Max Verstappen swept Saturday at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, winning the Singapore Grand Prix Sprint before claiming pole position with a fastest lap of 1:31.373, setting up the Dutchman as the man to beat in Sunday’s 62-lap race.
A pre-Sprint rain deluge delayed proceedings by 30 minutes and forced the field onto Pirelli Cinturato Green intermediate tires for a standing start behind the Safety Car. The race distance was trimmed from 21 to 20 aps, and four cars retired in the opening laps under an early Safety Car period that reshuffled the order.
George Russell made an aggressive start, seizing the lead from Verstappen into Turn 1, but his race ended on lap one when he lost traction on the white line at Turn 19 and hit the wall. His teammate Kimi Antonelli, running sixth at the time, climbed to fourth after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collided on lap 19, eliminating both McLarens from contention.
That same McLaren collision proved decisive for Haas, lifting Ollie Bearman from eighth to sixth and earning the British driver three Sprint points. Esteban Ocon, who started 16th, also made ground in the wet conditions to finish 10th. Team Principal Ayao Komatsu credited improved internal communication after what he described as a difficult previous weekend in Sepang. “For Ollie to finish P6 and score three points is great, as his driving was fantastic, and his overtakes were amazing,” Komatsu said.
In qualifying, Antonelli carried momentum from the Sprint to qualify fourth, just 0.189 seconds off pole, despite abandoning his final lap. Russell posted the sixth-fastest time but will start from the back of the grid due to a power unit component penalty. Bearman qualified 12th with a best lap of 1:32.908 and Ocon 13th at 1:33.323, but Russell’s penalty promotes both Haas drivers one place to 11th and 12th on the grid.
“It was a really good Sprint race, the car was mega, super fast, and I think we were flying out there,” Bearman said. Ocon acknowledged the team made setup progress through the day but noted a lack of grip had hampered them across the weekend.
Verstappen’s pole lap of 1:31.373 gives Red Bull Racing a commanding starting position for a race that, at 62 laps around the unforgiving Marina Bay street circuit, promises further attrition.