The front row lined up with Verstappen on soft tyres and pole sitter Russell on mediums promised drama, but the start unfolded in Russell’s favour.
While the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri challenged for positions behind, Verstappen struggled to get past Russell into Turn 1, leaving the Red Bull driver to manage his race from second place.
Russell said he believed Verstappen could have taken a third consecutive win if he had managed a better getaway. “I thought it was a smart move from Red Bull to start Max on the softs,” Russell said.
“If he had jumped me at Turn 1, I think he would have won the race, because overtaking was so challenging.”
Verstappen agreed, highlighting the difficulties of overtaking at Singapore and the challenges of tyre management. “It’s just super hard to pass around here, but I didn’t take the lead at Turn 1,” he said.
“We knew the inside line was worse for start performance, and once I didn’t achieve the lead, it became a proper management race, trying to keep the softs alive long enough before switching to hards.”
The Dutch driver added that his tyres were already older than Russell’s and Norris’s by several laps, and issues with shifting and balance made the race even harder. “Second was just the maximum that we could do today,” Verstappen said.
“Even if the balance had been better, staying P2 into Turn 1 meant that was all we could achieve. That’s just how it goes around here when nothing crazy happens with a safety car or opportunity.”
Verstappen’s defensive driving kept Norris at bay, demonstrating his skill despite the setback, while Russell enjoyed a clean run to victory, further solidifying Mercedes’ strong showing in Singapore.
