Chequered Flag reviews Singapore GP: Verstappen's pole and Antonelli's title chase in focus
BBC's Chequered Flag reviews the Singapore Grand Prix
The BBC's flagship Formula 1 podcast, Chequered Flag, has released its review of the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, with host Harry Benjamin leading a detailed dissection of the race under the Marina Bay lights.
The 34-minute episode, broadcast on Radio 5 Live on 11 October 2026 and available on BBC Sounds, brought together British racing driver Alice Powell and F1 Academy championship leader Alisha Palmowski to reflect on all of the action from the Singapore round.
Verstappen's pole and the key protagonists
Central to the discussion was whether Max Verstappen could convert his Singapore pole position into victory. Verstappen had taken pole at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton having vowed beforehand that the Scuderia would do "whatever it takes" to win, according to prior reporting from 10 October 2026.
The panel heard directly from the key protagonists of the weekend — Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli — as they unpacked how the race unfolded under the lights.
Antonelli's title push heads to Austin
A major thread of the episode was Kimi Antonelli's pursuit of the drivers' championship. The team analysed whether the youngster could edge closer to the title in Singapore, and explained the permutations that would allow Antonelli to clinch the crown at the next round in Austin.
"The team analyse Ferrari's strategy and explain the permutations for Antonelli to win the title in Austin next time out," the episode notes, pointing to a championship decider looming in the United States.
Ferrari's strategic gamble
With Hamilton and Leclerc both driving for Ferrari and promising an all-out assault on Verstappen, the podcast devoted significant attention to the Italian team's strategy. Benjamin, Powell and Palmowski broke down Ferrari's calls and whether the Scuderia's plan was enough to topple the pole-sitter on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult.
The review also drew on the earlier Sprint schedule, where Verstappen claimed Sprint victory by 2.5 seconds on Saturday 10 October 2026, with Hamilton surging from P6 to P2 in wet conditions and Leclerc taking P3 after surviving a last-lap McLaren collision.
The full episode is available to listen to on BBC Sounds.