian is on eight victories for the season, Russell is next on three, then he could clinch the crown on countback of wins.

An example of that is the most straightforward way for Antonelli to become world champion: winning the US GP, while Russell finishes ninth or lower. Although it is quite unlikely, that would nevertheless leave a 125-point gap between the Mercedes duo with Antonelli taking it on countback.

If Russell finishes 10th at Austin, then Antonelli would still need to win the race to become champion that day. Eighth or higher for the Briton and the non-existent title fight goes to Mexico at the end of October.

For Hamilton to remain in contention, the Ferrari driver cannot be outscored by 14 or more points in the United States. So if Antonelli wins, Hamilton must finish at least fourth and if the Mercedes driver is second, the seven-time world champion needs seventh or above.

For Verstappen - the man in form with two wins on the bounce in yet another late resurgence from Red Bull - to be put out of title contention, then Antonelli simply needs to outscore the Red Bull driver by at least six points.

So if the Mercedes driver takes to the top step in Texas, that is enough to end all hopes for Verstappen. Should Antonelli take second, then fourth or below would put the four-time world champion out of it.

It is much simpler when it comes to Antonelli versus Leclerc and Norris, because not losing any points to them would put both out of contention. 

The data above is in line with the current calendar, where the season would end with the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.

Photos from F1 Singapore GP - Sunday

Lewis Hamilton takes blame for poor Singapore GP strategy

We continue our 'Kyle Busch Remembered' series with his most iconic moments from Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he won 18 races between Cup, O'Reilly and Trucks.

Busch went on to earn a record 234 career NASCAR national series wins -- more than any other driver in history. His final victory came just days before his unexpected death at the age of 41 in May. He was preparing for the upcoming weekend's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte at the GM Technical Center in Charlotte when he suffered a severe medical emergency as his pneumonia progressed into sepsis.

In honor of Busch, we've been highlighting his most impressive, memorable, or even infamous moments at whatever track is up next on the NASCAR Cup schedule. 

Previously, we covered Atlanta, Sonoma, Nashville, Michigan, Pocono, Chicagoland,Indianapolis, Richmond, New Hampshire, Daytona, Darlington, Gateway, Bristol, Kansas, and his home track of Las Vegas -- which you can find by clicking the names of each track as mentioned.

NASCAR returns to Charlotte this weekend, and Busch''s 11-year-old son Brexton drove his father's Cup car in a special ceremony on Friday at the track. 

And now, here's a look back at Rowdy's most memorable Charlotte moments from over the years:

Brexton Busch drives NASCAR Cup RCR No. 8 in touching tribute to father Kyle

Kyle Busch Charlotte NASCAR Stats

NASCAR CUP: 37 starts / 1 win / 3 poles / 16 top fives / 22 top tens / 1487 laps led

O'REILLY: 27 starts / 9 wins / 2 poles / 19 top fives / 23 top tens / 1509 laps led

TRUCKS:  16 starts / 8 wins / 3 poles / 13 top fives / 18 top tens / 789 laps led

NASCAR Cup 2018: History-making Coca-Cola 600 win

In 37 Cup starts at Charlotte, KB only has one points-paying win at the track. That victory came in dominant fashion in 2018, collecting a crown jewel as he won the Coca-Cola 600. He started from pole, leading a remarkable 377 of 400 laps (565.5 of 600 miles) en route to the victory. Busch also swept all the stages, and by winning the race, made history as the first driver to win at every active track on the schedule. That later changed when new circuits were added in the years that followed, but it was still wildly impressive. "Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of this" said KB after the win.

NASCAR Cup 2017: All-Star Race victory

Busch earned his lone victory in the All-Star Race in 2017, when the event was still held at Charlotte. He restarted third for the final stage, and immediately went three-wide for the lead on the restart. It was a super aggressive pass on Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson, but it was the winning move as he held the lead for the remainder of the final ten-lap sprint.

