Verstappen targets back-to-back wins as F1 heads to Singapore Sprint
Five questions set to shape Singapore’s F1 weekend
Formula 1 heads to Singapore for Round 17 of the 2026 season and its final Sprint weekend, with seven Grands Prix remaining. The Marina Bay event follows a dramatic race in Malaysia, where Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the year and Red Bull Ford Powertrains secured its first win as a power-unit manufacturer.
Can Verstappen make it two in a row?
Verstappen’s victory in Malaysia, alongside Red Bull’s first non-Mercedes pole position of the season, offered evidence of a stronger package. He had also come close to beating George Russell in Baku. A second consecutive win in Singapore would underline the team’s renewed threat, even if a championship comeback would require an extraordinary sequence of results.
Mercedes faces an urgent update review
Mercedes expected its latest development package to deliver roughly three-tenths of a second per lap, but Team Principal Toto Wolff said the team believed it had instead lost a similar amount after qualifying in Malaysia. The car still showed enough pace to pressure Verstappen and appeared capable of a double podium, before Russell retired late with a suspected power-unit problem.
Reliability has been a concern for Mercedes this season, and Russell is set to take a penalty that will send him to the back of the Singapore grid. With only one practice session before Sprint qualifying, the team has little time to understand the new parts and find a better setup.
Antonelli’s title lead grows
Kimi Antonelli finished second in Malaysia, extending his advantage after Russell failed to finish. He now leads the Drivers’ Championship by 84 points. With 183 points still available, the title is not mathematically secured, but Antonelli’s margin gives him considerable breathing room as the season enters its final stretch.
Alonso hopes Aston Martin can score again
Fernando Alonso took eighth in Malaysia for his third points finish of the season, despite restarting on slick tyres as drivers on intermediates gained an early advantage. He then had to fend off Lando Norris in the closing stages. Aston Martin has made progress since introducing a new chassis in Hungary and an updated Honda power unit in the Netherlands, though Alonso has cautioned that the team’s form could vary considerably from circuit to circuit.
Singapore is among the races where Aston Martin believes it could contend for points, giving the team a chance to build on its recent result.
One weekend, two sets of conditions
The Sprint adds another variable. The Singapore Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 20:00 local time under floodlights, while the Sprint is set for 17:00, before sunset. The different light and track conditions could produce distinct challenges across the two races.
With just one practice session on a circuit that demands confidence through its city streets, teams and drivers will have limited time to prepare. The Sprint format makes that short window especially consequential as the season’s final Saturday race sets the stage for Sunday’s Grand Prix.