Verstappen handily wins Singapore Grand Prix

DOUBLE DOMINANCE: Verstappen won both the Grand Prix and the sprint race on a weekend marked by technical issues and pushback from a team head against criticism

A dominant Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix for the first time on Sunday, 24 hours after taking the checkered flag in the sprint race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

For the second weekend in a row, software glitches on this year’s generation of cars caused problems.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.

Photo: Reuters

A week earlier in Malaysia the issue had occurred on a formation lap in the rain where several cars ground to a halt. In Singapore, an erroneous deployment of the “overtake” mode meant some cars in the first sprint qualifying session had more power available than others.

Verstappen is one driver clearly fed up with the difficulty of managing and driving the modern cars, which have a 50-50 split between electrical and internal combustion energy, and called for a return to a simpler life behind the wheel.

“It is very complex now. I just hope the new rule set [for 2027] is easier,” the four-time world champion said in an interview. “The problem is there’s a lot of software in the background that can make you not pull away or there is glitch on slow laps.”

“You have to make sure the battery pack is charging in the right place,” Verstappen said. “That’s not what racing should be about. You should be able to go out, have a brake pedal and a throttle pedal and that’s it.”

WOLFF’S WARPATH

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had unkind words for the “brainless” critics hiding “behind their screens” who have said the team had favored Kimi Antonelli over George Russell this season.

Championship leader Antonelli, 20, is 102 points ahead of the luckless Russell and on the brink of becoming the youngest world champion in history.

Russel’s retirement in Malaysia a week ago and his consequent engine penalties, as well as crashing while he led the Singapore sprint race, have piled on the agony for the Englishman. Wolff hit back at critics.

“They’re brainless, whoever thinks that. I mean, it’s completely nonsensical. We’ve had it in the past with Lewis fans,” Wolff told reporters. “Do they think I have a button that says, ‘George — engine failure now’?”

“I guess this is maybe where social media goes today. People hide behind their screens and then they lash out,” Wolff said. “Sometimes I read what people write. I find it hilarious. These people really contribute to my own entertainment when they are abusing the team or myself. ‘I’m Satan,’ I’ve heard. So, yeah, overall it’s funny.”

COURSE CHANGES

The weekend saw the first time Singapore had hosted an F1 sprint, and drivers seemed to agree it should be the last — unless more overtaking opportunities can be introduced on the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

“I think we shouldn’t host a sprint where you can’t pass,” said double winner Verstappen after a processional weekend of racing on the tight city centre track, only enlivened by heavy rain before Saturday’s sprint.

“The track is great, but also the problem we have at the moment is with the overtake mode, it barely does anything here,” Verstappen said of the electrical boost available to drivers.

Sunday’s 62-lap GP was largely uneventful once the field settled after the start, with only Lewis Hamilton’s blunder on tire choice having an effect on the order of the top six on the grid.

Hamilton was one of many drivers calling for the circuit to be modified to allow more wheel-to-wheel racing.

“I think there’s some adjustments that can be made to make this 100 percent a great circuit,” the seven-time world champion said. “But whether they’re going to do that, I don’t know.”

“I think they need to change the track to maybe a longer straight somewhere in order to allow us to overtake for it to be truly a great racing circuit,” he added.