{
  "id": 13764763,
  "title": "Verstappen perfect and Antonelli hugely mature - driver ratings",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/verstappen-perfect-and-antonelli-hugely-mature-driver-ratings-13764763",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-11T17:33:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/verstappen-perfect-antonelli-hugely-mature-172610653.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Max Verstappen secured his second consecutive win at the Singapore Grand Prix, claiming victory from pole position in both the sprint race and the grand prix. The Dutch driver has now climbed two places in the drivers' championship standings, moving from sixth to fourth. Leader Kimi Antonelli, on the other hand, finished the event in third place, increasing his lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell, who was ninth, to 102 points.\n\nHere are my assessments of how the drivers fared throughout the Singapore weekend:\n\nMax Verstappen - 10/10 A truly perfect weekend. Verstappen dominated both the sprint and the main race, showing no signs of losing control even after George Russell's crash during the sprint on Saturday.\n\nCharles Leclerc - 9/10 Consistently Verstappen's closest rival, Leclerc secured two podium finishes, including third place in the sprint and second in the grand prix.\n\nKimi Antonelli - 8.5/10 A mature performance from Mercedes' championship leader. Despite facing brake issues and occasionally straying over track limits, Antonelli managed to secure fourth places in both the sprint and the grand prix.\n\nLando Norris - 6.5/10 Norris put up a solid performance, finishing fourth in both races. However, his collision with team-mate Oscar Piastri during the sprint heavily impacted his overall weekend rating.\n\nOscar Piastri - 7/10 After being involved in a sprint collision with Norris, Piastri recovered with a good Sunday performance, but was unable to capitalize on McLaren's strong potential.\n\nLewis Hamilton - 7.5/10 Hamilton's Saturday was excellent, moving from sixth to second in the sprint and qualifying third for the main race. However, his decision to stay out on worn tires resulted in a poor finish, dropping him to sixth overall.\n\nLiam Lawson - 8.5/10 An impressive weekend for Racing Bulls' Lawson, who secured fifth places in both the sprint and the grand prix, along with a seventh-place finish on Sunday.\n\nNico Hulkenberg - 8/10 Another solid weekend for Audi, with Hulkenberg scoring points in both races. He narrowly missed qualifying for Q3 but managed to finish eighth in the grand prix, holding Russell behind.\n\nGeorge Russell - 7/10 A strong performance from Mercedes' Russell, who started the season with a fastest lap in practice, a second-place finish in sprint qualifying, and a sensational start to the race. However, a mistake at the end of lap one cost him dearly.\n\nIsaac Hadjar - 8/10 Despite mechanical trouble during the sprint, Hadjar's recovery at the end of the race led to a point-scoring drive, demonstrating his resilience and determination.\n\nPierre Gasly - 7/10 A strong mid-field performance from Gasly, who scored points in both races and led Alpine's challenge throughout the weekend.\n\nOliver Bearman - 7.5/10 A particularly good sprint performance from Haas' Bearman, who came home sixth in the grand prix. While the grand prix race was less spectacular, Bearman's contributions were valuable for his team.\n\nEsteban Ocon - 6/10 A frustrating weekend for Williams, as Ocon failed to threaten Haas team-mate Bearman's points haul, finishing 10th in the sprint and 13th in the grand prix.\n\nCarlos Sainz - 5.5/10 A difficult weekend for Williams, with Sainz struggling to make progress. He qualified 14th and finished in the same position, making it another challenging weekend.\n\nArvid Lindblad - 5.5/10 Strong qualifying performance from Racing Bulls' Lindblad, but a messy weekend followed. A spinning incident in the sprint and a significant drop in position on Sunday prevented a successful result.\n\nFernando Alonso - 5/10 Aston Martin's hopes for a strong performance at Singapore were not met, with Alonso scoring just 17th place in both the sprint and the grand prix.\n\nSergio Perez - 4.5/10 Another difficult weekend for Cadillac, as Perez's sprint was cut short by a collision with Lance Stroll, and a poor qualifying position left him with little chance of recovering on Sunday.\n\nAlex Albon - 4/10 A messy sprint involving multiple incidents, including Albon's collision with Gabriel Bortoleto and Valtteri Bottas, led to a retirement. A poor qualifying position didn't help either.\n\nValtteri Bottas - 4/10 Another challenging weekend for Cadillac, with Bottas caught up in the Albon-Bortoleto collision and qualifying 21st for the grand prix. He at least managed to make it to the finish line, three laps behind the winner.",
  "summary": "BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator Harry Benjamin rates how the drivers performed during the Singapore Grand Prix.",
  "key_points": [
    "Max Verstappen won Singapore GP from pole position in both races",
    "Kimi Antonelli increased lead to 102 points after finishing 3rd",
    "Lando Norris' collision with Oscar Piastri impacted weekend rating"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Motorsport.com",
        "title": "Kimi Antonelli hit with a major pre-race scare in Singapore",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/kimi-antonelli-hit-with-a-major-pre-race-scare-in-singapore-13712429",
        "published": "2026-10-11T12:15:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Kimi Antonelli hit with a major pre-race scare in Singapore",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/kimi-antonelli-hit-with-a-major-pre-race-scare-in-singapore",
        "published": "2026-10-11T12:15:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Max Verstappen wins Singapore GP as Kimi Antonelli moves closer to title",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/max-verstappen-wins-singapore-gp-as-kimi-antonelli-moves-closer-to",
        "published": "2026-10-11T14:43:57.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "Verstappen perfect and Antonelli hugely mature - driver ratings",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/verstappen-perfect-and-antonelli-hugely-mature-driver-ratings",
        "published": "2026-10-11T17:26:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}