He's back! Max Verstappen celebrated the first victory of his career at the Singapore Grand Prix, dominating the 17th race of the Formula 1 season. The Dutch Red Bull driver was the first to see the checkered flag, leaving Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in second place, while Kimi Antonelli rounded out the podium in his Mercedes and took another significant step toward winning the world title.
Verstappen capped off an outstanding two-day race weekend at Marina Bay, claiming his second consecutive Grand Prix victory after Malaysia and confirming Red Bull’s rise in performance. Leclerc finished 7.3 seconds behind him, while Antonelli capitalized on the battle between his rivals to secure third place.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The young Italian was one of the big winners of the night, as he increased his lead over his Mercedes teammate, George Russell, to 102 points. As a result, he still has a mathematical chance of being crowned world champion as early as the next Grand Prix, in Austin, United States, on October 25, provided his lead reaches 125 points or more.
Lando Norris finished the race in fourth place, ahead of his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, who overtook Lewis Hamilton in the final laps. The British Ferrari driver was limited to sixth place after a race in which he was on course for a podium finish for much of the race but lost ground due to his team’s strategy.
Rounding out the top ten were Liam Lawson, Nico Hülkenberg, George Russell, and Isaac Hajar.
Formula 1 is now turning its attention to the United States Grand Prix in Austin, where Antonelli will have his first chance to mathematically secure the world title, while Verstappen will aim to continue his winning streak.
*photo source: AP
