‘It’s Taken a While’: Max Verstappen Reacts to Banishing Singapore Curse with Second Straight Win
MARINA BAY — After more than a decade of near-misses and strategic heartbreaks, Max Verstappen has finally conquered the Marina Bay Street Circuit, taking a commanding Sunday victory at the Singapore Grand Prix to secure back-to-back Grand Prix triumphs for Red Bull Racing.
The win caps a gruelling Asian-European triple-header spanning Baku, Sepang, and Singapore in emphatic fashion. After finishing runner-up in Azerbaijan, Verstappen claimed his first Grand Prix win of the season in Malaysia, swept Saturday’s Singapore Sprint race, and converted pole position on Sunday night to banish one of the longest-standing droughts of his decorated career.
Ending the Marina Bay Drought
Prior to Sunday, Marina Bay stood out as one of the few historical venues where the four-time World Champion had never stood atop the podium, having recorded frustrating runner-up finishes in 2018, 2024, and 2025.
With Singapore finally crossed off his list, the upcoming Madring circuit in Madrid remains the only active track on the Formula 1 calendar where the Dutchman has yet to claim a victory.
Reflecting on the milestone in the post-race press conference, Verstappen acknowledged the long journey to the top step:
“Yeah, it’s taken a while,” Verstappen admitted. “But I think this race was very good. I mean yeah, we had pace when we needed to have it on the soft tyre and on the medium, even though I think the medium tyre for everyone was a bit more of a struggle, but it worked out, so of course very happy to win here.”
Red Bull’s Mid-Season Resurgence
The double-victory sweep provides a massive shot of adrenaline for the Milton Keynes squad following an opening half of the season frequently controlled by Mercedes and Ferrari:
“Yeah, I think the last few races have been really positive for us and it’s just great to see,” Verstappen added. “And we have a lot of motivation in the team to try and deliver even more results. So it’s a really good group of people. I really enjoy working with them and hopefully we can have a bit more fun till the end of the year.”
Despite Verstappen’s flawless weekend, the team faced mixed fortunes on the other side of the garage. Junior teammate Isack Hadjar suffered an early mechanical DNF in Saturday’s Sprint, which forced him into a pitlane start for Sunday’s main event and left the rookie fighting from the back throughout the evening.
Formula 1 now heads into a brief pause before crossing the Atlantic for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where Red Bull will aim to stretch their momentum across the final six rounds of the season.