Other All-Star Race moments (2007, 2009, 2010): Epic battle, teammate feud, clashing with brother

In the 2007 Charlotte All-Star Race, Kyle clashed with his older brother, Kurt. The infamous encounter took place with 19 laps left in the race. Kyle got alongside Kurt in the battle for second, and the two brothers slammed doors down into Turn 1. Kyle lost control and spun, taking Kurt with him. The brothers were so angry about it, they didn't reconcile until a forced Thanksgiving sitdown months later. 

But that was far from KB's only wild moment in NASCAR's All-Star Race at Charlotte. In 2009, he was in the middle of a three-wide battle for the win, which ended in contact as he, Jeff Gordon, and Ryan Newman collided at the exit of Turn 1. One year after that, Busch had a run-in with teammate Denny Hamlin in the All-Star Race. Battling for the lead, Hamlin squeezed Busch and he hit the wall. After exiting the race, he angrily climbed from the car and walked into his teammate's hauler, saying on the radio: "Someone better keep me away from Denny Hamlin after this race..."

Sounding off (NASCAR Truck 2018 & NASCAR Cup 2017) 'Pure talent' and mad after mileage loss

Busch was always good for a soundbite, and a couple of his more infamous ones happened at Charlotte. During the 2018 Truck race, he had to claw back from multiple pit road issues, including two penalties. He went on to finish second, and as we all know, KB hates to lose. When asked post-race about how he managed such a comeback, he said: "Pure talent. That's about it. My pit crew did absolutely nothing to help me out tonight. My truck drove like sh*t, and these splitters are absolutely horrendous. You can't pass in traffic, you can't race alongside anybody, you can't get within five truck lengths of no one but somehow, someway, I was able to get back to the front. Had a blast."

The previous year, he finished second in the Coca-Cola 600. He lost only because Austin Dillon stretched the fuel to pull off an unexpected win. When asked if he was surprised and his thoughts on Dillon's first win, Busch curtly replied: "I'm not surprised about anything. Congratulations." He then promptly dropped the mic to the ground in a presser that lasted less than 60 seconds.

Truck and O'Reilly domination at Charlotte (and becoming the youngest winner in Truck Series history)

Kyle Busch victory circle

Photo by: Kurt Dahlstrom

This isn't about a particular moment, but we wanted to highlight just how impressive KB was in the lower divisions at Charlotte. Between 2004 and 2020, he won nine O'Reilly races at Charlotte -- the site of both his second and 97th wins at that level, winning a total of 102 races in the series during his career. He won four out of five races there between 2008 and 2009, finishing third in the only race he lost during that time frame.

It's a similar story in Trucks, winning eight races there between 2005 and 2019, including four out of five at one point in the early 2010s. His very first of 60 NASCAR Truck Series wins came at Charlotte, leading 77 of 135 laps there in 2005 while driving the No. 15 for Billy Ballew. By winning that race at just 20 years old, he broke Ricky Hendrick's record as the youngest winner in Truck Series history. That record has since fallen as well, but at the time, it was unusual young driver school the veterans of the Truck Series.

Behind the scenes of how 11-year-old Brexton Busch prepared for NASCAR Cup burnouts

Watch: Brexton Busch honors dad Kyle with burnout, signature bow

The 2026 Singapore Grand Prix provided wildly contrasting fortunes for the Mercedes F1 Team. While Andrea Kimi Antonelli charged from fourth on the grid to secure a podium finish, his veteran team-mate George Russell was trapped in a grueling, frustrating battle at the very back of the pack.

Following a catastrophic engine failure at the previous round in Sepang, Mercedes was forced to equip Russell's W17 with entirely new internal combustion components, alongside a brand new Energy Store and Control Electronics Unit in Singapore. The massive component change triggered a staggering 60-place grid penalty, forcing Russell to start 19th on the tight, twisting street circuit.

The dirty air trap

While Russell managed to execute several aggressive overtakes during the opening laps, his forward momentum violently stalled once he reached the tightly bunched midfield train.

