Good shout on staying out: Did Verstappen Consider a Second Pit Stop in Singapore?

Did Max Verstappen weigh up a second pit stop in the Singapore Grand Prix — or were Red Bull attempting to tempt McLaren into a double-stop strategy?

Verstappen, who finished second ahead of the two McLaren drivers, thanked his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase after the race for the decision to “stay out”.

The Red Bull driver struggled with his car for much of the race, particularly after running wide at turn 14 and losing almost two seconds on lap 36. Later radio exchanges between Verstappen and Lambiase suggested they were at least exploring the possibility of a second stop.

A higher pit lane speed limit in Singapore this year reduced the time cost of an extra stop. Lewis Hamilton did pit twice, but he had the advantage of knowing he would not lose positions by doing so. Verstappen, by contrast, would have dropped behind both McLaren drivers if he had come in, which likely made a stop unattractive despite the potential attacking advantage of fresh soft tyres. It’s also possible the discussion about a second stop was partly intended to put strategic pressure on McLaren.

Verstappen’s Singapore Grand Prix radio

Jump to:

“Downshifts are pushing a lot”
“Box and pit confirm”
“I need help for this hairpin”
“This lap’s still three tenths quicker than Lando”
“We are monitoring. At this stage, there’s not many options”
“Gap, hello?”
“Good shout with the staying out”

Downshifts are pushing a lot

From early in the race Verstappen reported inconsistent gear changes and trouble with downshifts. Team messages show Lambiase monitoring the issue and trying different settings while asking Max to manage tyre degradation.

Lap: 2/62 VER: 1’38.481
Lambiase	DRS enabled.
Lambiase	Gap 0.7.
Lap: 3/62 VER: 1’38.077
Lambiase	And the gap 0.6. Mode seven, please, Max, when you can.
Lap: 4/62 VER: 1’37.504
Lambiase	Gap 0.9.
Lambiase	Initial thoughts on flap, Max.
Verstappen	Yeah, that’s okay.
Lap: 5/62 VER: 1’37.326
Lambiase	Gap 1.2, does not have DRS. Use gear eight. Use gear eight to turn seven.
Verstappen	Ah, downshifts are pushing a lot.
Lambiase	Okay, standby.
Lambiase	Gap behind 1.5.
Lap: 6/62 VER: 1’37.149
Lambiase	Keep on top of the degradation, please, Max.
Lap: 7/62 VER: 1’37.149
Lambiase	Gap behind one point eight.
Verstappen	I need better downshifts.
Lambiase	Understood Max, still reviewing. Doesn’t look like there’s much at this stage. Main loss to Russell, turn one.
Lap: 8/62 VER: 1’37.136
Lambiase	So at this stage, Max, it’s just tyre preservation for us.
Lap: 9/62 VER: 1’37.165
Lambiase	So push toggle, turn eight, turn 13 if the rear is an issue, push toggle turn eight, turn 13.
Lambiase	Also losses to Russell 11, 12, 13. Display 13, position two is a downshift test. Display one three, position two.
Lap: 10/62 VER: 1’37.239
Lambiase	You are strong in 16, 17.
Lambiase	Any change there with the downshift, Max?
Verstappen	No, it’s really shit.
Lambiase	Okay, understood.
Lap: 11/62 VER: 1’37.223
Lambiase	So main delta’s one. I’m also happy if you’re just managing deg as well, otherwise main delta’s turn one. And then turn 10 and braking 13, 14. Mode six, mode six.
Lap: 12/62 VER: 1’37.187
Lambiase	Display 14, position eight. Display one four, position eight. Engine 14, engine one four, position two.

ere laps are very stro

Box and pit confirm

While McLaren debated pit timing for Lando Norris at length, Red Bull’s calls for Verstappen were more measured. They did not discuss a pit stop in detail until they instructed him to box, suggesting they were keeping their options open rather than committing early.

