Max Verstappen has been branded "imperious" by Karun Chandhok, with the pundit backing the Red Bull driver to seal second in the drivers' championship after a dominant win in Singapore.
Verstappen converted pole position into a lights-to-flag victory at Marina Bay, crossing the line 7.335 seconds clear of Charles Leclerc with Kimi Antonelli completing the podium.
It was the Dutchman's second win of the season and moved him to 221 points, just 17 behind Russell in the standings battle for runner-up spot behind championship leader Antonelli.
Speaking on the Sky F1 podcast, Chandhok said Verstappen's current run of form makes him the clear favourite to finish second overall, pointing to the gap he has closed on Russell in recent rounds.
"He's on imperious form, isn't he? The last few weekends, he's only 17 points off George," Chandhok said. "So, if you're a betting man today, you would put money on Max being second in the world championship.
"The run of form he's on! I just thought he was on such good form, at one with the car, and he didn't overdrive it. That was the key.
"There were so many drivers who could have, would have, should have out-qualified him in the Friday Sprint qualifying and Grand Prix qualifying, and they all made a mistake or didn't put the lap together when it got to the final part of the lap.
"And Max is the one who realised, 'You know what? When we get to the last sector, the grip's not there. I'm just going to not over-attack the entry of 16.' And he did it, and that was the key."
Final Verstappen-Lambiase podium celebration?
Verstappen's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, joined him on the podium after the win, a moment Chandhok highlighted given the pair's impending split.
Red Bull confirmed earlier this year that Lambiase will leave to become McLaren's chief racing officer, with Tom Hart already being eased into the role on Verstappen's radio ahead of a full-time takeover in 2027.
Chandhok suggested the Singapore podium could prove to be one of the last shared celebrations between driver and engineer.
"It was great to see GP on the podium with him as well, because of the relationship between them," added Chandhok.
"We don't know if GP will get another chance to be on the podium. We believe he's going to be on gardening leave on 31 December.
"So, who knows if he wins any more races? If they don't, it was nice to see him."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding as they look back on last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix! Max Verstappen's Marina Bay masterclass is a lead talking point, as is F1's deadline approaching to make a call on how the 2026 season will end.
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