When asked by Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz if finishing outside the heavy points was simply the absolute maximum Russell could have extracted from the compromised weekend, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff agreed, citing a massive, structural flaw with modern Formula 1 cars racing on street tracks.

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

"Yeah, it's so difficult to overtake. I mean, he pulled off some really great moves," Wolff explained. "But then at the end, it's just converging with the performance. And even a car that is a second or second and a half off the pace, you just can't overtake."

Because the Marina Bay layout lacks long, sweeping straights, cars trailing in dirty air suffer severe aerodynamic penalties, creating an incredibly high "overtaking delta." As Wolff noted, unless a driver possesses a massive tyre advantage, passing a defensively positioned car is mathematically impossible, even if the leading car is significantly slower on raw pace.

Upgrade vindication

While Russell's race was ruined by the massive starting penalty and the circuit's structural overtaking limitations, the Mercedes pitwall is leaving Southeast Asia with a massive technical victory.

After weeks in which Mercedes struggled to balance its controversial aerodynamic upgrade package - even running split car specifications to gather data - Antonelli's hard-fought podium finally proved the new floor and wing elements are working as intended.

George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

"Yeah, it was a difficult race," Wolff stated regarding Antonelli's drive. "And with the whole update issue, I think finally we saw what the car is able to do. Obviously, when you're fourth on the road, it's quite difficult to recover here in Singapore. But I'm happy what he did today. I'm happy about the result."

With the upgrades officially dialled in and Russell's fresh power unit now safely embedded into his seasonal pool, Mercedes will head to the United States Grand Prix heavily armed for the final six races of the 2026 campaign.

Photos from F1 Singapore GP - Sunday

Scuderia Ferrari pushed Red Bull Racing to the absolute limit under the Marina Bay floodlights, but Charles Leclerc ultimately had to settle for second place at the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix.

After launching off the front row alongside polesitter Max Verstappen, Leclerc applied relentless pressure throughout the opening stint. However, high tyre degradation and an aggressive, divergent pit strategy under a mid-race safety car ultimately saw the Monegasque driver run out of rubber in the closing laps, crossing the line just behind his Red Bull rival while keeping Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli at bay in third.

The aggressive safety car gamble

Speaking with Jenson Button immediately after stepping out of the cockpit, Leclerc broke down how a promising opening phase unravelled into severe tyre management.

"Yeah, we were quite strong at the beginning of the race, then we started degrading a little bit more in the first stint, but then we did a slightly different strategy to Max with the safety car," Leclerc explained.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: James Sutton / LAT Images via Getty Images

Rather than settling into a rhythm behind Verstappen during the restart, Leclerc threw caution to the wind by attacking immediately, hoping track position or an early undercut delta would force the Red Bull into a mistake.

"I believed in it until the very end, but I pushed a lot at the beginning of that last stint and then degraded a bit more than the others," Leclerc conceded. "But yeah, I gave it all, and I don't regret anything. I don't think there was much more to do today, apart from maybe a bit more aggressive at the start. That's the way it is."

Ferrari still chasing Red Bull’s benchmark

Finishing comfortably ahead of both Mercedes and McLaren provided a massive points haul for Ferrari in the Constructors' standings, but Leclerc was quick to temper expectations. When Button asked if the close finish in Singapore proved Maranello had eliminated the performance deficit to Red Bull, the Monegasque offered a candid reality check.

"Yeah, I still feel that way," Leclerc stated regarding Ferrari's pace disadvantage. "However, it's true that we brought some small new parts to the car, which maybe helped us to do another step forward, but it's not an awful push until the end, and we still got to bring some new things to the car to be at that level. But I think today we had a good pace overall."

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

With six rounds remaining in the 2026 campaign and the Circuit of the Americas up next, Ferrari's minor aerodynamic tweaks proved they can challenge on low-speed street layouts. However, as Leclerc made abundantly clear, Maranello will need a much larger development package if they hope to beat Verstappen on high-speed, front-limited circuits.

