Max Verstappen won the Singapore Sprint at the Marina Bay Street Circuit after George Russell crashed out on the opening lap and McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collided in the closing stages, handing the Red Bull driver a commanding victory in mixed weather conditions.
The Sprint, the first ever held in Singapore, was delayed approximately 30 minutes after a pre-race downpour soaked the first and third sectors of the circuit, leaving standing water at Turns 2 and 3. All drivers started on intermediate tyres following a Safety Car formation period.
Russell, starting from pole, passed Verstappen into Turn 1 at the start and initially pulled clear of the field. The Mercedes driver’s race ended dramatically at the final corner of the first lap when he lost control, slid across the track and hit the concrete wall. “I’m fine. Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Russell said over team radio.
Verstappen reclaimed the lead and controlled the race from the front, managing his intermediate tyres on a progressively drying track. Lewis Hamilton, who had vaulted from sixth to third at the start before Russell’s retirement promoted him to second, finished 2.591 seconds behind the Dutchman. Charles Leclerc crossed the line third, 16.871 seconds off the pace.
The race’s decisive moment came in the final laps when Norris tagged Piastri as their lines converged at Turn 5, sending both McLarens into a spin. Piastri stopped outright and was classified 14th, a lap down, while Norris recovered to finish eighth. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli capitalised to take fourth for Mercedes, with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson fifth, Haas’ Ollie Bearman sixth and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg seventh.
The attrition did not end with the McLaren incident. Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll collided on the first lap, eliminating the Aston Martin immediately. Isack Hadjar and Franco Colapinto also retired in the early laps, while a three-car incident at the restart eliminated Alex Albon, Gabriel Bortoleto and Valtteri Bottas from their Williams, Audi and Cadillac machines respectively.
Verstappen had earlier secured Sprint pole, avoiding a grid penalty after being investigated for a yellow flag incident in Sprint Qualifying. The victory follows his win at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia the previous weekend, further strengthening his position in the Drivers’ Championship ahead of Sunday’s main race at Marina Bay.