Max Verstappen took victory in the final sprint race of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Singapore Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver finished first as George Russell crashed out of the lead at the end of the first lap whole the McLarens collided on the final lap.
A downpour soaked the starting grid 15 minutes before the scheduled start, while some parts of the Marina Bay Circuit remained dry. The race was delayed by half an hour due to the standing water in Turns 2 and 3.
When the sprint finally got underway, all cars started on intermediate tyres after two formation laps.
Front-row starter Russell had a much better getaway than Verstappen and took the lead before Turn 1, with Lewis Hamilton up to third from sixth on the grid. Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Kimi Antonelli, Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly followed, with Isack Hadjar down to P11.
Russell’s lead was short-lived, as he lost control of his Silver Arrow on the kerb at the exit of the last corner and spun into the inside wall at the end of lap one. Meanwhile, Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez collided at Turn 16, with the Aston Martin coming to a stop against the barriers, and Isack Hadjar retired after reporting “the engine braking is dying”.
The safety car was called into action, with the race neutralised for five laps – during which Arvid Lindblad spun, rejoining in last position after driving the wrong way down the track, and Franco Colapinto’s race ended because of a technical issue.
Verstappen maintained the lead at the restart, while Oliver Bearman snatched eighth place away from Gasly after wheel-to-wheel action throughout sector one. The Alpine driver lost another two positions over the following two laps. Pierre complained of being pushed wide by Nico Hulkenberg, but the race stewards took no further action.
Verstappen’s gap to Hamilton hovered between 0.7 seconds and 1.4 seconds from lap seven to lap 11 before the Red Bull driver significantly pulled away, with his advantage reaching three seconds at the end of lap 13 and five seconds by lap 16.
The intermediate compound was greatly suffering on the mostly dry track, so it was all about tyre management. Leclerc reported his front tyres were “destroyed”. The Ferrari driver was losing two seconds a lap to teammate Hamilton and was caught by the McLarens and Antonelli with three laps remaining.
Norris dove down the inside of Piastri on the very last lap, but the Papaya cars made contact and spun. The reigning world champion dropped down to eighth, while his McLaren teammate retired, costing the team eight points.
Meanwhile, Verstappen achieved victory with a reduced but healthy 2.6s-second lead over Hamilton, as Leclerc held off to take third. Antonelli inherited fourth ahead of Lawson, Bearman and Hulkenberg.
So a dramatic opening lap with George Russell crashing out and a final lap contact between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. In between this, the sprint race was a procession, and yet Max Verstappen finally scoring a win at Marina Bay.
Singapore Grand Prix, sprint race results:
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull-Ford 39:48.162
2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +2.591s
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +16.871s
4 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +17.238s
5 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls-Ford +20.632s
6 Oliver Bearman Haas-Ferrari +24.321s
7 Nico Hulkenberg Audi +27.525s
8 Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes +28.272s
9 Pierre Gasly Alpine-Mercedes +36.220s
10 Esteban Ocon Haas-Ferrari +37.640s
11 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin-Honda +50.464s
12 Carlos Sainz Williams-Mercedes +52.467s
13 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls-Ford +55.792
Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes DNF
Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto Audi DNF
Valtteri Bottas Cadillac-Ferrari DNF
Isack Hadjar Red Bull-Ford DNF
Franco Colapinto Alpine-Mercedes DNF
George Russell Mercedes DNF
Sergio Perez Cadillac-Ferrari DNF
Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Honda DNF
Max Verstappen followed up his victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia by winning Saturday’s Sprint around the streets of Singapore – mastering the mixed weather conditions while George Russell crashed out early on and the McLaren drivers clashed in the closing stages.
After a pre-race downpour, which soaked the first and third sectors of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, while leaving the middle sector merely damp, the action got under way around half an hour later than planned, with all drivers running the intermediate tyres.
In a repeat of last weekend’s start at Sepang, Russell charged past polesitter Verstappen in the slippery conditions and initially drove into the distance, only to undo that work by dramatically crashing out at the final corner of the first lap.
Verstappen moved back into the lead as a result and, after mastering the race restart, the Dutchman never looked back – managing his intermediate tyres in ever-drying conditions and steadily pulling away from the Ferraris and McLarens behind.
Lewis Hamilton led the Ferrari charge after a rapid getaway that turned sixth into third (which became second when Russell crashed), over Charles Leclerc and McLaren team mates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who engaged in battle during the final laps.
With Leclerc reporting that his intermediate tyres were heavily worn on the drying track, and the McLaren cars closing in, Norris tagged Piastri into a spin at Turn 5 and flipped the situation on its head.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli took advantage to cross the line in fourth, with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, Haas’ Ollie Bearman and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg also benefitting, as Norris slipped to eighth and Piastri stopped outright.
Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Esteban Ocon (Haas), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Carlos Sainz (Williams) and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) were the last drivers to reach the chequered flag in an attritional race, while Piastri classified in a lapped 14th.
Alex Albon, Gabriel Bortoleto and Valtteri Bottas failed to finish in their Williams, Audi and Cadillac machines after a three-car collision; Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto both stopped in the early laps; while Cadillac’s Sergio Perez and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll collided on the first tour.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/verstappen-wins-dramatic-rain-hit-singapore-sprint-as-russell-crashes-and-mclarens-collide.4r90mH2skljBa5sinFAsyp
Qualifying for Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix will be delayed after rain disrupted Saturday’s sprint race, the FIA has announced.
