claimed a controlled victory in Saturday’s Formula 1 Singapore Sprint at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, handling mixed weather conditions after a pre-race downpour delayed the start. The Red Bull driver followed up his earlier success this season by leading home and Charles Leclerc, while George Russell’s early crash and a late McLaren clash shaped the final order.
Heavy rain soaked parts of the track before the lights went out, forcing all drivers onto intermediate tyres. Officials delayed the start after the Medical Car inspected standing water at several corners. Once racing began, Russell made an excellent launch from the front row to overtake polesitter Verstappen into Turn 1. Hamilton also jumped ahead of the Ferraris and McLarens behind him. The opening corners stayed clean despite the slippery surface, but the drama arrived quickly.
’s early advantage lasted less than a full lap. He lost the rear of his Mercedes exiting the final corner, slid across the track, and hit the concrete wall. The Briton radioed that he was fine after the impact, but his race was over.
Max Verstappen inherited the lead as a result. Several other cars also failed to complete the opening stages. Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll collided, while Isack Hadjar and Franco Colapinto both stopped on track, leaving a reduced field behind the Safety Car.
After the restart on Lap 6, Verstappen held position ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Kimi Antonelli. The track continued to dry, yet nobody switched to slick tyres. Drivers reported that some sections remained too wet for a change, and the intermediate compound held up under careful management.
reported heavy wear on his front tyres in the closing stages, which allowed the McLarens to close in. Lando Norris moved on Oscar Piastri at Turn 5, but the pair made contact. Piastri spun and dropped deep down the order, eventually finishing a lapped 14th. Norris slipped to eighth. The incident opened the door for others: Antonelli moved up to fourth, with Liam Lawson, Ollie Bearman, and Nico Hulkenberg also gaining positions.
A separate three-car incident involving Alex Albon, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Valtteri Bottas ended two of those races, while Albon later retired. Stewards noted Hamilton for a possible yellow-flag infringement but took no further action. Russell’s early exit cost him more ground in the Drivers’ Championship to teammate Antonelli.
crossed the line 2.591 seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton, with Charles Leclerc third, 16.871 seconds behind. Kimi Antonelli and Liam Lawson completed the top five. The remaining points scorers and classified finishers navigated an attritional race marked by retirements and cautious tyre management around the tight street circuit.
“I mean, 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,” said winner Max Verstappen. “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. So, we just tried to bring it home, and of course, I’m happy to win here in the Sprint, but I also know that I want to win tomorrow, not today.”