Photos from F1 Singapore GP - Sunday

Scuderia Ferrari executed a highly competitive 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, but the Maranello garage is leaving the Marina Bay Street Circuit wondering what could have been. While Charles Leclerc successfully secured second place behind race winner Max Verstappen, his team-mate Lewis Hamilton tumbled down the order to finish in sixth position.

The massive drop in track position was the direct result of a highly controversial strategic decision during a mid-race safety car period. While the Ferrari pitwall explicitly instructed Hamilton to box for fresh tyres, the seven-time world champion actively chose to stay out on the circuit with degrading rubber.

The ignored pit call

Speaking to the media following the chequered flag, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed that the strategy blunder was not a miscommunication from the engineering desk, but rather a unilateral choice made directly inside the cockpit.

"It was entirely Lewis’s decision," Vasseur revealed. "We called him into the pits, but he didn’t come in."

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

By staying out on older tyres, Hamilton became incredibly vulnerable during the ensuing restart. The severe lack of grip allowed Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli to execute a crucial, late-race overtake on both Hamilton and McLaren's Lando Norris, ultimately stealing the final spot on the podium.

A disappointing outcome

Given the sheer pace of the SF-26 on the demanding street layout, Vasseur was visibly frustrated that the team missed out on a massive Constructors' Championship points haul. Had Hamilton followed the pit instructions, Ferrari's internal telemetry indicated he possessed the necessary tyre delta to retain his track position and secure a massive trophy haul.

"It’s a real shame because he would have finished P3," Vasseur stated. "I’m disappointed because we could have had both cars on the podium, but instead we finished sixth."

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Anni Graf - Formula 1 via Getty Images

Despite the costly strategic disobedience, Vasseur is attempting to keep the internal garage dynamics completely stable as the team prepares for the upcoming United States Grand Prix.

"We’ll discuss it with him, but overall, they did a good job," Vasseur concluded.

Photos from F1 Singapore GP - Sunday

After a career of just missing out on a Singapore Grand Prix win, Max Verstappen has finally stood at the top of the podium of a Sunday race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. After what has been a mixed season for the Red Bull team, this is the four-time champion's second consecutive grand prix victory.

This news brings to a close a demanding triple-header covering Baku, Sepang and Singapore. Verstappen finished second in the first of the trio. But it was Malaysia where he secured his first win of the season. And after a successful Singapore sprint race where he also finished first, Verstappen has now made it a habit as his success gains momentum.

Verstappen ticks off Singapore

Verstappen had finished second at Marina Bay in 2018, 2024 and 2025. But after all of his attempts, he never finished first. Now, he can tick this off his list, leaving just the Madring as the active circuit he is yet to win at.

"Yeah. It's taken a while," he said after the race. "But I think this race was very good. I mean yeah, we had pace when we needed to have it on the soft tyre and on the medium, even though I think the medium tire for everyone was a bit more of a struggle, but it worked out, so of course very happy to win here."

This sudden stream of success is providing the Milton Keynes outfit with the boost in motivation it needed after what had been a mostly Mercedes-dominated season so far.

"Yeah, I think the last few races have been really positive for us and it's just great to see. And we have a lot of motivation in the team to try and deliver even more results. So it's a really good group of people. I really enjoy working with them and hopefully we can have a bit more fun till the end of the year."

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

This wasn't a flawless weekend for Red Bull after Isack Hadjar failed to finish the sprint race due to mechanical issues. This saw him start from the pitlane for Sunday's grand prix.

Red Bull will be hoping it can continue its winning streak in Austin for the United States Grand Prix.

Photos from F1 Singapore GP - Sunday

Lewis Hamilton has taken responsibility for his strategy in Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix, after a decision not to pit under a virtual safety car cost him dear.

The VSC was called into action by race control on lap 39 when Lance Stroll pulled aside due to a suspected clutch issue in his Aston Martin.

At that stage of the race, Hamilton had already done 21 laps on softs, while Leclerc was on a 15-lap medium stint – but it was the Monegasque only who made the most of the VSC for a cheap second pitstop.

