F1 Singapore GP: Verstappen, Hamilton, Fellow Drivers Reflect On Their Race

Max Verstappen capped his perfect weekend in Singapore with his first career victory in the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc couldn't keep up with the Red Bull driver and settled for second, while Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli rounded out the podium places.

Lots of things were happening outside the Top 3, though. Let's see how some of the drivers reflected on this year's edition of Singapore's night race.

Verstappen had a scare from Leclerc at the start, with the latter having the better initial reaction into Turn 1. But the Dutchman managed to squeeze the Monegasque into the first turn, helping him preserve the lead. From then on, all Verstappen had to do was manage his soft tyres, which did very well for many cars last night. 

It was the four-time World Champion's 10th race in Singapore, and it was also his first win here.

Verstappen: "It’s an amazing feeling to finally win here in Singapore. We’ve raced here many times, and there have been a few missed opportunities, so to finally stand on the top step is really special. The car has been working well all weekend, and I’ve felt really comfortable." 

McLaren had a cleaner race on Sunday, which was the exact opposite of their drivers' collision during the Sprint Race. Lando Norris settled for P4, finishing a little over nine seconds over teammate Oscar Piastri, who took the checkered flag in fifth.

Still, Norris wasn't satisfied with the results, saying that they're supposed to win races.

Norris: "I'm not happy with a P4, I want a podium, and we want to fight for wins. We need to keep trying to improve and bring upgrades to make the car better."

Lewis Hamilton started the race third and maintained his position in his first stint. But with his medium tyres not working well, Hamilton opted to pit early and switch to a two-stop tyre strategy.

However, disaster struck the seven-time World Champion. First, he couldn't overtake his teammate during his second stint, which could've been crucial to making the two stops work. Then, he didn't pit under Virtual Safety Car conditions, forcing him to make do with his severely degraded soft tyres towards the end.

Kimi Antonelli, Norris, and Piastri eventually passed Hamilton, and the Ferrari driver had to settle for sixth place. 

Hamilton: "A painful lesson today, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made. Not every call will work out, and I can accept getting it wrong, but I’m sorry for the team for the points we lost today. They put so much into every weekend, and I wanted to deliver more for them.'"

With his teammate Arvid Lindblad getting squeezed off the start and tumbling down the order, Liam Lawson had to deliver a strong race for the team. And he sure did, as he finished in seventh place, scoring important midfield points for the Racing Bulls.

The Racing Bulls now hold a 32-point lead over Alpine, thanks to Lawson's exceptional performance in Singapore.

Lawson: "I'm very happy with today's result. I had a strong start on the soft tyres, making it possible to overtake. This was then followed by good pace throughout the race, so it felt great to come away with six points."

Gabriel Bortoleto exited the race early due to a gearbox issue, but his teammate Nico Hulkenberg saved the day for Audi. Starting from P11, the seasoned German driver had a good first stint on the medium tyres. Then, he managed to stay ahead of Mercedes' George Russell towards the end.

Hulkenberg crossed the finish line in eighth place, scoring six points for Audi.

Hulkenberg: "What a way to finish the weekend. I think we maximised the opportunities we had, starting with a strong first lap that put us in a good position for the race. From there, it was all about managing the tyres and staying focused, especially in the closing laps with George piling on the pressure."

It was a horrible race for the two Alpine drivers. A mechanical issue ended Franco Colapinto's night early, while Pierre Gasly just didn't have the pace to hold off Russell and Red Bull's Isack Hadjar. 

In the end, Gasly finished outside the points in P11. Alpine didn't score any points for the third straight weekend, and they're steadily losing ground to the Racing Bulls in the midfield.

Gasly: "We have to be frustrated as a team after this triple header. I have had three Q3 appearances, four including this weekend's Sprint Qualifying, and we have scored zero points from that. We seem to struggle over a race distance, and we are going to need to change that trend if we are to take the fight to our rivals ahead."

Max Verstappen just might snatch second place from George Russell. In the span of just one weekend, the Red Bull driver has leapfrogged both Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc to take P4 in the Drivers' Standings. Now, Verstappen finds himself just 17 points away from Russell in second.

The championship might be insurmountable now, especially with Kimi Antonelli consistently scoring good points every weekend. But this is another great comeback story for Verstappen.