Just four days after the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Formula One set up camp in Singapore for Round 17 of the 2026 World Championship and the final leg of this triple-header. The Singapore Grand Prix first joined the calendar in 2008 and was the original night race. It has since established itself as one of the most spectacular and physically demanding events of the season. The floodlit streets surrounding Marina Bay provide a dramatic backdrop, but the tropical heat and humidity, combined with the concentration required to negotiate the unforgiving barriers, make this a particularly gruelling race for the drivers. This race weekend also included the final Sprint race of 2026.
The ~4.9km Marina Bay Street Circuit features 19 corners, combining numerous tight, low speed turns with heavy braking zones and several faster sections. It is a notoriously difficult track to overtake on, with the bumpy track, close barriers and limited run-off areas leaving little margin for error. Mechanical grip, traction and downforce are particularly important through the technical middle sector, while the rear tyres can suffer from overheating as the drivers repeatedly accelerate out of the slower corners. Track evolution is also significant as the racing line becomes cleaner and more rubber is laid down during the weekend. With a high probability of Safety Car interventions and the ever-present possibility of tropical rain, strategy can play as important a role as outright pace.
Singapore has provided Fernando Alonso with some memorable moments during his long Formula One career. He won the inaugural race in 2008 for Renault, having started 15th, and returned to Victory Lane in 2010 with Ferrari, taking pole position, leading every lap and setting the fastest lap to complete the only Grand Slam of his career. Lance Stroll has also enjoyed success here, finishing eighth for Williams in his rookie season in 2017 and sixth for Aston Martin in the wet conditions of 2022. There is even an earlier Aston Martin connection with Singapore: the first non-championship Singapore Grand Prix, held in 1961, was won by Ian Barnwell driving an Aston Martin DB3S.
Aston Martin arrived in Singapore with greater optimism than the previous few races. Alonso's eighth place in Sepang, which delivered four valuable World Championship points, provided fresh hope and belief for the team. Furthermore, the AMR26 had demonstrated improved competitiveness through the corners, enabling both drivers to reach Q2 for the first time this year. Aston Martin's Chief Trackside Officer, Mike Krack, expressed confidence ahead of Singapore, explaining that Marina Bay's relatively short straights and greater emphasis on cornering performance should better suit the car than the power-sensitive layouts of Monza and Baku. The Sprint format would bring additional challenges, particularly with only one practice session available to establish the optimum setup, but after the welcome improvement in Malaysia, Alonso and Stroll arrived hoping to build on that result and challenge for further points under the Singapore lights.
Free Practice
The Singapore Grand Prix weekend got underway with the Marina Bay track surface unusually dusty, being the residue from local forest fires over the summer, which added another challenge for the drivers. With only one hour of Free Practice available before Sprint Qualifying, there was little opportunity for the teams to experiment with different setups or recover from any problems.
As soon as the pit lane opened, the cars headed onto the track, keen to maximise their running time. Alonso and Stroll were among those getting down to work immediately, initially recording P13 and P14 respectively as they put down their first representative lap times. Stroll experienced a substantial lock-up under braking heading into the first turn - an early indication that he was struggling with the car's braking performance. After 15 minutes, both Aston Martins had completed seven laps. Alonso was P12, while Stroll had slipped to P20. By the halfway point Alonso had moved up to P10 - 1.355 seconds behind Antonelli, who was setting the early pace. Stroll also improved, to P17, but continued to experience problems under braking, complaining over the radio that his brakes were not working properly on the approach into turn one.
Both drivers had been running on hard compound tyres during the opening part of the session, concentrating on gathering information about the car's behaviour and the evolving track conditions. As the session entered its final quarter, Alonso switched to medium tyres and immediately improved, to P8, briefly suggesting that Aston Martin might be able to reproduce some of the competitiveness seen in Malaysia. Stroll, meanwhile, had dropped back to P19 before also switching to the medium compound for his final runs.
