SINGAPORE — Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is suddenly the driver to beat in Formula 1 once again, but young star Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes continues to march toward the 2026 season championship.
Verstappen won the sprint race and followed up with his 50th career pole position Saturday in qualifying for Sunday’s main event at the Singapore Grand Prix, all at a course where the 29-year-old Dutchman had never won a race or a pole.
“This is the one I wanted,” he said.
The day’s other big winner was Antonelli, who widened his lead over teammate George Russell when he crashed out from the lead in the sprint. The 20-year-old Italian qualified fourth, setting Antonelli up for another solid score Sunday, when Russell must serve a grid penalty.
An upgraded Red Bull car has been key to turning Verstappen’s season around, but it still has one big flaw. The four-time F1 champion said the team will need to work on its “horrendous” starts after he lost the sprint lead off the line, just as he did in Malaysia last week — when he still took his first win in 2026.