The Ferraris, which were running second and third, could easily have been double-stacked given they were 4.4 seconds apart and going through Turns 10-11 when the VSC was enforced.

As it happens, it was Hamilton himself who decided to stay out for a mammoth 44-lap stint on softs. This was a failure, as he collapsed to sixth, even behind Oscar Piastri, who had to stop after the VSC due to a slow puncture.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Getty Images

The seven-time world champion was nearly 46 seconds down on team-mate Leclerc on the chequered flag, with his tactical call therefore costing him about 41.5 seconds.

“Sorry, boys,” Hamilton said on the radio after the race. “I let you down today with that strategy. My call, and I lost us valuable points. I’ll try and make up for it in the next one. Great job with the pitstop though.”

Racing engineer Carlo Santi replied: “Understood, thank you Lewis.”

Team principal Fred Vasseur explained to F1 TV that Ferrari split the cars at the start, with front-row Leclerc on softs instead of mediums, in order to have a shot at snatching the lead away from polesitter Max Verstappen – which the Monegasque very nearly did.

Answering for the decision under VSC, Vasseur added: “The call was to pit two [cars] and Lewis decided to stay on track.

“I think it was a mistake overall; we would have gone for P2-P3 today, but he apologised in the in-lap for the strategy that we asked him to call and he didn't.”

Hamilton’s poor result means his advantage over fourth-placed Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings has dwindled to eight points, following the Dutchman’s maiden Singapore Grand Prix victory.

Photos from F1 Singapore GP - Sunday

F1 Singapore GP: Max Verstappen dominates for Marina Bay double

Following a grueling 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team driver Kimi Antonelli crossed the finish line in third place to secure another crucial podium. While Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen dominated the race to take the victory ahead of Scuderia Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Antonelli's podium finish officially sets the stage for a massive championship coronation.

During the post-race interviews, former world champion Jenson Button informed the teenage rookie that he mathematically has the opportunity to clinch the World Drivers' Championship at the next race in Austin, Texas.

A calculated podium for Antonelli

Despite struggling with severe, well-documented braking issues on the starting grid prior to the race, Antonelli drove a highly opportunistic event. The Italian driver ultimately secured his podium position by capitalising on a fierce on-track battle between McLaren's Lando Norris and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. 

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

"Yeah, I mean, it was a very tough race out there, but really happy with the podium at the end," Antonelli told Button following the race. "I managed to take advantage of the fight of Lando and Lewis, and to make the move on both, and to bring home P3 is a great result for the team."

The Austin clinch scenario

While Antonelli was clearly pleased with the on-track result, he was genuinely caught off guard when Button explicitly pointed out that the upcoming United States Grand Prix could serve as his official championship clincher. 

"Can I? Really?" Antonelli responded in complete surprise. "Well, let's not worry about that." 

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Rather than getting ahead of himself or aggressively predicting a title celebration in Texas, the championship leader remains strictly focused on executing a clean race at the Circuit of the Americas.

"Let's try to do the best weekend as possible and finish the job," Antonelli concluded.

Photos from F1 Singapore GP - Sunday

Max Verstappen won Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix for the first time, leading Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli to the chequered flag.

Verstappen withstood an early challenge from Leclerc and proved quicker over the remainder of the race.

Strategy cost Lewis Hamilton dear, allowing Antonelli to finish on the podium and further extend his championship lead – to the extent that he will get a first chance to clinch the title in Austin. Main rival and Mercedes team-mate George Russell fought to a lowly ninth from 19th on the grid.

Five quick takeaways from Singapore GP

Verstappen holds off Leclerc at lights out

Front-row starter Charles Leclerc had the best getaway at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, but polesitter Verstappen ever so narrowly held him off in Turn 1. Lewis Hamilton maintained third place despite using the medium compound unlike his rivals on softs, followed by Antonelli, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – the order of the top six on the grid was unchanged.

