Verstappen wins rain-hit Singapore sprint as Russell crashes from the lead
George Russell led off the line before crashing out of the rain-hit sprint at Marina Bay, handing Max Verstappen the win and moving Kimi Antonelli up to fourth.
Russell crashes from the lead
Max Verstappen started from pole, but George Russell got the better launch and passed him off the line to take the lead, according to the Irish Independent. Rain had hit the Marina Bay street circuit shortly before the scheduled start, and the sprint began late. Polsat Sport and n-tv put the delay at 30 minutes, while ANSA reported more than an hour. Russell's Mercedes slid on the wet white lines at the exit of the final turn, hit the barrier, spun and drifted back across the track as his rivals passed. ANSA places the crash on the second lap, whereas Polsat Sport and the Irish Independent place it at the end of the first lap. The safety car was deployed, and Russell climbed out and said "Sorry, sorry, sorry" over the team radio.
- Russell passes Verstappen off the line and Hamilton climbs from sixth to third
- Russell crashes at the exit of the final turn and the safety car is deployed
- Racing resumes with Verstappen leading ahead of Hamilton and Leclerc
- Norris and Piastri collide, Piastri retires and Antonelli gains two places to fourth
- Verstappen wins the sprint
Verstappen holds on in the rain
After the restart Verstappen led again, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, according to La Razón. Polsat Sport put Hamilton 2.591 seconds back and Leclerc 16.871 seconds back at the finish. La Razón described a track that dried more slowly than expected, leaving drivers to choose between a tyre change and staying on intermediates. Verstappen's win was his first in Singapore, according to AD, and it came a week after his first win of the season in Malaysia, where he also took his first pole position of the year, per FAZ. After the race he said:
I am pleased that I won the sprint. But above all I want to win tomorrow.
He then turned to qualifying, which had been moved after the delay.
I need a good qualifying, it will be close. I hope it will be a good fight.
- Lewis Hamilton
- 2.591 seconds
- Charles Leclerc
- 16.871 seconds
Retirements and the McLaren collision
Spiegel reported that nine cars retired and that 13 of the 22 starters reached the finish, while Polsat Sport counted eight withdrawals. Fernando Alonso finished eleventh and Carlos Sainz twelfth, according to La Razón, and Nico Hülkenberg moved up to seventh on the final lap, scoring two points, per n-tv. On the final lap Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collided while fighting for fourth, and Piastri retired. Norris finished eighth, and McLaren CEO Zak Brown put his hands over his head, per Spiegel. Kimi Antonelli gained two places to finish fourth. Earlier in the week Lewis Hamilton had spoken of the caution of younger drivers in wet-weather racing, and Norris disputed this, likening the spray to "going down the motorway at 200 miles per hour and shutting your eyes".
- Started
- 22 cars
- Finished
- 13 cars
Championship and Sunday's race
Antonelli leads the championship with 325 points, 89 ahead of teammate Russell, according to Polsat Sport, while the Irish Independent gives the gap as 88 points with 175 still to be won. Spiegel says six race weekends remain. Russell will start Sunday's race from the back of the grid after an engine change, the Irish Independent reported. The FIA announced that qualifying would not begin at its planned 21:00 local time (15:00 MESZ) because of the delay, according to n-tv. The Sunday Grand Prix is scheduled for 14:00 MESZ. The Irish Independent attributes the previous week's chaos in Malaysia to a software bug that caused a 53-minute delay, whereas Spiegel reports a delay of an hour and a half.
