Singapore will test the reach of Red Bull’s resurgence

Max Verstappen’s first win of the 2026 season has sharpened the question for Red Bull at the Singapore Grand Prix: can its pace carry beyond one circuit type?

The rise has been quick. Motorsport.com described Red Bull as Formula 1’s fourth-best team at the start of 2026, with Verstappen waiting until round five for his first podium. He then finished second in Baku, less than a second behind George Russell, before taking his first win of the season at Sepang a week later.

Motorsport.com reads the run of results across different circuits as evidence that the RB22 may be competitive beyond tracks that particularly suit it. Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies says the team has been in the podium fight for six, seven or eight races and expects it to remain there in the coming races; he also says Singapore should suit the RB22.

Singapore gives Mekies’s optimism a specific test: can the RB22 find grip through the slow corners? Alpine racing director Dave Greenwood describes the Singapore circuit as one of the year’s most grip-sensitive, where low-speed, mid-corner grip is vital. Mercedes’s Sepang upgrade illustrates the distinction: Motorsport.com says the team was pleased with the W17’s performance in high-speed corners, but questions remain over the lower-speed turns.

With only one practice session in the sprint format, teams have little time to correct a poor first read of the Singapore circuit’s demands.