Max Verstappen, racing in a Red Bull that forced him to marginally hold the inside line, managed to keep the front‑most position against Charles Leclerc on the first corner of the Singapore Grand Prix.
Start‑line drama at Marina Bay
Leclerc launched from a superior grid spot but was squeezed by Verstappen’s outer line, which offered extra grip on the high‑speed approach to Turn 1. The Monegasque had to bracket his braking instinctively, because the 150‑metre and 100‑metre reference markers were occluded by Verstappen’s body.
Deployment glitches nagged Red Bull
During the initial laps, Verstappen reported “deployment issues” that sapped power, turning the straight into a lull. Leclerc noted the singular laps of reduced traction but chose not to co‑opt the battery, believing the mishap would disappear beyond the first stint. Red Bull’s engine‑braking woes were echoed by Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, also whining “I was getting driven past on the straights and the engine braking was really bad, which wasn’t easy to drive.”
Verstappen later said that “they had a few laps with deployment issues, so Charles almost had me into Turn 7.” Leclerc, however, retained the podium but praised the race as “a cool race” that “seemed enough” to secure his first finish after the summer break.
While Verstappen’s pace on car and tyre strategy had him always a step ahead, Leclerc understood the final result could have shifted had power calm had lingered in the early laps. In the end, the Dutchman’s daring overtakes on the straights sealed the win, confirming Red Bull’s domination at the street circuit and leaving Leclerc to concede that, “they just had too much pace for us.”
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