Lap: 19/62 VER: 1’43.287
Verstappen	Yeah, now all the shifts are fucked, up and down.
Lambiase	Okay, stand by.
Lambiase	Okay, Max box and pit confirm. Box, pit confirm, strat 12 in pit lane, focus on your marks.
Lap: 20/62 VER: 1’53.036
Lambiase	Strat 10, should be clear of Fernando. Out-lap critical. Let’s get on with it. Racing Alonso. Got Alonso behind.
Lambiase	Tyre eight. Tyre eight. Okay that threat has gone. Lando has not really picked up his pace, Max. His pace was a 37.0. Engine 11, position seven. Engine one one, position seven.
Lap: 21/62 VER: 1’36.786
Lambiase	Use gear eight.
Lambiase	Okay so Russell 37.1, Lando now 36.6, Oscar 36.8. Okay, so Leclerc is in pit lane. So just ahead of you, Hamilton and Antonelli.
Lap: 22/62 VER: 1’36.330
Lambiase	Okay, so free to push now.
Lambiase	I’m trying mate but everything is working against me this race.
Lap: 26/62 VER: 1’35.938
Lambiase	Okay, so both Mercedes have pitted. Russell now pit exit. He’s at apex turn one. That is Russell ahead.
Lambiase	Lando now in pit lane.
Lap: 27/62 VER: 1’36.002
Lambiase	And Oscar also now in pit lane.
Lap: 30/62 VER: 1’35.649
Lambiase	Last lap pace ahead and behind 35.7.
Lambiase	These laps are very strong, Max. Russell, 36.0.
Lap: 31/62 VER: 1’35.751
Lambiase	And strat nine, strat nine for now.
Lap: 32/62 VER: 1’35.684
Lambiase	35.9 for Russell Max. Gap 3.5. Same pace behind.
Lap: 33/62 VER: 1’35.676
Lambiase	Gap currently 3.0. Across the line it was 2.9. Lap time for Russell 36.1. 33 laps complete, Max.

I need help for this hairpin

Verstappen complained about a lack of stability at the hairpin, turn 13. The team suggested adjustments, including changes to brake bias and torque settings, but on lap 36 he locked up and ran wide at turn 14, which cost him significant time and reduced his lead over Norris.

Lap: 34/62 VER: 1’35.815
Verstappen	I need help for this hairpin, 13. So much lost grip on entry.
Lambiase	Lack of rear on entry?
Verstappen	Ah, just no stability.
Lambiase	Okay, understood, standby.
Lap: 35/62 VER: 1’35.898
Lambiase	Okay, let’s try the push toggle first Max, if that’s insufficient we’ll look at brake bias.
Verstappen	No, that doesn’t work, we tried on the soft.
Lambiase	Okay, let’s have a look at B-bal six then.
Lap: 36/62 VER: 1’37.774
Lambiase	Okay, this lap we’ll have a look at torque nine Max. Top four cars, same pace. So just reminder, exit turn nine, let’s have a look at torque nine. Oh, you’re in torque nine now, apologies.
Verstappen	Fuck’s sake man, it’s so shit to drive.
Lap: 38/62 VER: 1’36.064
Lambiase	Use gear eight.
Lap: 39/62 VER: 1’36.298
Lambiase	Max, we’ve had track limit strikes at turn two, the last two laps.
Verstappen	Yeah the rear is like a handbrake, please help.
Lambiase	Okay, let’s have B-bal six, please, and torque nine. B-bal six, torque nine, then you can go mid-five to help.

This lap’s still three tenths quicker than Lando

At times radio clarity was limited. Lambiase repeatedly reminded Verstappen that he was still lapping quicker than Lando Norris, even when Max said the car felt undrivable. The leaders also encountered traffic and backmarkers that affected lap times, which may have influenced Red Bull’s evaluation of whether a fresh set of tyres could enable Verstappen to fend off or reclaim position from McLaren.

Lap: 42/62 VER: 1’36.448
Lambiase	Max, if you don’t feel you need mid-four, then happy to go a bit more conservative on that.
Verstappen	Mate, the balance is really off, it’s undrivable.
Lambiase	Yep, I understand, you are on an older tyre. Same pace to Russell ahead. Lando’s obviously made a mistake as well, behind 37.0. Diff is a little bit open for our liking at 13. You’re better off getting yourself a more stable car than something that’s unpredictable on the rear.
Lap: 43/62 VER: 1’37.090
Lambiase	This lap’s still three tenths quicker than Lando. There’ll be Stroll ahead.
Lap: 44/62 VER: 1’36.872
Lambiase	Russell ahead, same pace.
Lap: 45/62 VER: 1’37.805
Lambiase	Yellow flags ahead, yellows.

