Verstappen conquers Singapore as Hamilton's pit miss costs Ferrari

Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix on 11 October, leading home Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli under the Marina Bay lights.

It was a first Singapore victory for Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, and it arrived on his 250th Grand Prix start, according to Formula 1. He had started the night from pole position after beating Leclerc by a narrow margin on Saturday, with Lewis Hamilton third for Ferrari.

Hamilton finished sixth. That single line hides a painful evening. Ferrari had both cars in podium contention when a Virtual Safety Car period arrived. The field must slow to a set pace, which makes a pit stop for fresh tyres much cheaper than normal.

Hamilton did not turn into the pit lane.

Team principal Frederic Vasseur said that miss cost Ferrari a double podium, as reported by Reuters. Stuck out on old rubber, Hamilton slid backwards in the closing laps. Oscar Piastri passed him on the final lap to seal sixth place for the Ferrari driver, Reuters reported.

Hamilton took responsibility after the flag. He apologised to the team and described the call as a strategy gamble and a painful lesson, according to Formula 1. Ferrari later confirmed he had felt unwell after the race in the Singapore heat and humidity and was checked by the FIA medical team.

The weekend used the Sprint format, with extra competitive running before the main qualifying and Grand Prix. Hamilton had said after qualifying third that he felt Ferrari had the pace to fight for pole.

The championship picture going into Singapore had Mercedes rookie Antonelli leading teammate George Russell by 84 points, with Hamilton third, per Reuters. A win for Verstappen and a podium for Antonelli tightens nothing on paper for Ferrari. It leaves Hamilton losing ground he could not afford to lose.

What makes this one stand out is the simplicity of the error. Singapore punishes small mistakes. A missed turning into the pits, a few seconds lost, and a possible double celebration becomes a damage-limitation run to sixth.

The debate has already started. BBC’s Chequered Flag team of Harry Benjamin, Alice Powell and Alisha Palmowski examined what went wrong with Hamilton and Ferrari’s strategy in Singapore.