Verstappen Building Major Momentum as ‘No-One Very Happy’ at McLaren After Singapore Setback

Max Verstappen continues to gather serious pace as the Formula 1 season enters its final stretch. The Red Bull driver claimed a commanding sprint-race victory in tricky wet conditions at the Singapore Grand Prix before securing pole position for the main event. That double success on Saturday has reinforced his recent resurgence, even as the championship picture remains distant for the four-time world champion.

Meanwhile, McLaren endured a damaging day. A last-lap collision between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the sprint left the team with just a single point and plenty of internal frustration. Team principal Andrea Stella made clear that the incident was unacceptable, while Norris himself admitted that “no-one’s very happy.”

Verstappen’s Resurgent Form at Marina Bay

Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix will mark Verstappen’s 250th Formula 1 start. He arrives in a strong position after converting pole into a sprint win and then locking out the front of the grid for the feature race. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton line up immediately behind him, both of whom felt a pole was within reach.

The Dutchman has spoken of a car that finally feels predictable. “All weekend the car has been in a good window and that makes it a lot easier to find your rhythm,” he said after qualifying. “Incredibly happy to start first. Still a long race ahead, a lot of things can go wrong but we have done everything up until now well so hopefully we can continue that tomorrow. It’s been a really positive last few races and we want to keep that momentum going.”

That momentum began with a run of podiums in Italy, Spain and Azerbaijan, followed by Verstappen’s first grand prix victory of the 2026 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Red Bull’s steady development work has restored the car’s consistency, allowing Verstappen to extract the maximum once more. When the RB package sits in that sweet spot, few drivers can match him.

Championship Realities and Red Bull’s Revival

Despite the strong recent results, Verstappen remains a distant second in the drivers’ standings. He trails Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by 129 points, with only 175 points still available across the remaining races. Any mathematical challenge would require an extraordinary sequence of results and misfortune for the leader, something Verstappen himself has ruled out as realistic.

Still, the revival carries significance. Red Bull has closed the gap to McLaren in the constructors’ championship and now sits just 11 points behind the defending champions heading into the Singapore weekend. Consistent points and the occasional victory in the final races could yet secure second place in the teams’ standings, an important commercial and sporting outcome after a more difficult campaign.

One lingering concern for Verstappen remains race starts. He lost the lead off the line both in Malaysia and in the Singapore sprint. At a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult, any early position loss would make recovery far harder than on more open tracks.

McLaren’s Costly Collision and Internal Disappointment

McLaren’s Saturday told a very different story. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were running fourth and fifth in the sprint, chasing Charles Leclerc, when Norris attempted a move at Turn Five on the final lap. The cars made contact, both spun, and Piastri retired after hitting the barriers. Norris recovered to eighth.

The stewards investigated and took no further action, concluding that both drivers contributed to the incident. Norris apologised over team radio and later expanded on his thinking. “As you probably expect, no-one’s very happy. I’m not happy, Oscar isn’t happy. None of us wanted it to go that way. There was things both of us could have done better and, yeah, we spoke about it and we moved on.”

Team principal Andrea Stella was more direct. “Very simply, it is unacceptable that two McLarens ever come together on track. This is a fundamental principle of how we go racing, and something both drivers are very well aware of.” He stressed that the team’s interests must always come first and that the conversation would continue internally in a constructive manner.

The incident carries added weight because McLaren has already dropped from its mid-season peak. Consecutive wins for Norris in Hungary and the Netherlands had raised expectations of a strong challenge, yet recent races have seen the team lose ground. With Red Bull closing in the constructors’ table, every lost point now carries greater consequence.

Looking Ahead to the Singapore Grand Prix

Verstappen starts the race as favourite, yet Singapore’s street circuit rarely delivers straightforward results. Traffic, strategy and reliability can reshape the order under the lights. Ferrari will push hard from the second row, while McLaren must recover both performance and discipline after a self-inflicted blow.

For Red Bull, the weekend already represents further evidence that the car has regained competitiveness. For McLaren, the priority is to extract maximum points on Sunday while ensuring the drivers prioritise collective goals. Stella’s measured but firm response suggests the team views the collision as a serious matter that requires lasting resolution.

As the season winds toward its conclusion, Verstappen’s form provides one of the clearer storylines. He may be too far back to threaten the championship, yet he is once again a consistent contender at the front. McLaren, by contrast, faces the dual challenge of restoring competitiveness and maintaining internal harmony. The Singapore weekend has underlined both trends in sharp relief.

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