Singapore, Max Verstappen’s Karma
The only circuit where Max Verstappen has never won in F1 is Yas Marina, on the streets of the city-state of Singapore. The four-time world champion has raced there nine times, with his best results being three second-place finishes in 2018, 2024 and 2025. Max has also never secured pole position or set the fastest lap in the race. Following his victory in Malaysia last Sunday, he is ready to break the jinx with his Red Bull/Ford. The Singapore Grand Prix, on Sunday (October 11), starts at 9:00 a.m. (Brasília time), with live coverage on TV Globo, Sportv 3, Globoplay and BandNews FM. On Saturday, the final sprint race of the year starts at 6:00 a.m., followed by qualifying at 10:00 a.m. (both on Sportv 3).
Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader and favorite for the 2026 Formula 1 title, is in his second season. In his only appearance in Singapore, last year, he started fourth and finished fifth. The last six races held at the category’s first night race have produced six different winners: George Russell (2025), Lando Norris (2024), Carlos Sainz (2023), Sergio Perez (2022), Max Verstappen (2019) and Lewis Hamilton (2028). The race was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. Among the current grid, Lewis Hamilton has the most victories (4). Among the teams, Mercedes leads with five wins.
After colliding with Carlos Sainz Jr. in the Malaysian race and receiving a 10-second penalty, which left him outside the points, Gabriel Bortoleto remains confident that the upgrade package introduced in Baku will soon begin to deliver better results. He acknowledges that the Singapore circuit is challenging. Last year, in his only race at the circuit, he started 14th and finished 17th.
After seeing Antonelli extend his lead in the championship standings, George Russell will face another obstacle in Singapore: the replacement of components, which will require him to start from the back of the grid. In Malaysia, the driver was running third with five laps remaining when he was forced to retire due to problems with his fourth power unit. Second in the championship, 84 points behind Antonelli, Russell still dreams of the chance to fight his teammate directly for the title.