We are monitoring. At this stage, there’s not many options

As Verstappen approached the end of lap 46 he suggested pitting. Lambiase replied they were monitoring but had limited options. Stopping there would have dropped Verstappen behind both McLarens, reducing track position and altering the risk–reward balance of any late attack.

Lap: 46/62 VER: 1’37.540
Lambiase	Strat 10, strat 10, a bit more performance. Track is clear ahead.
Verstappen	I’m struggling a lot now.
Lambiase	Yeah, understood.
Verstappen	[Unclear] undercut.
Lambiase	Understood.
Lambiase	It’s a huge effective tailwind here, Max.
Lambiase	Okay, understood, Max. We are monitoring. At this stage, there’s not many options.
Lambiase	Lando on DRS behind.
Lambiase	Lando at 0.4.
Lambiase	Lando one second with DRS.
Lambiase	The gap is 0.8.

Gap, hello?

Lambiase regularly updated Verstappen on the gap to Norris, but at one point Verstappen asked for an update — a moment that coincided with Norris’s closest attack as he tried to pass around the outside of turn seven. The radio shows Lambiase keeping Max informed as the final laps unfolded and Norris repeatedly edged into DRS range.

Lap: 52/62 VER: 1’36.687
Lambiase	Gap 0.6. Car ahead, Yuki.
Lap: 53/62 VER: 1’37.611
Verstappen	Gap, hello? Verstappen defends from Norris on the inside of turn seven
Lambiase	0.5.
Verstappen	I need him to get out of the way, now.
Lambiase	We are discussing it, Max.
Lambiase	That’s 1.1. And the gap, 1.05.
Lambiase	That is 0.7.
Lambiase	Five laps remaining. That’s 0.6.
Lambiase	Gap, one second, has DRS.
Lambiase	Three laps, three laps remaining.
Lambiase	Okay, mode five. Mode five, two laps remaining. That gap is 0.7.

Good shout with the staying out

After the chequered flag Verstappen praised the decision to stay out. He said traffic earlier had made the car feel worse, but once he had clean air the balance improved slightly. Lambiase and the team congratulated him on a well-managed stint under difficult conditions.

Lap: 62/62 VER: 1’36.479
Lambiase	Okay, final lap.
Lambiase	Exit turn five Press and hold the overtake, two seconds if need to. Gap, 0.8.
Lambiase	Exit turn 14 Press and hold overtake if you need to here.
Chequered flag
Lambiase	Well managed Max, really good stint.
Verstappen	Yeah, well, that was not easy, mate. Yeah, I’ll debrief after the race, but that was not straightforward at all. But, yeah, I think I know why. Just a bit weird with the engine, with the downshifts and upshifts, the whole race. It’s making it very difficult to be consistent. I think anyway [unclear] with the soft and then the hard just to keep second.
Lambiase	Yeah good job, mate. Pretty much everybody raced where they were from turn three on lap one. That’s what it is around here. Nice job. Plenty of pick-up, please.
Verstappen	Yeah, good shout with the, like, staying out. Because when I was in that traffic, everything felt really awful. But then when I was in clean air, it started to recover a little bit.
Mekies	Well done, Max. It was super-hard out there and you got everything out that was possible today so well done. We’ve made a step forward and we know we have more coming. So good stuff.
Verstappen	Yeah, again, a solid weekend, [unclear] points again. So let’s keep going. Thank you everyone.

Overall, the radio log shows Red Bull balancing the immediate performance issues of Verstappen’s car with the strategic realities of the race. A second stop would have reduced the tyre disadvantage but likely cost track position, which in Singapore’s narrow confines can be decisive. In the end, staying out proved to be the correct call for Verstappen and the team.

2025 Singapore Grand Prix

• What are McLaren’s “repercussions” for Norris and why did they wait to apply them?
• Hamilton “had no choice” about cutting corners when brakes failed in Singapore
• Norris reveals he faces ‘repercussions to the end of the season’ over Piastri clash
• Russell denies Verstappen a ‘full set’ of wins, Hamilton breaks Schumacher record
• ‘Good shout on staying out’: Did Verstappen consider a second pit stop in Singapore?