However, the improvements did not last as the other drivers completed their faster laps. Russell eventually topped the timesheets, with Alonso finishing P14, 2.220 seconds behind the Mercedes driver, having completed 27 laps. Stroll ended the session in P20, almost three seconds off Russell’s time, having completed 26 laps. Between them, the Aston Martins had accumulated valuable data for the engineers to analyse during the short interval before Sprint Qualifying.
Sprint Qualifying
With the limited practice completed, attention turned to Sprint Qualifying, with guarded optimism within the Aston Martin camp that at least one of the drivers might be able to reach SQ3. Marina Bay's combination of slower corners and relatively short straights was expected to provide an opportunity to challenge further up the order.
The cars headed out promptly when SQ1 began, but it was soon disrupted. Perez struck the barriers in his Cadillac, bringing out yellow flags initially, just as drivers were completing their first flying laps. Fortunately, Alonso had just managed to record the third-fastest time, while Stroll had secured P5. Behind him though, all the drivers were required to slow for the yellow flags and weren’t able to set a representative lap. The session was subsequently red flagged to allow marshals to clear the debris from the track, with six minutes and nine seconds remaining on the clock. Ten minutes later running resumed. Both Aston Martins returned to the track for their final attempts. As the remaining drivers completed their laps, Alonso and Stroll slipped down to P8 and P10 before the decisive final runs. Stroll crossed the line in P17, leaving him eliminated. There was momentary confusion when the timing screens failed to register Bortoleto's final lap correctly and once the Brazilian's time was accounted for, he was classified ahead of Stroll, pushing the Aston Martin driver down to P18. Alonso had initially crossed the line in P13 but was subsequently classified P14, narrowly securing a place in SQ2. Verstappen finished the opening round fastest.
The problems with the timing system were not the only technical difficulties affecting Sprint Qualifying. A glitch in the FIA-supplied engine settings, combined with a separate problem in the F1 timing system following the red flag caused by Perez's crash, affected all the cars but had a greater impact on some drivers more than others, depending on the timing of their runs. It involved overtake mode - which allows an extra 0.5MJ of energy to be harvested - being switched on and off again in the space of 28 seconds. Carlos Sainz, Arvid Lindblad and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll were the main drivers who were affected and left them with reduced power. Although they complained, the SQ1 Qualifying result stood. The technical difficulties also delayed the resumption of Sprint Qualifying while the FIA implemented the necessary software update.
When SQ2 eventually got underway, Alonso was unable to find sufficient pace to progress for a place among the ten drivers who would advance to the final round. His best lap of 1:33.734 left him P15, bringing his Sprint Qualifying to an end, while Leclerc topped the timesheets.
The final round saw the leading drivers battling for pole position, with Verstappen producing an outstanding lap to secure the top grid spot for Saturday's Sprint. Russell qualified second, with Leclerc third. For Aston Martin, the outcome was disappointing after the encouraging signs at Sepang. Alonso would start the Sprint from P15 and Stroll from P18, leaving both drivers with considerable work to do if they were to challenge for points in Saturday's 21-lap race.
Sprint Race
Heavy rain swept across Marina Bay shortly before the scheduled start of the Sprint Race, requiring Race Control to delay the start procedure while track conditions were assessed. Eventually, half an hour later than scheduled, the 21-lap Sprint got underway with the cars initially following the Safety Car for two formation laps. Spray was still considerable and the track was taking time to dry as all the cars lined up on the grid, except for Sainz, who started from the pit lane. Alonso lined up P15 and Stroll P18, both hoping that the unsettled conditions might provide opportunities to progress.
When the lights went out, Russell got the jump on pole-sitter Verstappen and Hamilton immediately passed Leclerc. The field negotiated the opening corners without incident, but Russell's promising start came to a dramatic end just before the end of the first lap. Coming out of the final corner, he put a rear tyre on the damp white lined border of the track, causing the Mercedes to spin and crash into the barriers, bringing out the yellow flags and subsequently the Safety Car. Further back on the opening lap there was disappointment for Aston Martin. Stroll had come to a halt at turn 16 following contact with Perez's Cadillac. The two cars had come together as they negotiated the corner, their wheels becoming entangled, Stroll’s AMR26 spun into the crash barrier on the outside of the corner and his Sprint was over almost before it had begun. Initial observations suggested that Stroll might not have left Perez sufficient room and the incident was referred to the Stewards for investigation after the race. They ultimately decided that no further action needed to be taken. Meanwhile, the Safety Car led the remaining cars round the street circuit and through the pit lane to allow Russell's damaged Mercedes to be recovered. While all that was going on Hadjar had to retire his car, Colapinto's Alpine came to a halt on track and Lindblad’s Racing Bull span, dropping him to the back of the field. All this allowed Alonso to advance to P12 and made the prospect of scoring points look more realistic – he needed to gain another four positions to secure one. On lap six, with five cars out of the race, the Safety Car prepared to return to the pits. Verstappen headed the field at the restart, followed by Hamilton and Leclerc, while Alonso remained in P12 and continued unscathed, even after Sainz struck the rear of his Aston Martin. Midway through the race Alonso was still in P12, approximately three seconds behind Gasly in P11. With the damp conditions and earlier disruptions having receded the race settled into a relatively uneventful procession, with overtaking proving difficult around the Marina Bay track. Verstappen continued to control proceedings at the front, while Alonso was unable to close the gap to Gasly. With five laps remaining, that deficit had increased to eight seconds, effectively ending his hopes of reaching the points unless further incidents occurred. A couple of those did materialise but none of them would be to Alonso’s benefit. Albon, who was behind Alonso, retired his Williams after coming into the pits with a few laps remaining and, nearer the front, Leclerc's tyres were deteriorating badly, allowing Piastri to close rapidly onto the Ferrari, with Norris following closely behind – a little bit too close! On the final lap the two McLaren drivers came together when Norris claimed a gap to the right of his team-mate but it wasn’t wide enough and they made contact, both spinning and allowing Antonelli to capitalise on their misfortune. The incident also promoted Alonso one place to P11, although he remained outside the points.
Verstappen crossed the line first to win the Sprint, ahead of Hamilton and Leclerc, while Alonso finished P11, 50.6 seconds behind the winner. Nine cars had failed to finish the 21-lap race, including Stroll, whose afternoon had ended following a first-lap collision with Perez. Despite the unusually high attrition rate, Aston Martin had been unable to capitalise sufficiently to secure a point.
Qualifying
With the Sprint Race having been delayed, there was a knock-on effect for the rest of the day's programme and Race Control delayed Qualifying by 30 minutes. By that time, heading into the evening the Marina Bay track was almost dry and the drivers prepared for the session. Under the glare of ~1,600 floodlights Q1 got underway and the cars headed out promptly, with the drivers keen to establish representative times before the track became congested. Ocon provided an early reminder of how little margin for error there was when he locked up under braking and narrowly avoided hitting the barriers, bringing his car to a halt just millimetres from a wall.
Both Aston Martins headed out with soft tyres bolted onto their AMR26s for their opening attempts, but Stroll experienced a similar problem to Ocon, locking up at the same location and having to take to an escape road. Alonso managed to complete a respectable opening lap, although the true competitiveness would only become apparent once the remainder of the field had recorded their times. There then followed another interruption when Hadjar came to a complete stop on the track, reporting that his engine had switched off, prompting more yellow flags while he crept around the circuit. Alonso then headed back on track for another attempt and placed himself in P9 with ten minutes remaining. Stroll had still not recorded a representative time since his lock up and remained at the bottom of the order. When he did get going the Canadian eventually completed a lap that briefly elevated him to P10, but Alonso subsequently displaced him, leaving the Aston Martin pair occupying P10 and P11. As the track continued to evolve and other drivers completed their fast laps, both Aston Martins slipped down the order - Alonso to P15 and Stroll to P17, with just five minutes remaining and leaving both drivers under considerable pressure to improve if they were to reach Q2. The pair returned to the garage before heading out again on soft tyres for their final attempts. Alonso was first to leave, followed by Stroll, but neither could produce the improvement required. Alonso finished Q1 in P17, missing the cut by just five one hundredths of a second, while Stroll was two places lower and also eliminated. Hamilton set the fastest time, narrowly ahead of Leclerc.
In the interlude between Q1 and Q2 Aston Martin announced that Alonso would take a new power unit, resulting in a grid penalty that would send him to the back of the field alongside Russell. The penalties would affect the final starting order, although the precise positions would depend on how they were applied and if anyone else was going to join them.
With both Aston Martins eliminated, the remaining drivers continued into Q2. Hamilton maintained his strong pace and, with five minutes remaining, headed the timesheets ahead of Norris and Antonelli. By the end of the second round, Hamilton remained fastest, followed by Verstappen and Norris. The final ten drivers then took to the track for Q3, to decide who would master the Marina Bay streets. After the first cohort of drivers had laid down their initial fastest laps Verstappen, Hamilton and Antonelli occupied the leading three positions and with five minutes remaining. As the last attempts unfolded, Verstappen again demonstrated his pace around Marina Bay and secured pole position for Sunday's Grand Prix, his second pole of the weekend following his Sprint Qualifying success. Leclerc produced a strong final effort to claim P2 alongside Verstappen on the front row, while Hamilton completed the top three.
It was another disappointing outcome for Aston Martin, especially after the hope and expectation ahead of the weekend, with both cars failing to progress beyond the opening round. Their attention now turned to Sunday's race, with Stroll provisionally starting from P17 and Alonso facing a start from the back of the grid following his power unit change.
Race
When Sunday dawned there was a further development that would ensure Aston Martin would face a particularly difficult mission in the 62-lap Singapore Grand Prix. Stroll would have to face the same fate as Alonso and start from the pit lane, along with Hadjar, as Stroll's AMR26 had undergone modifications under Parc Fermé conditions. Alonso would start from P20 and Stroll from P21 - both drivers with soft compound tyres bolted on.
The formation lap passed without incident and the race got underway on schedule. When they launched off the start Leclerc had the edge and was almost alongside Verstappen, who just survived getting passed and he retained the lead going into the opening corner. At the rear, Alonso kept P20 while Stroll lost a position to Hadjar and dropped to P22. Alonso was immediately trying to make progress and had closed to within half a second of Bottas on the second lap. He completed the overtake towards the end of it, sweeping ahead of the Cadillac and setting his sights on Perez, the next car in front. By lap five, Alonso had reduced the gap to less than a second, although finding a way past around the narrow Marina Bay track would prove considerably more difficult. At the front, Leclerc was attempting to remain within a second of Verstappen, who continued to lead. During lap 8 Bortoleto pulled his Audi off the track at the end of the pit lane, seemingly experiencing a gearbox issue, which called for the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) to be deployed. The stranded car was quickly recovered and racing resumed, but Alonso lost a position to Hadjar at the restart. Stroll, meanwhile, managed to pass Bottas, meaning both Aston Martins had made some progress from their starting positions. At the front, Verstappen continued to lead from Leclerc and Hamilton. Despite having caught up to Perez, Alonso was still unable to find a way past the Cadillac and the two remained locked together for much of the opening stint, with Stroll shadowing just behind his teammate. Twenty laps into the race, Alonso was still P19 and Stroll P20. At the front, the leading order had changed as Hamilton had come into the pits for fresh tyres and dropped to P7, which allowed Antonelli to move up to third place. Alonso's pursuit of Perez ended when the Cadillac came into the pits on lap 22, releasing the two Aston Martins and allowing them to progress. As the first round of pit stops unfolded, Alonso especially began climbing the order. Albon stopped on lap 24, promoting Alonso to P17 and Stroll to P18. Three laps later Lindblad came in and Aston Martin brought Stroll into the pits for his tyre change. The Canadian switched from soft to medium tyres and rejoined in P20, while Alonso, who remained on his original soft tyres, moved up to P16. With the field spreading out, Alonso found himself running a rather lonely race. Hadjar was some 16.5 seconds ahead, while Lindblad was approximately 14 seconds behind, leaving the Spaniard with little immediate prospect of making further progress through overtaking. Hadjar soon caught and passed Ocon, leaving the Haas driver as Alonso's next target, 6.8 seconds ahead. Shortly afterwards, Colapinto pulled into a run-off area, bringing out yellow flags briefly, and after checking with his team he retired from the race. That retirement promoted Alonso to P15. At the half-distance point, lap 31, Verstappen remained comfortably in control at the front, while Alonso was still running P15 without having made a pit stop. Stroll, who had already changed tyres, was P19.
Verstappen then came in from the lead for a rapid 2.2-second pit stop and resumed at the front of the field. Sainz also pitted, promoting Alonso to P14, and when Hadjar made his stop on lap 34, Fernando climbed another position to P13. Stroll, meanwhile, remained in P19, unable to make any significant progress up the rankings. After his stop, Hadjar, now on fresher tyres, was rapidly hunting Alonso down and the Racing Bull driver reduced the gap to just 1.3 seconds. Seeing that Alonso’s tyres had reached the end of their effectiveness Aston Martin brought him in on lap 37. The team completed the stop in 2.6 seconds, fitting a fresh set of medium tyres and Alonso returned to the track in P17. Stroll meanwhile, had been shown the black-and-white flag, for exceeding track limits and he then had a spin after locking up under braking. Although he managed to get going again, his AMR26 was visibly steaming, suggesting a bigger problem. The issue was subsequently identified as an overheating clutch, which forced Stroll to stop and climb out of the car – his 11th retirement of the season. The VSC was deployed while his stranded Aston Martin was recovered. Racing resumed shortly afterwards and by lap 40 Alonso, in P16, was having to defend his position from Albon, who was closing in behind. By lap 47, the Williams was within a second of the Aston Martin and putting Alonso under considerable pressure. Alonso defended valiantly though and maintained his advantage, extending the gap to 2.6 seconds with ten laps remaining. At the front, Verstappen continued to lead comfortably from Leclerc and Hamilton, although the Ferrari driver was beginning to struggle with his very old tyres. As the race entered its final stages, Hamilton's deteriorating grip left him vulnerable to the cars behind and both Antonelli and Norris found their way past, dropping him out of the podium positions. Alonso, meanwhile, was still defending P16 against Albon - with five laps remaining, the Williams had closed the gap once again to just 1.3 seconds, but the Spaniard continued to hold his position despite the pressure.
At the end of the 62nd lap, Verstappen crossed the finish line to claim his first Singapore Grand Prix victory, having controlled the race from pole position. Leclerc finished second, with Antonelli completing the podium in third place. Alonso brought his AMR26 home in P16.
Reaction and Comment
After the encouraging performance in Malaysia, where Alonso had finished eighth and Stroll twelfth, Singapore had proved a very different experience for Aston Martin. The anticipated advantage of Marina Bay's slower corners and reduced emphasis on straight-line speed never materialised, with both cars eliminated in Q1 and neither driver able to make significant progress during the Grand Prix. Alonso's pit-lane start had compounded the challenge, while Stroll's retirements in both races added further woes to an already difficult season.
After the race, both drivers were naturally subdued. Alonso said,
"It was a difficult weekend overall, not just the race. We knew starting from the pit lane would make things difficult, especially at a circuit where overtaking is not easy. I did what I could, but we didn't have the pace to fight for much more. We struggled with driveability throughout the weekend. Hopefully we can get on top of these issues before the next triple-header."
Stroll was even more concise, "We made some setup changes overnight so started from the pit lane today. We had driveability issues during the race and then the clutch overheated so we had to retire on Lap 39. We will need to look into it and try to make things better for the next one."
With the Asian triple-header concluded, Formula One has a two-week break before the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.