2026 Singapore GP Raceday Preview

Max Verstappen took pole in qualifying and it was a nice 2.10 winner for James Punt. Fingers crossed for more of the same this afternoon. His 2026 Singapore GP Raceday preview and tips are below.

2026 Singapore GP Raceday

It looks like the Singapore GPs habit of throwing up a different winner every year is set to continue. The race has been won by the pole sitter for seven of the last ten years, and on pole for today’s race is Max Verstappen, and alongside him, Charles Leclerc, neither of whom has won the Singapore GP.

Verstappen has been quickest in all but FP1 this weekend. Leclerc has been second or third, and Hamilton has been up there as well. The two best cars here are the Red Bull and the Ferrari.

Mercedes are using the weekend as a test session, trying to work out if their latest upgrade is, in fact, a down grade. McLaren have continued to slip back down the pecking order and are now having to deal with drivers who are crashing into each other.

Sprint Procession

We have already had a ‘race’ here this weekend. The Sprint procession was enlivened by Russell crashing out after taking the lead. Totally unforgivable. On a street track on which overtaking is very difficult, all he had to do was not crash, but that is exactly what he did. It was one of the worst executions of a ‘race’ I have seen. He had effectively won the race by the first corner but binned it before the end of the lap. Not officer material.

The start of the race saw Verstappen getting off the line very slowly, again. Is this a flaw in the car? Does it only happen in the wet? Yes, and yes is my opinion. After a very dry season, we have had a wet start in Bahrain/Malaysia and now in the Singapore sprint. Verstappen blew both of them, and both were on wet tracks. There have been other slow starts, but mostly earlier in the season.

Ferrari used to have a big advantage off the line, but the FIA put an end to that with their starting procedures, and Ferrari decided to engineer that advantage out of their car when thy upgraded their power unit.

20% Chance Of Rain

A wet start would probably hand the advantage to Leclerc, but the weather forecast says there is just a 20% chance of rain around race time. The radar shows nothing rain wise.

Red Bull are on a roll and Verstappen should win. Ferrari have a car that is very well suited to the track, but they are still just losing out on the straights. This is not a track that is dominated by straights, but what there is, is just enough to give the Red Bull a tiny edge, and in Verstappen’s hands, that has been enough, so far.

2026 Singapore GP Raceday: Race Win

We are on Charles Leclerc for the race, each way. Ferrari have a strategic advantage of having both cars starting at the front. Red Bull have bookended the grid with Verstappen 1st and Hadjar starting in last place after his car suffered mechanical problems. However, the words Ferrari, strategic and advantage, do not sit well together.

The race is Verstappen’s to win, but you never know. Perhaps his car may be subjected to the same problem that has ruined Hadjar’s weekend.

Verstappen is the 1.44 favourite, Leclerc 6.50 (win only) and Hamilton 7.00. I am happy to leave the market alone. Hopefully Leclerc can at least finish on podium and keep our feet dry on that one.

Podium Betting

Antonelli is a 2.20 shot to finish on the podium. He has done so in thirteen of the sixteen races in 2026. Yes, the Mercedes is not the best car around this track, and the upgraded car which Antonelli is driving this weekend, is not an improvement. But, he starts from 4th.

He has started from 4th three times in 2026 and finished on the podium each time. In the last ten races here, the driver starting 4th has finished on the podium five times. Odds of 2.20 for Antonelli to finish on the podium are acceptable for a modest bet.

2026 Singapore GP Raceday Tip: 1 point Antonelli to finish on the podium @ 2.20 with Betfair, Boylesports, Skybet

Top 6 Betting

The most unprofitable market in F1. It is a market dominated by the big four teams. Occasionally somebody else crashes the party, but not often. This weekend, we have Russell and Hadjar starting from the back of the grid. On a street track, that is not good, but we still have six cars from the big four starting in the top six. Liam Lawson starts 7th and he has managed three top six finishes in 2026. His odds of 4.50 are not value, and the same goes for the rest of the field.

Points Finish Betting

We backed Carlos Sainz for this market at 9.00 ante post. He will start today’s race from 13th and is now a 6.00 shot. The Williams doesn’t have the pace for a top 10 on merit, but attrition is always a factor here, and he has come from down the field to score points here before, including a 18th to 10th last year. It is not usually a great track on which to come from behind. It has been done, but only six times in the last ten years has someone come from outside the top fourteen, and score points.

I quite fancy Hulkenberg to finish in the points. He starts 10th, thanks to the penalty for Russell. The Audi is a good car, limited by a poor power unit. This track is more about the chassis than horsepower. He should have a decent race car today, and he is usually good for making up a place or two. He is 2.50 to finish in the points. Hulkenberg has only done it three times in 2026, but they have all been in the last six races. However, he is Mr. 11th place.

Lindblad at 1.67 makes more sense. He has scored points in ten of the last eleven races.

2026 Singapore GP Raceday Tip: 1 point Arvid Lindblad to finish in the points @ 1.67 with Betfred, BET365

Group Betting

There are a couple of sporting bets in the group markets. Hills and Unibet have the same drivers in Groups 2. They are Russell and Hadjar, starting from the back row, Gasly from 7th and Lawson from 8th. They both have Russell as favourite, Hadjar second favourite, Gasly third and Lawson as the outsider.

Lawson is very consistent these days. Gasly has been pretty good around this track, and the favourites are starting way back, on a street circuit on which it is hard to make up places. For Russell and/or Hadjar to win the group, they will have done very well.

Gasly and Hadjar have a decent advantage. Slower cars, yes, but seven rows ahead on the grid. I am seeing this as potential Gasly vs. Lawson bet.

Racing Bulls and Alpine are in mortal combat in the race for 5th place, and Racing Bulls have two cars in the top ten, right behind Gasly, giving them a bit of a strategic advantage. Gasly does have the advantage of starting on the clean side of the track, but there are a few cars ahead of Lawson to clean the track. Lawson is 4.33 with Hills, but a whopping 7.00 with Unibet. Value bet!

2026 Singapore GP Raceday Tip: 1 point Liam Lawson to win Group 2 @ 7.00 with Unibet

I am quite keen to have something on Hulkenberg today. The car looks decent around here and he has a 50% points scoring record here. He is 2.50 to finish in the points, but he looks better value to win Group 3 with Unibet. He is grouped with Lindblad, Ocon and Bearman. Lindblad starts 9th, Hulkenberg 10th, Bearman 11th and Ocon 12th. Lindblad deserves to be the 1.85 favourite but Hulkenberg at 4.60 makes enough appeal for a bet.

2026 Singapore GP Raceday Tip: 1 point Nico Hulkenberg to win Group 3 @ 4.60 with Unibet

-JamesPunt