SingaporeGP: Verstappen Wins Sprint Amid Late Drama

Dutchman Follows Malaysia Victory With Singapore Sprint Win; Hamilton Climbs From Sixth to Second as McLaren Teammates Collide, Handing Antonelli an 89-Point Championship Cushion Over Russell

Max Verstappen followed up his Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia victory by winning Saturday’s Sprint around the streets of Marina Bay, the first Sprint ever held in Singapore. Lewis Hamilton took second and Charles Leclerc third.

The race was shaped by a pre-race downpour and a half-hour delay. Pole-sitter Verstappen lost the lead to George Russell at the start, then regained it when Russell crashed at the end of the first lap. Late on, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri made contact while chasing a podium, which dropped Piastri from fourth to a lapped 14th.

Conditions were extremely overcast before the scheduled 5.00 pm start, with the threat of rain growing. About ten minutes before lights out, a downpour soaked the first and third sectors of the track and left the middle sector merely damp. Gazebos went up over the cars on the grid and the Medical Car was sent out to assess the circuit.

The inspection found standing water at Turns 2 and 3, and the start was delayed. While the delay dragged on, Russell, who had returned to the garage, surprised Antonelli over the radio while the Italian was still sitting in his car on the grid. At 1717, Race Control confirmed a 1730 formation lap. The Safety Car led the field away, with the FIA expecting at least two formation laps.

All drivers started on intermediate tyres. Piastri said the spray in the first sector was “very bad”, while Lawson described the middle sector as almost completely dry. After a couple of formation laps, Race Control settled on a standing start for the 20-lap, 98.403-kilometre Sprint.

Verstappen took Sprint pole with a 1:31.156, ahead of Russell on 1:31.276, Leclerc on 1:31.399 and Piastri on 1:31.454. Norris was fifth on 1:31.587, Hamilton sixth and Antonelli seventh. Verstappen avoided a grid penalty after being investigated for a yellow-flag incident in SQ1.

There was one late change. Carlos Sainz had been due to start at the back, but he was moved to the pit lane after Williams carried out suspension set-up changes under Parc Fermé conditions (Stewards’ Document 37).

Russell made a clean getaway and passed Verstappen into Turn 1, while Hamilton vaulted from sixth to third, ahead of Leclerc, Piastri and Norris. There were no major incidents in the opening corners.

Russell’s lead lasted until the final corner of the first lap. He lost control on exit, slid across the track and hit the concrete wall. “I’m fine. Sorry, sorry, sorry,” he said over the radio. Verstappen was back in front, with Hamilton up to second.

Russell was not the only early casualty. Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll came together under braking for Turn 16. The Aston Martin was out on the spot and the Cadillac limped back to the pits. Isack Hadjar then stopped at Turn 5 and Franco Colapinto at Turn 14, which made five retirements in the first five laps.

Behind the Safety Car, Arvid Lindblad spun and dropped to last, which was 17th after the retirements. At the end of Lap 6 the Safety Car came in, and Verstappen kept the lead from Hamilton, Leclerc, Piastri, Norris and Antonelli. Oliver Bearman passed Pierre Gasly through Turns 1, 2 and 3 for eighth, the last points-paying place.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Alexander Albon and Valtteri Bottas all pitted after an incident at the restart that the cameras had not shown. Replays then showed the Williams running into the back of the Audi, and the Cadillac running into the back of the Williams. Bortoleto and Bottas retired. Albon pressed on and was classified as a late retirement after completing 14 laps. The stewards were set to look into the moment the Williams hit the Audi after the race.

Hamilton was noted for a potential yellow-flag breach, but the stewards later confirmed there would be no further action.

Nico Hulkenberg then cleared Gasly for ninth into Turn 1. “He pushed me wide. Hulkenberg didn’t leave me space,” Gasly argued over the radio, to no avail, and he lost another place to Esteban Ocon.

At half distance Verstappen led Hamilton by 1.3 seconds. Leclerc was third, followed by Piastri, Norris, Antonelli, Lawson and Bearman. Hamilton reported that the track was edging closer to dry but was still too wet in places.

Nobody pitted for slicks, even as the surface dried. When Norris’s engineer asked how far the track was from slicks, his answer was “It’s not”. Verstappen managed his intermediates and eased away from the Ferraris and McLarens, winning by 2.591 seconds. His fastest lap was a 1:46.017, while Hamilton set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:45.457 on the final lap.

Leclerc reported that his front tyres were “destroyed”, which brought Piastri and Norris closer. McLaren had a podium within reach until Norris attacked Piastri into Turn 5 and the pair made contact. Piastri spun and stopped. He was classified 14th, a lap down, having lost ten places. Norris finished eighth and was left to consider any possible repercussions.

The collision let Leclerc take third and moved Antonelli up to fourth. Lawson, Bearman and Hulkenberg also gained places. Antonelli, who started seventh, finished 17.238 seconds behind Verstappen and 0.367 seconds behind Leclerc.

FULL SPRINT CLASSIFICATION (PROVISIONAL)

Not Classified: Alexander Albon (Williams, 14 laps), Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi, 6 laps), Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac, 6 laps), Isack Hadjar (Red Bull, 2 laps), Franco Colapinto (Alpine, 2 laps), George Russell (Mercedes, 1 lap), Sergio Perez (Cadillac, 1 lap), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin, 0 laps).

Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton, 1:45.457 on Lap 20 (168.193 km/h).

Hamilton’s rapid getaway was the day’s best start, taking him from sixth to the front-running group and, after Russell’s crash, to second. Bearman gained seven places to sixth, a good result for Haas, who also took tenth with Ocon. Hulkenberg gained five places to seventh, while Sainz recovered to 12th after starting from the pit lane.

The zero for Russell cost him another five points to Mercedes teammate Antonelli. The gap in the Drivers’ Championship is now 89 points.

The table below is calculated from the post-Bahrain standings plus the provisional Sprint points, so it will change if the stewards alter the result.

Verstappen’s eight points lift him to fifth, one point behind Leclerc. In the Constructors’ Championship, by the same calculation, Red Bull’s haul cuts McLaren’s lead over them for third to 11 points (317 to 306), after McLaren scored only Norris’s single point. Ferrari’s double podium takes them to 418 behind Mercedes on 561.

The Sprint classification is provisional, and the stewards still had the Williams-Audi contact to review. Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix follows, with the drying Marina Bay track, Norris and Piastri’s collision, and Verstappen’s back-to-back wins as the main storylines.

Credit Photo : Red Bull Racing