BBC Sport has reported:

Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix for the first time, controlling the race from start to finish after holding off Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the opening corner. The Red Bull driver’s victory was his second dominant win within a week, following his and the team’s maiden victory of the year in Malaysia the previous weekend. It confirmed Red Bull’s return as a major force.

Leclerc finished second, while Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli took third. Antonelli’s result, combined with team-mate George Russell placing ninth, extended the Italian’s championship lead to 102 points. He can clinch his first world title at the next race, the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Oct. 25, if he wins and Russell finishes ninth or lower.

Verstappen had never won in Singapore before this race. With overtaking difficult at the circuit, he knew he needed to reach the first corner in front. Leclerc made the better start and challenged down the inside as the pair approached Turn One, but Verstappen held his line and squeezed the Ferrari close to the pit wall. With their approach to the corner compromised, Leclerc backed off, allowing the four-time champion to take the lead.

Verstappen, Leclerc and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton ran nose to tail for the first four laps. Hamilton, a seven-time champion, began to lose ground around lap five, while Leclerc stayed within a second of Verstappen for five more laps. The Red Bull then gradually pulled away, building a lead that he held through to the finish.

Hamilton started on medium tyres, while Verstappen and Leclerc chose softs. Despite the theoretically more durable compound, Hamilton pitted on lap 18 for soft tyres. Leclerc made his first stop on lap 24, switching from softs to mediums, and emerged just ahead of Hamilton, who had more pace on the softer rubber.

Ferrari did not ask Leclerc to let Hamilton through, despite Hamilton’s stronger pace, a team decision that Hamilton questioned over the radio. The strategy left the Ferrari drivers’ positions unchanged as the race continued. Leclerc remained ahead of Hamilton until a later stop reshaped the order.

A virtual safety car was deployed on lap 39. Leclerc and Antonelli, who had followed the Ferraris closely from his fourth-place starting position, used the opportunity to make less costly pit stops. Stopping under safety-car conditions took about 10 seconds less than stopping at racing speed. Hamilton did not pit, despite having older tyres, and moved up to second behind Verstappen.

As Leclerc closed in, Hamilton was told he needed to stop again. He argued that he might be able to reach the finish, but his team said his tyres were six laps short of the required life. Leclerc passed him on lap 46 and pursued Verstappen, but could get no closer than 7.3 seconds. Hamilton stayed out, as his tyres gradually lost grip.

Norris tried to pass Hamilton on lap 54, with eight laps remaining, and Hamilton ran off the track onto the escape road at Turn One. Antonelli used the opening to pass Norris, then passed Hamilton later on the same lap. Norris also got by Hamilton, who dropped toward McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Piastri completed the pass on the final lap after Hamilton mounted a determined defence.

Russell fought through the field after starting 19th and delayed his pit stop as long as possible, reaching seventh before slipping back. He fell to 10th behind Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. After following Gasly for about 10 laps, Russell passed him but could not get by Hulkenberg, who was chasing Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson.

Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar earned the final point in 10th after starting from the back. The main storylines included Verstappen’s commanding drive, which recalled his title-winning era, Ferrari’s confusing strategy and Antonelli’s growing opportunity to secure the championship. Hamilton’s sixth-place finish followed the team’s decision to leave him on soft tyres for 44 laps, a strategy that cost him positions in the closing laps.