Max Verstappen exorcised the Marina Bay demons on Sunday night, converting pole position into his maiden Singapore Grand Prix victory with a commanding performance that extended his recent resurgence and left Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton nursing the wounds of a strategic disaster.

The Dutchman controlled the 62-lap epic from the front, fending off early pressure from Charles Leclerc before building an unassailable advantage that not even fresh soft tyres could overcome in the closing stages. The Red Bull ace crossed the line to claim his first-ever Marina Bay win, with Leclerc securing second and championship leader Kimi Antonelli capitalising on late-race chaos to snatch the final podium spot.

But the real story unfolded behind the leading trio, where Hamilton’s one-stop strategy gamble spectacularly imploded. The seven-time world champion plummeted from a comfortable third to sixth on the final lap, passed by Norris, Antonelli and teammate Piastri as his 20-lap-old soft tyres gave up the ghost.

Hamilton’s anguished radio messages pleading with Ferrari to let him through teammate Leclerc early on, followed by desperate calls to stick with the one-stop strategy, painted a picture of a race that unravelled in brutal fashion for the Briton.

Verstappen survives early Leclerc onslaught

The Grand Prix exploded into life at the start, with Leclerc launching brilliantly to pile pressure on Verstappen into Turn 1. The Ferrari driver threw everything at the Red Bull, but Verstappen held firm with the kind of defensive brilliance that’s become his trademark.

Hamilton slotted into third behind the leading pair, setting up what looked like a straightforward podium procession. But Singapore rarely delivers straightforward, and Sunday’s race proved no exception.

A brief Virtual Safety Car on Lap 8 following Gabriel Bortoleto’s gearbox failure – the Audi grinding to a halt right on the pit lane exit – provided the first interruption. Once racing resumed, Verstappen had to withstand another Leclerc assault before finally breaking free to build a handsome gap as the first stint progressed.

The Dutchman’s pace advantage became increasingly apparent, his Red Bull responding brilliantly to the demands of the street circuit despite the team’s historical struggles at Marina Bay. For a driver who’d never won in Singapore across multiple attempts, this looked like the night to change history.

Pit stop drama sets up strategic chaos

Hamilton blinked first, pitting on Lap 19 for what appeared to be a two-stop strategy. The Briton showcased impressive pace on fresh rubber, building a gap on Antonelli by the time the young Italian pitted several laps later.

But Leclerc’s Lap 25 stop proved slower than ideal, releasing him into traffic and immediately under pressure from the pacier Hamilton. The seven-time world champion’s radio crackled with calls to be allowed through his Ferrari teammate, but the pit wall refused, leaving Hamilton stuck behind the Monegasque and losing crucial time.

It was a decision that would reverberate through the race’s final act.

When Lance Stroll ground to a halt on Lap 39 with clutch issues, triggering another VSC, the strategic chessboard shifted dramatically. Leclerc seized the opportunity to pit for fresh soft tyres, emerging on rubber that would give him a significant pace advantage in the closing stages.

Hamilton, however, stayed out on his now 20-lap-old softs, the two-stop strategy apparently abandoned in favour of track position. It was a gamble that would prove disastrous.

Hamilton’s tyres surrender as rivals pounce

By Lap 46, Leclerc made easy work of regaining second place from Hamilton, the Ferrari’s fresh softs making the move inevitable. But Hamilton’s real problems were only just beginning.

Losing seconds on tyres that had long since given up the ghost, the Briton pleaded with his team to see out the one-stop strategy. With ten laps remaining, both Norris and Antonelli closed in for the kill, smelling blood as Hamilton’s pace collapsed.

By Lap 57, both had swept past the struggling Ferrari. Antonelli seized the final podium position after a Turn 1 scuffle between Norris and Hamilton created the perfect opening, the young Mercedes driver capitalising with the opportunism that’s defined his championship-leading campaign.

The final indignity arrived on the last lap when Piastri swooped past to demote Hamilton to sixth, completing a nightmarish final stint that transformed a comfortable podium into a points-scoring consolation.

Verstappen holds nerve despite late wobble

Up front, Leclerc’s fresh softs allowed him to chase down Verstappen’s advantage, the Ferrari closing the gap as the laps ticked away. The Dutchman even went wide at the final corner in the latter stages, offering a glimmer of hope to the pursuing Monegasque.

But Verstappen held his nerve, managing the gap with the experience of a four-time world champion to cross the line and claim his first Marina Bay victory. The win caps a remarkable recent run following his breakthrough triumph in Malaysia, confirming Red Bull have found form at precisely the right moment.

For Leclerc, second place represents damage limitation after losing crucial time in his pit stop and being forced to recover on fresh tyres. He did everything possible in the closing stages, but Verstappen’s initial gap proved too substantial to overcome.

Antonelli extends championship lead

Antonelli’s third place might have arrived courtesy of Hamilton’s collapse, but the Italian won’t care one jot. The Mercedes driver extended his championship advantage with another solid points haul, demonstrating the consistency that’s made him the man to beat this season.

His opportunistic move past Hamilton showcased the racecraft of a driver who knows when to strike and when to be patient. With main rival George Russell recovering from his back-of-the-grid penalty to finish only ninth, Antonelli’s championship cushion grows more comfortable by the race.

Norris claimed fourth for McLaren ahead of teammate Piastri’s late-race heroics, whilst Hamilton trudged away from Singapore wondering what might have been had Ferrari trusted his two-stop instincts or released him past Leclerc when he had the pace.

Singapore delivered drama, strategy battles and late-race chaos under the Marina Bay lights. But when the spray settled and the tyres cooled, Verstappen stood tallest – a Singapore winner at last.

The Dutchman’s Marina Bay hoodoo is broken. His championship challenge is gathering momentum. And Hamilton is left nursing the scars of a strategy call that will haunt Ferrari’s strategists for weeks to come.