Leclerc remained within touching distance of Verstappen until Gabriel Bortoleto stopped on the start/finish straight with a suspected gearbox issue, causing a virtual safety car intervention, but nobody pitted with the Audi potentially blocking the pitlane exit.

By lap 11, Hamilton’s deficit to Leclerc had reached three seconds, with the Briton closely followed by Antonelli and the McLarens; however, that was when the Monegasque started consistently lapping half a second slower than Verstappen. On lap 18, he was four seconds down.

That was when, despite having started on mediums, Hamilton was the first driver to pit, switching to softs; on the previous tour, the Briton had lapped 1.8s slower than Verstappen and 1.4s slower than Leclerc.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Antonelli was the first frontrunner to move from softs to mediums on lap 23; Leclerc did likewise on the next tour and narrowly rejoined ahead of his Ferrari team-mate, who was not overly happy to be stuck behind – he complained several times on the radio.

“I feel something leaking between my feet,” Antonelli reported on lap 32 – but Mercedes wasn’t concerned – as Verstappen pitted, safely rejoining in the lead.

On lap 35, the Red Bull racer enjoyed a five-second advantage over Leclerc; Hamilton was seven seconds down, Antonelli 11s adrift, with the McLarens of Norris and Piastri respectively 21s and 28s away from the leader, after a 4.2s stop for the Australian.

Hamilton fails to pit under VSC

The race was neutralised by the virtual safety car on lap 39 as Lance Stroll pulled aside with a suspected clutch issue; Leclerc and Antonelli made the most of it to switch back from mediums to softs, but Hamilton interestingly stayed out on used softs.

“Mate, I have no f***ing brakes! I just went straight! The pedal was so long!” shouted an aggrieved Antonelli, as Piastri pitted again on lap 41 due to a slow puncture.

Having rejoined from his second pitstop 10 seconds behind Hamilton, Leclerc caught his team-mate in just five laps and swiftly overtook him. He was 15 seconds down on Verstappen, who was experiencing radio issues, with 15 laps remaining.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

Leclerc brought his deficit down to 8.3 seconds on lap 55 of 62, after which it just hovered around hat gap, and Verstappen comfortably prevailed by 7.3s.

Struggling on his mammoth 44-lap stint on softs, Hamilton came under pressure from Norris, but Antonelli picked up the pieces, overtaking both cars on his way to the podium. The seven-time world champion collapsed to sixth under the chequered flag, behind Piastri.

Russell struggles to ninth

Starting from 19th owing to a power unit grid drop, Russell made steady progress through the pack, albeit slow, failing to break into the top 10 before pitstops allowed him to do so.

The Mercedes racer was the last driver to change tyres, doing so during the VSC intervention, but the timing wasn’t right and the neutralisation ended shortly after he entered the pitlane.

Russell therefore rejoined behind Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly, only overtaking the Alpine to finish ninth.

It was an underwhelming day for Gasly, who had qualified an impressive seventh but lost two spots to Lawson and Hulkenberg at the start and eventually dropped out of the top 10 altogether, to Isack Hadjar’s benefit. Red Bull’s Frenchman scored one point from a pitlane start, after a nightmare Saturday when he was struck by mechanical woes.

A punchy drive from Oliver Bearman, with breathtaking wheel-to-wheel racing against Haas team-mate Esteban Ocon and a bold down-the-inside overtake on Carlos Sainz, went unrewarded in 12th place, ahead of the Frenchman and the Spaniard. Arvid Lindblad, Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez followed.

Valtteri Bottas was nearly lapped by his Cadillac team-mate, while Alpine’s Franco Colapinto retired due to a suspected driveline issue. Alexander Albon also failed to finish the race.

Red Bull's Baku upgrade was "the good stuff"

"Whatever Red Bull's upgrade in Azerbaijan was, it was good stuff," McLaren's Oscar Piastri said with a wry smile when we asked him about the state of play in F1 right now. Following brief spells for Ferrari and McLaren at the top as Mercedes' main challengers, Red Bull's improved RB22 is not only quicker but also more predictable to drive.

