Verstappen wins rain-hit Singapore GP sprint as Russell crashes out of the lead and Antonelli takes fourth
Max Verstappen won a wet, chaotic Singapore sprint ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc as George Russell crashed out of the lead and the McLarens collided.
Max Verstappen won a rain-soaked, incident-packed sprint at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Saturday, 10 October, beating Ferrari pair Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. George Russell crashed out of the lead at the end of the opening lap, championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, and McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collided in the closing stages. This follows on from our sprint pole report (Verstappen started first after edging Russell by 0.120s in sprint qualifying).
A wet start and a crash from the front
A heavy downpour shortly before the scheduled 5pm Malaysia-time start left large parts of the track soaked, and the start was pushed back by around half an hour. The field set off behind the Safety Car for two formation laps before a standing start, and every driver began on intermediate tyres.
Russell made the better getaway and passed Verstappen to lead, but the Mercedes driver lost control on the exit of the final corner at the end of lap one and hit the wall. That brought out the Safety Car again, and racing resumed at the end of lap six. Verstappen controlled the race from there.
Although the surface dried as the race went on, nobody switched to slick tyres, and several drivers were left managing worn intermediates in the final laps.
Hamilton and Leclerc complete the podium
Hamilton finished second, 2.591 seconds behind Verstappen, with Leclerc a distant third, 16.871 seconds back. Antonelli, who started seventh, came home fourth to collect five points, just 0.367 seconds behind Leclerc.
Liam Lawson took fifth for Racing Bulls, ahead of Haas driver Oliver Bearman, Audi's Nico Hulkenberg and Norris, who took the final point in eighth.
Verstappen said afterwards that his start had again been poor and made clear where his focus lay: "I want to win tomorrow, not today."
Carnage behind: nine non-finishers
It was a costly afternoon for many. Lance Stroll retired after a collision with Sergio Perez under braking for Turn 16, while Isack Hadjar and Franco Colapinto both stopped early with technical problems. A three-car clash at the restart involving Alex Albon, Gabriel Bortoleto and Valtteri Bottas eliminated all three.
The McLaren drama came on the final lap, when Norris attacked Piastri and the pair made contact. Piastri spun into the barrier and was classified 14th, while Norris recovered to finish eighth. The stewards later ruled that neither driver was wholly or predominantly to blame and took no further action. They also judged Perez predominantly responsible for the Stroll collision, but no sanction was carried forward because he had retired.
Sprint result (top eight, points)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 8 points
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 7
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 6
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 5
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), 4
- Oliver Bearman (Haas), 3
- Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), 2
- Lando Norris (McLaren), 1
Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Arvid Lindblad and Piastri completed the classified finishers.
With Russell scoring nothing, Antonelli's lead over his Mercedes team-mate grew from 84 to 89 points heading into the grand prix.
Key takeaways
- Verstappen won the Singapore sprint after Russell crashed out of the lead at the end of lap one.
- Hamilton was second, 2.591s back, with Leclerc third and Antonelli fourth.
- The start was delayed by around half an hour because of rain, and the whole race was run on intermediate tyres.
- Nine cars failed to finish, including both Cadillacs and Russell; Piastri was classified 14th after colliding with Norris.
- Antonelli's championship lead over Russell rose to 89 points.
FAQ
Who won the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix sprint? Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the sprint on Saturday, 10 October, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
What happened to George Russell in the sprint? Russell took the lead at the start but crashed at the final corner at the end of the opening lap and retired, scoring no points.
Were Norris or Piastri penalised for their collision? No. The stewards found neither driver wholly or predominantly to blame and took no further action.
Sources: Formula1.com, RaceFans, Crash.net, GPFans, The Race