Verstappen claimed his first Singapore win—sort of. The Red Bull driver took the rain-delayed Sprint after a chaotic opening lap, but he's the first to admit it came with an asterisk. His start from pole was "horrendous," allowing George Russell to grab the lead before the Mercedes spun out of P1 at the final corner and crashed. From there, Verstappen managed the tricky intermediate-tyre conditions and held off Lewis Hamilton to the flag.
The four-time champion isn't celebrating. He made it clear the Sprint doesn't count as cracking the Marina Bay code—Sunday's Grand Prix is the prize that matters. More pressing: Red Bull's ongoing launch problems. "If you have something like that tomorrow, that's your race over," Verstappen said, pointing to how vulnerable a poor getaway leaves him on a track where overtaking is nearly impossible. One more bad start and pole position means nothing. Qualifying clean and nailing the launch are non-negotiable if Verstappen wants to check the real Singapore box.
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