© GETTY IMAGES / RED BULL CONTENT POOL
Hey folks, let’s play a game. You win 10 points every time you spot a heat-related reference during this race report (it has been flipping hot, though…).
If that opener didn’t give it away, we at VCARB wish you a warm, sweaty welcome to the FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 2026, Round 17 of the championship.
Good vibes only© GETTY IMAGES / RED BULL CONTENT POOLThis week’s race poster was brought to you by @hannekerozemuller as part of the ongoing and ever-growing VCARB Creator Platform.
There must have been something in the air in Singapore (other than 80% humidity and 30°C temperatures) because Liam flipped the script and was the pranker, rather than the prankee, disrupting a media interview of Charles Leclerc while the world watched live. We felt like proud parents, in a way, as Liam finally embraced the VCARB whimsy and relished in winding up his peers. May we add, this was on the very same day that Arvid and Liam GRINDED for eight hours straight without leaving their desk. Truly impressive stuff from both of them.
With that being said, our drivers are never too far away from a “morning mate” to get the cortisol levels up. After all, it’s good to keep them on their toes, as you never know when a human-sized rat could bust out some hot moves in the paddock.
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
In a completely real and definitely not fabricated breaking news story, K-pop supergroup CORTIS announce two new band members ahead of the FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 2026. In a press conference on Friday, the new band members, Formula 1 drivers Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, were asked to comment on their new record deal, saying, “Let our driving do the talking”, as they headed out for the only Practice session of the weekend. Reports suggest their Practice performances were good enough for P10 and P12, suggesting that the new band members were as quick in an F1 car as they are musically gifted.
No debrief needed for Practice. I think this lineup of VCARB personnel says it all.
Back in the paddock, just when Charles Leclerc thought lightning simply couldn’t strike twice, enter stage right: Arvid Lindblad. I think we keep this prank up for the rest of the season, what about you?
Being a Sprint Weekend, it’s fair to say there’s been a lot to keep up with on and off track. So much so, after an SQ3 finish for Liam, we did our Sprint Quali debrief live from an ice bath. As Friday came to an end, P8 for Liam and P17 for Arvid set us up for an action-packed Saturday in Singapore.
“Sprint Day, let’s go” – Arvid Lindblad, definitely said on Saturday and not on Friday…
Let’s get some racing under our belts, shall we?
Sprint conditions: spicy© GETTY IMAGES / RED BULL CONTENT POOLThere was a delay to the Sprint as the heavens opened above the Marina Bay circuit, mere minutes before lights out. Once we got going, with both cars on green-banded Inters, Arvid was up three positions in P14 and Liam had made his way to P7 after George Russell’s Lap 1 DNF. The Safety Car was deployed and racing resumed on Lap 6. Arvid spun before the race restarted, so he had work to do from P17, but by Lap 11 he was up into P11, fighting with Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto. On the final lap of the Sprint, the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collided, promoting Liam up to P5 as he reached the chequered flag. A nice haul of points for our resident Kiwi was a great way to kick off Saturday’s action. Here’s Liam’s debrief, once again brought to you via an ice bath:
Ice baths drained, race suits re-applied: it was time for Qualifying in Singapore. In Q1, Liam was P4 and Arvid was P8, comfortably sailing through to the next session. Once again, in Q2, Arvid and Liam were comfortably fast enough, sitting P8 and P9 and heading straight into Q3. By the time Quali was over, Liam was P9 and Arvid P10, both just over a second shy of the pole position time of Max Verstappen. However, with George Russell’s grid penalty, they both moved up a spot for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Once again, over to you, ice bath debrief:
As we headed into Race Day, we handed Arvid a phone to capture POV content during the Drivers’ Parade. What we got was 12 minutes of footage from the inside of his pocket. Let’s hope the race goes more to plan.
Main character transport© GETTY IMAGES / RED BULL CONTENT POOLLiam started on the Soft tyre, while Arvid opted for the Medium. After the first lap, Liam was up to P7 after passing Pierre Gasly’s Alpine. Arvid was in a tight battle with Hulkenberg and the two Haas cars and settled into P13 after the opening lap, having taken evasive action at Turn 1 to avoid a collision with Carlos Sainz’s Williams.
Flat out under the lights© GETTY IMAGES / RED BULL CONTENT POOLA Virtual Safety Car on Lap 8 for Bortoleto stopping at the end of the pit lane didn’t affect our race strategy, and Liam was up to P6 by Lap 19 after Hamilton pitted for fresh tyres, while Arvid was in a good scrap with Colapinto and Hadjar for P13. Arvid pitted for his one and only tyre change on Lap 27, emerging P17 but with a fresh set of Medium boots to make up lost time. Liam pitted for Mediums on Lap 32, dropping him to P9 and into a battle with Hulkenberg and Bearman. After Bearman pitted, Liam made a move on Hulkenberg and maintained P7 all the way to the chequered flag, while Arvid crossed the line in P15 after a difficult race. For Liam, a solid haul of 10 points from Singapore helped to consolidate our P5 in the Constructors’ Championship.
Here’s how Arvid and Liam weighed in on the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix:
ARVID LINDBLAD #41 | Race - Finish Position: 15th, Start Position: 9th “I’m not particularly happy with my weekend here in Singapore. I had a poor start, which set the tone for the rest of the race. I got pinched at Turn 1 and had to brake heavily, costing me even more positions at a circuit where track position is crucial. We’ll go away, review the weekend and identify where we need to improve so we can come back stronger for the remaining races. It’s been a tiring few weeks, so I’m going to use the break before Austin to fully switch off, reset and come back ready to perform at my best.”
LIAM LAWSON #30 | Race – Finish Position: 7th, Start Position: 8th “I'm very happy with today's result. I had a strong start on the Soft tyres, making it possible to overtake. This was then followed by good pace throughout the race, so it felt great to come away with six points. I feel very proud of the team and, overall, it's been a positive few weeks as we continue our fight for P5 in the Championship. Next week, I'll be focusing on training in the simulator before we head to Austin for the first race of the upcoming triple header. I'm really excited to continue this form into the rest of the season."
ALAN PERMANE (TEAM PRINCIPAL) | “A very strong race today, especially for Liam. Once he got past Gasly in Turn 1 on the first lap, he pulled away comfortably and maintained a gap all race, managing his tyre wear nicely. We reacted when Gasly and Hulkenberg pitted, going onto the Medium tyre for the rest of the race and minimising any exposure to Safety Car risks; from there, it was a fairly straightforward run to the flag. Arvid had some struggles and lost some pace at the start with too much wheel spin. He also had some power unit consistency issues, which hurt him slightly and affected his pace.
“We end this triple header on a high and it’s a testament to the hard work that has been put in both here at the track and back in Faenza and Milton Keynes – A huge well done to everyone.
Liam dialled in© GETTY IMAGES / RED BULL CONTENT POOLRight folks, towel yourself down, dab your brow, whatever you need to do after we brought the heat to Singapore. We’re taking a week off from racing as we prepare for the next triple header, starting in Austin from 23-25 October.
Join us there for the 18th Round of the 2026 World Championship: The FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2026.
(We count 12 heat-related references. Who got the maximum 120 points?)
