The drivers were back in action for the third consecutive race weekend. This time they were at Marina Bay for the FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 2026. But before the main event on Sunday, fans were treated to a 20-lap sprint race on Saturday, which was the season’s final sprint race.
Similar to last weekend’s race in Malaysia, the Singapore sprint race saw a lot of rain at the start. The race start was delayed by more than half an hour before it was dry enough to venture out behind the safety car. After only a couple of laps, the call was made for a standing start.
George Russell got away well from P2 on the grid, overtaking Max Verstappen for the lead before the first corner. Lewis Hamilton was another driver to get a great start, overtaking both McLarens and teammate Charles Leclerc before the first corner to promote himself to P3.
Russell’s reign was short-lived, as he spun into the barriers at the final corner. He hit a wet patch on the outside kerb and shot into the pit wall. He was lucky not to get collected by another car as he bounced across the circuit. The safety car was deployed.
Further back, there was a separate incident further back. Sergio Perez was attempting to overtake Lance Stroll on the inside of turn 16, but the Aston Martin driver turned in on him and the two collided. The incident will be investigated after the race.
Two other drivers dropped out of the race under the safety car. The first was Isack Hadjar with a power unit failure, and he was followed by Franco Colapinto shortly after with a mechanical issue of his own. This prolonged the safety car.
The race restarted on lap seven. Hamilton was clinging onto Verstappen for many laps after the restart, but couldn’t get close enough to challenge for an overtake.
As the laps ticked down, the circuit began to dry. Parts of the circuit were bone-dry, while others were still damp. Eventually, there were not enough laps remaining in the race for anyone to take a gamble on changing to the slick tyres.
The drying circuit was brutal on the intermediate tyres. With only a few laps remaining in the race, Leclerc’s tyres were destroyed. This left him under threat from the two McLarens behind. Both McLarens had been close since after the restart, with Lando Norris appearing to be the faster of the two.
The battle came to a head on the final lap. Norris tried a dive-bomb move on the inside of Oscar Piastri in turn five, but the two found each other at the apex, colliding. Piastri spun into the barriers, but Norris was able to spin around and continue, earning a point for a P8 finish.
The crash between the two McLarens left Leclerc free to cross the line in P3, standing alongside Hamilton. But it was Max Verstappen who took the top spot, finally winning a race in Singapore. But the big points are on offer tomorrow for the grand prix.
| 1 | K. Antonelli | 325 |  | |
| 2 | G. Russell | 236 | -89 | |
| 3 | L. Hamilton | 221 | -104 | |
| 4 | C. Leclerc | 197 | -128 | |
| 5 | M. Verstappen | 196 | -129 | |
| 1 | Mercedes | 561 | | |
| 2 | Ferrari | 418 | -143 | |
| 3 | McLaren | 317 | -244 | |
| 4 | Red Bull | 306 | -255 | |
| 5 | Racing Bulls | 94 | -467 | |
