The one missing piece in the Max puzzle is Singapore

Four world titles, 67 Grand Prix victories in the space of 11 Formula 1 seasons. Max Verstappen is already one of the greatest drivers ever in this sport. The Dutchman has built his reputation by winning everywhere. From old-school circuits to modern ones, fast or slow, street or permanent, it seems there is no track that escapes him. From Monaco to Monza, from Suzuka to Silverstone, Max has got an almost perfect record of wins. Almost.
Because there is still one piece of the jigsaw that escapes him, one beacon of light over which he is yet to cast his shadow and that is Singapore.

Verstappen has raced in this Asian city-state eight times and has only stood on the podium on three occasions: in 2018 he was second behind the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, in 2019 third behind the Ferrari duo of Vettel and Leclerc and last year, second again, soundly beaten by Lando Norris in the McLaren. Not even in 2023, the year in which more than any other Verstappen and Red Bull completely dominated the season, was he able to win. It was in fact the only round of the year that did not end in victory for the Milton Keynes squad, as Carlos Sainz won for Ferrari. It was also the only time that year that Max didn't even make it to the podium.

And yet, there is nothing about the Marina Bay circuit that could be considered problematic for Verstappen. His track record on city circuits is more than respectable with two wins per venue in Monaco, Jeddah, Baku and Miami, along with one at Las Vegas. He also has six poles on these tracks – two in Miami and Jeddah and one apiece in Baku and Monaco. Furthermore, even in the race against the clock on Saturday, Max has never put it on pole in Singapore, managing to hoist himself onto the front row just three times, in 2017, 2018 and 2024. Bogey races are not uncommon for even the greatest in Formula 1. Think for example of Alain Prost with no wins at Silverstone, or Ayrton Senna who never triumphed in Monza. You could say Max is in good company.

This season, in the four races held on tracks with virtually no run-off (Jeddah, Miami, Monaco and Baku), the reigning world champion has scored the most points with 67, ahead of Piastri on 65 and Norris on 61. Given that the McLaren is the quickest car this season by a long chalk, irrespective of circuit characteristics, it's clear that it is Max that makes the difference. Since the summer break, the Red Bull driver has scored the most points with 68, more than Piastri (40) and Norris (24) combined, so it's possible the planets are aligning for Max to finally get the monkey off his back, thus completing a clean sweep of wins at the 24 venues currently on the calendar. If that happens on Sunday, then the alarm bells will be ringing louder in the McLaren camp, because three wins in a row for the Dutchman would confirm that the race for the Drivers' title is far from being an all-papaya affair.