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Max Verstappen left Marina Bay with the only score on Harry Benjamin’s card that cannot be improved. The BBC Radio 5 Live commentator handed the Red Bull driver a 10 out of 10 for the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix — “pretty much the definition of a perfect weekend. Pole and victory in both the sprint race and grand prix” — after a Sunday in which Verstappen won by 7.335 seconds from Charles Leclerc and never looked remotely troubled.
It was Verstappen’s 73rd career victory, his first in Singapore, Red Bull’s first at the circuit since 2022, and it arrived in his 250th Formula 1 start. Only one driver came close to matching him on Benjamin’s ratings, and the man who mattered most finished 24.573 seconds back in third.
Verstappen’s flawless weekend, Leclerc’s quiet 9
Once George Russell crashed out of Saturday’s sprint while leading, there was barely a moment across either race when Verstappen’s control was in question. He converted sprint pole into a sprint win, then did the same on Sunday over 62 laps of the most physically punishing circuit on the calendar.
“It’s taken a while, but I think this race was very good,” Verstappen said afterwards. “We had pace when we needed it.”
Leclerc took 9 out of 10 for being “consistently Verstappen’s closest challenger,” collecting two podiums from the weekend after starting the grand prix on soft tyres — a gamble Ferrari made effectively blind, having lost all dry-running reference when Saturday’s sprint ran wet.
Behind the leaders, two of Benjamin’s highest marks went to drivers nowhere near the podium. Liam Lawson earned 8.5 for “a really impressive weekend for Racing Bulls’ Lawson,” scoring in both races and finishing seventh. Isack Hadjar took 8 for recovering from the pit lane to a point in tenth despite mechanical trouble, while Nico Hulkenberg’s 8 reflected another “very useful weekend for Audi” — seventh in the sprint, eighth on Sunday.
Antonelli’s 8.5 moves him within one race of history
Kimi Antonelli’s 8.5 came with the description that gives this weekend its longer-term weight: “another hugely mature weekend from Mercedes’ championship leader.” The 20-year-old was fourth in the sprint and fourth in qualifying before forcing his way onto the podium late, managing brake concerns throughout and collecting a black-and-white flag for repeated track-limits violations at Turn 2.
“It was a very tough race out there, but really happy with a podium in the end,” Antonelli said.
That podium stretched his lead to 102 points. The standings now read Antonelli 340, Russell 238, Hamilton 229, Verstappen 221, Leclerc 215, with six drivers still mathematically alive and 150 points available. Antonelli can be champion at the United States Grand Prix on 25 October if three things happen at the Circuit of the Americas: he wins, Russell finishes ninth or lower, and Hamilton finishes fifth or lower. Singapore delivered almost exactly that template — Russell ninth, Hamilton sixth.
The historical stakes are considerable. A title in Austin would make Antonelli world champion at 20 years and 61 days, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record, and the first Italian drivers’ champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. Clinching with five rounds remaining would leave him one race short of Michael Schumacher’s 2002 benchmark for the earliest title in F1 history. If Russell somehow draws level on points, Antonelli’s eight wins to Russell’s three settle it on countback.
Hamilton’s split weekend and McLaren’s self-inflicted damage
Lewis Hamilton’s 7.5 is the rating that best captures Singapore’s shape. “His Saturday was excellent — a brilliant start helped turn sixth into second in the sprint,” Benjamin noted, before Sunday’s tyre strategy unravelled.
On lap 39 of 62, with Lance Stroll’s clutch failure triggering a virtual safety car, Ferrari called both cars in. Hamilton stayed out, later saying he “missed the pit entry.” Team principal Frederic Vasseur was unmoved: “We called him, we called them both to pit… It was crystal clear on the radio,” adding Hamilton would have finished second or third had he complied. Instead he was passed by Antonelli, Norris and Piastri on dying rubber, dropping from third to sixth, 53.2 seconds adrift. The stewards investigated a Turn 1 track-limits clash with Norris and took no further action.
Hamilton’s radio message was unambiguous: “Sorry boys. I let you down today with that strategy. My call, and I lost us valuable points.”
McLaren’s weekend was costlier still. Lando Norris, the reigning champion, took just 6.5 after a sprint collision with team-mate Oscar Piastri that “cost both drivers heavily”; Piastri’s 7 recognised him as “the victim rather than the instigator.” Russell’s 7 was for damage limitation — fastest in practice, then 19th to ninth on Sunday.
Austin now looms as a coronation waiting on arithmetic. Antonelli does not need to be perfect there. He needs to be what he was in Singapore, and he needs Russell and Hamilton to stay where Singapore left them.
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**Sources:** [Yahoo Sports — Harry Benjamin driver ratings](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/verstappen-perfect-antonelli-hugely-mature-172610653.html) · [Autosport Singapore GP ratings](https://www.autosport.com/f1/driver-ratings/singapore-gp-ratings-formula-1-2026/1196/) · [Formula 1 race result](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2026/races/1296/singapore/race-result) · [RacingNews365 standings](https://racingnews365.com/2026-f1-championship-standings-after-singapore-grand-prix)
Word count: 737. One factual note worth flagging: Benjamin attributes Russell’s 19th-place grid slot to his sprint crash, while F1’s official report cites an engine penalty — I phrased it so both hold (“crashed out of Saturday’s sprint”, “19th to ninth”) without asserting a cause.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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