The first win of the season at Sepang gave Red Bull renewed hope of fighting for victories. Speaking on Singapore media day on October 8, Verstappen said he would try to claim his first win at Marina Bay, although the circuit had not always allowed Red Bull’s cars to show their full potential in the past.
After three second places, adapting to Marina Bay remains essential
According to F1’s official website, Verstappen’s previous best result in Singapore was second, achieved in 2018, 2024 and 2025. He said many things needed to come together at a street race, and that he had been unable to win here even in seasons when Red Bull held an advantage.
Verstappen felt that Singapore was different from both Baku and Monaco, and that other teams could also be very strong. He hoped this year’s car would be better suited to Marina Bay, but stressed that victory was not guaranteed.
For the remaining races of the season, Verstappen’s goal is to fight for another victory. He hopes to maintain his good form, while emphasising that Red Bull must remain grounded and continue improving step by step.
Hadjar welcomes the upgrade as battery analysis continues
The other Red Bull also came close to a podium at Sepang, before a battery problem left Hadjar fifth. In Singapore, he said the analysis was still under way, while expecting that what had happened at the previous round would not affect this weekend. He wanted to understand the problem fully and would continue looking back at the details of the failure even though preparations had already moved on to Singapore.
Hadjar felt the team’s latest upgrade had helped the car rejoin the fight at the front. Looking back, he said Red Bull’s early-season decline had been followed by a period of relatively consistent but unremarkable results, before the latest upgrade brought further improvement. He also praised Verstappen’s performances.
INKA SPORTS analysis: can Red Bull carry its Sepang competitiveness into Singapore?
Verstappen’s victory was not the only encouraging sign at Sepang: Hadjar also came close to the podium. That offers Red Bull a more useful indication of the car’s overall competitiveness than a result from just one driver. The fact that the other car could also fight at the front supports Hadjar’s feedback that the upgrade was working.
At Marina Bay, whether both cars can remain close to the front in qualifying and on long runs will provide a concrete test of whether that competitiveness can carry over to another circuit. At the same time, Hadjar’s loss of position shows that podium-contending pace must be backed up by a reliably completed race to produce a result. Analysis of the battery problem is therefore just as important as adapting the car to the circuit.
Conclusion
Both Red Bulls’ involvement in the fight at the front at Sepang provides grounds to keep pursuing victories. The positions lost because of the battery problem, however, make reliability an area that must improve. In Singapore, the team needs both to adapt its car to Marina Bay and to avoid losing positions to another failure.
