Can Ferraris work together to beat Verstappen at Singapore GP?

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 behind in third, with all three drivers desperate to win their second races of 2026.

The tight confines of the Marina Bay Street Circuit means 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.

“As a team we need to do whatever it takes to win,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.

“The start in the Sprint was in the wet, so it was different. But I believe from third we can have a good start. I will try to capitalise there and after that I think we have a car we can fight with.

“I will give it absolutely everything to try and undo our qualifying. It would be great for us to get another win.”

Having topped Q1 and Q2 in Qualifying, Hamilton headed into Q3 as favourite but could not put a completely clean lap together so was beaten by Verstappen and Leclerc by just one tenth.

“The car felt amazing in Q1 and Q2, and when I finished the laps, I was like, ‘she’s got more in her’. And the only way in order to try and extract that is to try and add wing,” he explained.

“In doing so, I think it just tipped it over the edge. It was only like one hole or something like that, but it was just on the knife point, and after that then the car was just snappy, and none of the laps in Q3 are any good. So, I’m grateful to be third, to be honest, given that those laps weren’t very good.”

How vulnerable is Verstappen at the start?

Verstappen is concerned about the start after a “horrendous” launch in Saturday’s Singapore Sprint which saw him lose out to George Russell before the Mercedes driver crashed at the end of the lap.

It was reminiscent of last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, but both starts were in the wet and Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix is expected to be dry.

However, even Verstappen’s most recent starts have not been good in comparison to his rivals. Although he did not lose positions by the end of the first lap in the last three dry starts in Baku, Madrid and Monza, his initial getaway off the line was, at best, average in all three Grands Prix and he was forced to fight hard into Turn 1 itself to retain his starting position.

Given the first corner in Singapore does not require the drivers to brake hard, Verstappen will not be able to recover from a poor getaway on Sunday, particularly if the Ferraris start quickly.

“That’s definitely something that we need to improve on because if you have something like that tomorrow, that’s your race over if nothing crazy happens,” said Verstappen, who will make his 250th F1 start.

“We have a few limitations that we have to work on. Also from our side, I think we have to do a better job, because Racing Bulls sometimes do start better than us. So, we just need to be better.”

Leclerc and Hamilton themselves will be itching to get away cleanly and will be aware of the importance to be the leading Ferrari after the first lap.

It might mean the two Ferraris get very close on the short run down to Turn 1 and both drivers are likely to be unwilling to back out…

What can happen after the start in Singapore?

The high Singapore track temperatures coupled with several traction zones mean tyre degradation can be an issue during the long race, which often can get close to the two-hour limit due to the relatively low average speed.

However, the drivers have learned, if they manage their pace, you can stretch the first stint length to make a one-stop race work.

“In terms of strategy, we will have to look but it’s also true, whoever is behind after the first lap, if that happens, the second car can lose a lot – whether that’s Lewis or me,” Leclerc told Sky Sports F1.

“That’s a team choice and something we will discuss. If a win is on the table, we will have to take a decision. But we will talk about it.”

Leclerc is suggesting the second Ferrari will need to try something different, or perhaps even sacrifice themselves by helping the other car.

The two options the second Ferrari would have is to pit relatively early to try and undercut Verstappen, if needed, allowing the leading car to have free air. Or, to run long and hope for a timely Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car to make a ‘cheaper’ pit stop where you lose less time in the pits compared to pitting under green flag conditions.

“It will be very hard for us to beat Max tomorrow, but there’s two Ferraris there, and I think we can hopefully, there might be opportunities for us to work together to try and apply the pressure,” said Hamilton.

“They [Red Bull] are very, very quick, but I think we have the car in a good place that hopefully we can at least hold on.”

Sky Sports F1’s live Singapore GP schedule

Sunday October 11
11.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Singapore GP build-up
1pm: THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
3pm: Chequered Flag: Singapore GP reaction
4pm: Ted’s Notebook

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1 is in Singapore for the last Sprint weekend of the season with Sunday’s Grand Prix at 1pm (build-up from 11.30am) live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime