Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari will do "whatever it takes" as a team to beat Max Verstappen in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix. Verstappen will start on pole for the second weekend in a row with Charles Leclerc on the front row and Hamilton in third, with all three drivers desperate to win their second races of 2026. The tight confines of the Marina Bay Street Circuit mean overtaking is difficult, so the start will be crucial when the lights go out at 1pm (build-up from 11.30am), live on Sky Sports F1.
Hamilton emphasized the importance of a strong start, noting that while the Sprint start was in the wet, he believes from third he can have a good start and capitalize early. He added that he will give "absolutely everything" to try and undo his qualifying result and secure another win. Hamilton reflected on his qualifying session, saying he topped Q1 and Q2 but could not put a clean lap together in Q3, losing to Verstappen and Leclerc by just one tenth.
He explained that adding wing to extract more performance tipped the car over the edge, making it snappy and ruining his Q3 laps. Despite this, he is grateful to be third. Verstappen is concerned about the start after a "horrendous" launch in Saturday's Sprint, where he lost to George Russell before the Mercedes driver crashed.
Although his recent dry starts in Baku, Madrid and Monza did not cost him positions, his initial getaway has been average, forcing him to fight hard into Turn 1. Given Singapore's first corner does not require hard braking, a poor start could be costly, especially if the Ferraris get away quickly.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing