The 2026 Singapore Grand Prix was no classic, but gave us yet more evidence that a revitalised Red Bull and Max Verstappen are operating at the peak of their Formula 1 powers - and that Ferrari (this time through Lewis Hamilton) is still prone to strategic shortcomings.
Here's our pick of winners and losers:
Loser: Lewis Hamilton (6th)
When you've got two cars close together near the front and you split strategies to try to pincer the polesitter, there is the risk of one of your cars coming off worse.
The painful bit for Hamilton and Ferrari here is that it still should have been second and third places, not second and a very distant sixth having been overtaken by car after car while doing terrible pace.
The early-race strategy split was still going to get a double podium, it just needed smooth handling of tactics around the late virtual safety car to cement it.
Team principal Fred Vasseur insisted "it was crystal clear on the radio" that Hamilton was supposed to pit when Charles Leclerc did. Hamilton's post-race radio apology for a strategy decision he took himself suggests he snubbed that call - and that's why his race ultimately completely fell apart.
Bear in mind as well that through Q1 and Q2 it looked like he had clear pole pace, and from there he could've controlled everything and had a pretty straightforward race to maybe even victory. - Matt Beer
Winner: Max Verstappen (1st)
Verstappen's Singapore Grand Prix victory never really looked in doubt once he'd done enough to cover off Charles Leclerc's attack into Turn 1 on the first lap.
These back-to-back victories come far too late for a 2025-style title fight comeback, but this supreme form across the triple-header does put Verstappen and Red Bull in really good stead for 2026's remaining races and heading into 2027.
George Russell says "they are the team to beat" and while we'll need to see how the package suits a circuit like Austin, there is now a chance Red Bull has F1's benchmark car once more. - Josh Suttill
Loser: McLaren (4th and 5th)
Fourth and fifth isn't a bad return for McLaren considering it probably had F1's fourth-fastest car in Singapore, but it could have been even better.
A podium looked possible for Lando Norris had he not been picked off by Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes while struggling to pass Lewis Hamilton, including a failed move at Turn 1 where Hamilton took to the run-off area.
"A bit unnecessary from me," Norris admitted to Sky Sports F1 after the race.
His pace thereafter dropped off badly, but he'd have had a good chance at keeping Antonelli behind had he been able to clear Hamilton quickly (as Antonelli did once he passed Norris).
It's been a challenging weekend for McLaren, which has fallen far from its status as the team to beat right after the summer break.
It will bring a series of upgrades, starting with a package in Austin, to try to correct that. - JS
Winner: Kimi Antonelli (3rd)
Who would've believed you a year ago if you said Antonelli would go to Austin with a chance at sealing the 2026 drivers' championship with five rounds to spare?
It's been a remarkable season and while this wasn't Antonelli's finest weekend, Sunday in Singapore was very well executed.
He flirted with track limits just enough times and took advantage of Hamilton and Norris squabbling beautifully to claim a podium in a Mercedes that was probably a marginal contender to achieve one on merit.
Winning the title in Austin will require major misfortune for Russell there, but it means Mexico will be the likely - and remarkably early - coronation weekend. - JS
Loser: George Russell (9th)
Given he had a grid penalty mountain to overcome, on a street track, Russell probably wasn't ever destined to get much higher than his ninth place without a huge load of safety car/strategy fortune. Instead he got a VSC ending just as he committed to a pitstop.
So in the circumstances, this isn't a bad result. And some of his midfield overtaking was wonderfully incisive and fun to watch too.
It's just how this all fits into the overall picture. When team-mate Antonelli needs to take a penalty, it coincides with Monza and he pulls off an extraordinary win from the back. When Russell needs to take a penalty...this happens.
And though he knew all weekend the grand prix might be a write-off, that just makes his crash from the sprint lead all the more wasteful. - MB
Winner: Liam Lawson (7th)
Another day, another excellent drive from Lawson - who for a second day in a row put himself in position to capitalise on any delays for the frontrunning cars. (In this case, Russell and Isack Hadjar starting down the order.)
Key to that was the start - using soft tyres to launch past Pierre Gasly - and then a well-driven second stint on mediums to keep Nico Hulkenberg, on the faster and surprisingly durable softs, at arm's length.
What's been really impressive though is how Lawson has grown into a team leader role since his three-race stint at Red Bull.
And that means Racing Bulls is now really gathering steam while Alpine's momentum unravels. What now stands as a 32-point advantage in the battle for fifth looks increasingly secure. - Jack Cozens
Loser: Pierre Gasly (7th)
You'd forgive Gasly for finding his slide outside the points from seventh on the grid more than "a bit disappointing".
Slide is the operative word there, as this wasn't quite the inexplicable shift from competitiveness to obscurity that it first appeared to be.
"On a track with a lot of low speed, a lot of traction, we just ran out of tyres after three laps," said Gasly, who later added: "The problem is I can't get out of any corner.
"It's one thing to be slow, but if you can actually get out of the corner with reasonable speed, you can keep them behind in the corners but I was sideways every time I touch the throttle."
Alpine is now on its worst point-less run of the season, with three non-scores in a row. All three of those - Baku, Malaysia, and Singapore - have, to a greater or lesser extent, represented squandered opportunities.
It really can't afford any more of those if it actually wants to make a fight of its championship battle with Racing Bulls. - JC
Winner: Nico Hulkenberg (8th)
Audi won't be completely satisfied leaving the Singapore GP considering its other car lost drive then caught fire while being retrieved in the pitlane, but there were two elements of Nico Hulkenberg's Sunday that defied expectations.
The first was that, on his side of the garage at least, any fears that "climatic conditions" might affect his power unit did not materialise in a meaningful way. And the second was that, for once, the Audi launched well from the grid.
But Hulkenberg felt his run to eighth - holding off Russell at the end - had more to it than just that.
"I think not just at the start, but I had a good lap one, a good feeling, good instinct as well as to where to go," he said. "I think inside of Turn 2 and on the exit I got another position.
"So that was nice and set us up for a good race."
Hulkenberg had a sketchy spell in his second stint under pressure first from Gasly and then from Russell, describing his skating over the kerbs as "a bit of Tony Hawk", but gathered that up well to close back in on Lawson and pick up "a bit of an indirect tow" from the Racing Bulls car.
Six points from this weekend was the best either Hulkenberg or Gabriel Bortoleto have managed this season, and eighth place matched Audi's best grand prix result to date. Small milestones, perhaps, but important ones as it chases Haas for seventh in the constructors' championship. - JC