F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2026: Predictions and betting preview

By Klimentijs Konevs | Published: 8 October, 2026, 10:30

The Bahrain Grand Prix is over, and Max Verstappen finally has his first victory of the 2026 season. The Red Bull driver came out on top at Sepang, giving himself and the team a much-needed win after a difficult start to the year.

Now, Formula 1 moves on to Singapore and the famous Marina Bay Street Circuit. With another important weekend ahead, it is time for our Singapore Grand Prix preview and predictions.

The Singapore Grand Prix will be a sprint weekend, meaning teams and drivers have only one practice session to get everything right before heading into sprint qualifying. The sprint race takes place during the day on Saturday, while the main Grand Prix will be held at night. This means we will see two races on the same circuit under completely different conditions, with track and tyre temperatures potentially playing a major role.

Marina Bay is also one of the toughest circuits on the calendar for overtaking. It is extremely tight in places, much like Baku and Madrid, and completely different from what we just saw at Sepang. The circuit is very physical and demanding, and the Singapore GP is typically one of the longest races of the season in terms of time. Teams will bring their highest-downforce setups, which could also give us a slightly different running order compared to Sepang.

Red Bull

Last weekend, Verstappen produced a masterful drive in tricky conditions. He was particularly strong with his tyre management and managed to keep them alive when others started struggling. Isack Hadjar was on the same tyres as Verstappen but simply could not match his teammate's pace.

Red Bull have done an incredible job with their latest upgrades, which are clearly working. The car has really started to come alive, and Verstappen is finding himself on the podium more and more frequently. Singapore has always been a mixed bag for Red Bull, so it will be interesting to see whether their recent progress continues at Marina Bay.

McLaren

McLaren had a difficult race in Sepang, and their tyre strategy was completely wrong from the start after choosing the mediums. At least with Oscar Piastri, they realized the mistake and brought him in for a set of intermediates. He managed to make his way through the field, but his progress was much slower than some of the other drivers around him. Overall, McLaren simply did not look as strong as they have in previous races.

Lando Norris also made a costly mistake under the Safety Car. He locked up heading into Turn 1, braked far too late and lost positions. It was a silly error that made an already difficult race even worse. McLaren also brought upgrades to Sepang, but they did not appear to push the team ahead of their main rivals.

Ferrari

It was a classic Ferrari strategy disaster in Sepang, saved by excellent drives from both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari decided to start the Grand Prix on soft tyres despite the conditions being closer to the intermediate phase. They at least brought Leclerc in for intermediates, and he eventually managed to get back ahead of Hamilton, who was left out on the softs for much longer.

For a large part of the race, Ferrari looked to be heading towards a very difficult result and were a long way from the points. The Safety Car essentially saved their Grand Prix and brought them back into the fight, and from there both drivers produced fantastic drives. Despite their eventual finish, however, Ferrari never really had the pace to match Kimi Antonelli or Max Verstappen.

Mercedes

Mercedes had a pretty good race in Sepang, but they were beaten quite comfortably by Red Bull. Kimi Antonelli showed great pace all things considered, although Mercedes are still struggling to fully optimize their latest upgrades.

George Russell also had a decent race, but he was comfortably beaten by his teammate before suffering a power unit failure. The big question now is whether Russell will need to take a power unit penalty in Singapore. If he does, his already slim championship hopes could effectively be over. Mercedes may also be vulnerable to both Red Bull and Ferrari this weekend, although Antonelli still has a comfortable points advantage in the championship.

Qualifying and Pole Position

Our bold pick for pole position in Singapore is Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari could be very strong around the high-downforce Marina Bay circuit, and this could be one of their best opportunities to fight at the front.

Podium Prediction

1st place: Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari should be very strong around Marina Bay, and we expect Hamilton to convert his pole position into his second victory of the season.

2nd place: Max Verstappen

Verstappen is in fantastic form after winning in Sepang, but Singapore may not suit Red Bull quite as well.

3rd place: Charles Leclerc

Leclerc should also benefit from Ferrari’s strength around the high-downforce circuit and complete a double podium for the team.

Dark Horses

Once again, our dark horse for the weekend is Nico Hulkenberg in the Audi. He has really picked up the pace recently and continues to look like one of the strongest drivers in the midfield, with another points finish looking very possible in Singapore.

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