Max Verstappen's 2026 revival: Sepang and Singapore wins before Abu Dhabi
Two straight victories, a first Singapore win on his 250th start and a fight for second place in the standings.
Max Verstappen arrives at the last six races of 2026 in his best form of the year. He won at Sepang in Malaysia, his first victory of the season, and a week later won the Singapore Grand Prix on 11 October, Malay Mail reported. F1Oversteer noted that the Sepang win was Red Bull's first as an engine manufacturer.
Singapore was a perfect weekend: pole for the sprint and the Grand Prix, and wins in both. It came on his 250th Grand Prix start and was his first win at Marina Bay at the tenth attempt, after nine visits without a win or a pole since his 2015 debut with Toro Rosso. “It has taken a while but I think this race was very good,” he said.
Charles Leclerc finished 7.335 seconds behind in second and championship leader Kimi Antonelli was third. F1Oversteer says Red Bull's upgrades in Baku appear to have fixed the RB22's balance problems.
Verstappen is fourth in the drivers' standings on 221 points, 17 behind George Russell in second, according to RacingNews365. Antonelli leads on 340, so the Dutchman's realistic target is the runner-up spot. “Hopefully we can have a bit more fun until the end of the year,” he said.
The season ends at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday 6 December, a track where Verstappen won last year's race even as Lando Norris took the title. After Austin, Mexico City, São Paulo, Las Vegas and Qatar, Abu Dhabi could decide second place if not the championship.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2026Race day Sun 6 Dec · Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi See ticketsSource: Malay Mail, F1Oversteer, RacingNews365