A downpour soaked part of the Marina Bay Street Circuit some 15 minutes before the sprint was scheduled to get under way, meaning the race was delayed by half an hour in order to clear some of the standing water from the track.
The duration of the sprint was further lengthened by some five laps behind the safety car after a crash for George Russell and issues for Lance Stroll, Franco Colapinto and Isack Hadjar.
Starting at 5:30pm local time instead of 5pm, the sprint ended with the chequered flag waved at 6:16pm, as Max Verstappen won from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Qualifying was scheduled to take place at 9pm local time (2pm UK time), but sporting regulations mandate the session can start no fewer than three hours after the end of the sprint.
The FIA has therefore announced that qualifying will be delayed, with the updated schedule to be released shortly.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/qualifying-delayed-at-f1-singapore-gp-after-rain-disrupts-sprint-race/10863814/
Max Verstappen was delighted to secure his first Singapore win after taking victory in the Sprint, but the Dutchman cautioned that Red Bull need to improve on their starts following an “horrendous” launch.
After a delay to the event beginning due to heavy rain, Verstappen had a slow getaway from pole position when the action did get underway – resulting in Mercedes’ George Russell snatching the lead.
The picture soon changed, however, when Russell spun out off the final corner at the end of the first tour and crashed out of the Sprint, putting Verstappen back into P1.
From there the four-time World Champion handled the tricky conditions and kept a chasing Lewis Hamilton at bay to claim victory, his first at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Despite being pleased with his triumph, Verstappen conceded after the event that the launch would be a key area to focus on given the impact that a poor getaway could have on Sunday.
“The start was horrendous again, so that’s definitely something that we need to improve on, because if you have something like that tomorrow, that’s your race over if nothing crazy happens,” the 29-year-old explained.
“So, yeah, not ideal, but then we got a bit lucky with what happened with George out of the last corner. And after that, we just wanted to keep it calm and under control, because you know that you can’t pass around here, and especially in a condition like this with the intermediates.
“We just tried to bring it home, and of course, happy to win here in the Sprint, but I also know that I want to win tomorrow.”
Pushed on how it felt to finally win in Singapore – with it previously being the only circuit on the current calendar that Verstappen had not triumphed at – the Red Bull driver reiterated that his focus remained on doing so again in the Grand Prix.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/verstappen-reacts-to-first-singapore-sprint-win-as-he-admits-concern-over-horrendous-start.5Os9a1WXb1b5d0LJteX9QX
George Russell has taken full responsibility for the crash that ended his Sprint in Singapore, admitting that it was the result of overconfidence and a “very silly mistake”.
On a weekend where the Mercedes driver will line up at the back of the grid for the Singapore Grand Prix, the Sprint represented his best chance of competing at the front of the field.
Starting from P2, Russell enjoyed a fantastic launch that saw him pass Max Verstappen for the lead, and he initially managed the tough conditions well after heavy rain made parts of the circuit harder to drive than others.
That was proved when the Briton came around the final corner and dipped his right rear wheel onto the painted white line, which sent him into a spin before he crashed into the pit wall. He was then flung back across the track and came to a halt, bringing an early end to his Sprint.
“I just misjudged it, to be honest,” he reflected. “I came round the corner, I came on the throttle, I got more power than I was expecting from the battery.
“I went a little bit wide and then I touched the white line. The number one rule in the rain is don’t touch the white line. It’s a very silly mistake – overly confident. I think it’s my first crash of the year. It’s annoying to happen from that position.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/i-just-misjudged-it-russell-reacts-to-silly-crash-in-singapore-sprint.15D0NGraWZQesM5BkeBJp3
McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have given their perspectives on the collision between the pair during the Singapore Grand Prix Sprint.
The duo were circulating closely together in fourth and fifth during Saturday’s Sprint on the streets around Marina Bay, which was also held in mixed conditions after a heavy downpour just before the start.
With the pair bottled up behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, as the Monegasque driver struggled with worn intermediate tyres, Norris made a move on Piastri on the final lap at Turn 5 in a bid for fourth place.
After diving to the inside and pulling alongside, Norris began to back out through the corner, with the reigning World Champion’s left-front tyre catching the right-rear of Piastri’s McLaren.
Both were sent into a spin, with Piastri hitting the wall and retiring while Norris was able to resume and reach the chequered flag in P8, although the incident was placed under investigation post-race by the stewards.
“I think the pace was very strong. Obviously we were just stuck the whole race, and the last lap there was a big opportunity into Turn 5,” said Norris on the incident.
“I went for it, the gap closed a bit more than I would have liked. Obviously I’ve had to back out of it because the gap was closing, so I’ve had to try and avoid the incident and obviously there still was one.
“It was a big gap, I went for it, I have the right to do that. The rest we go review as a team.”
Piastri admitted that he struggled at the beginning and towards the end of the Sprint, with the Australian managing his worn intermediate tyres on an all-but dry track as he tried to pass Leclerc.
“I need to look at it. I didn’t see him at the apex,” said Piastri on the incident with Norris.
“I looked behind into the corner and saw he was a reasonable way behind for a corner like that but I’ll have a look and the team can do what it needs to do.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-and-piastri-offer-verdicts-on-mclaren-intra-team-collision-in-singapore-gp-sprint.1aNdfxcp4bRsnOwUXTg7rd