"Say no more," said Max Verstappen, as he challenged George Russell to the win in Baku, dominated the Bahrain GP in Malaysia on an abrasive Sepang and also proved a cut above on the bumpy roads of Singapore, which was previously Red Bull's Achilles heel.

Red Bull's resurgence has come too late for Verstappen to challenge for the title, but this diverse triple-header has given us a pretty solid sample size that Milton Keynes is truly back, and Verstappen now has the right tools to be his devastating self.

- Fil Cleeren

Antonelli does what’s needed

Kimi Antonelli wasn’t exactly in the best of moods on Friday evening, having finished seventh in both free practice and sprint qualifying. The 20-year-old put it down to his updated Mercedes package, which had supposedly been difficult to drive and not delivered upon expectations with Red Bull and Max Verstappen overtaking them in Sepang and now Singapore.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

But as the Marina Bay weekend progressed the championship leader became more at one with his upgraded W17 and delivered the sort of points haul that will win him this 2026 title. Antonelli doesn’t have to win every race, he just needs to maximise what’s possible in every grand prix and that is something Oscar Piastri failed to do when he held such an advantage over McLaren team-mate Lando Norris last year.

History is not repeating itself - and a maiden crown is simply a matter of time.

- Ed Hardy

What does Mercedes do?

Although Antonelli gradually improved with the new package as the weekend progressed, it must still be a worry for Mercedes that this upgrade hasn’t fully delivered what was hoped. In Baku, Verstappen was asked if he thinks he can actually win a race in 2026 and he used this upgrade for the Silver Arrows as a reason for why he won’t.

The four-time world champion claimed that, although Red Bull’s update got it closer to Mercedes in Baku, the gap will naturally go back to what it was when the Silver Arrows was dominant. Yet the opposite has transpired, with Verstappen winning both races since then.

At the way things are going, one could easily see Verstappen carrying this momentum into 2027 and launching a strong title challenge. So Mercedes has decisions to make to ensure it returns to its once dominant form and that entails putting all focus into 2027.

- Ed Hardy

Ferrari is still a force in F1 2026

It seems that when it comes to Ferrari, for Italian fans the glass is either half empty or overflowing with emotion. With no consistent wins to celebrate ecstatically, it's almost inevitable that there will be talk about changing the leadership or whatever else there is to change.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Yet Ferrari still holds a solid second place in the constructors' championship, with a considerable margin over its closest rivals, even though Mercedes is too far ahead. If not for Red Bull's latest upgrade, the Scuderia could even have won in Singapore. Yes, it's ifs and buts again, but still... The team from Maranello isn't as bad as some are trying to claim.

Certainly, progress has been made since last year, and frankly, based on the championship standings, only one team has done better. But of course, the red team's fans will never be satisfied with that.

- Oleg Karpov

Lawson strengthens his case for a 2027 Racing Bulls seat

Liam Lawson is doing everything he needs to do to hold on to his Racing Bulls seat for next season, even if the team insists it is in "no rush" to settle its line-up.

Speaking in Friday's official press conference, team principal Alan Permane said he was keeping his options open over who would partner Arvid Lindblad in 2027. The rookie has yet to be formally confirmed himself, but he has proven his worth long enough already.

Formula 2 championship frontrunner Nikola Tsolov is a strong contender. Promoting the 19-year-old Bulgarian would make perfect sense given the Faenza outfit's traditional role as a stepping stone to F1 for Red Bull's junior drivers.

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Getty Images

Yet Lawson is making an increasingly persuasive case for staying put. Another assured drive to seventh in Singapore, finishing best of the rest, only strengthened his claim.

That result marked his eighth top-seven finish in 16 grands prix this season and took his tally to an impressive 75 points, leaving him comfortably ninth in the drivers' standings.

Racing Bulls expects to make its decision in the "coming weeks". Until then, Lawson can do little more than keep delivering – and he is giving the team every reason to keep him.

- Federico Faturos

Photos from F1 Singapore GP - Sunday