By: The Sprint at the Singapore Grand Prix provided an important preview of Sunday’s race. Rain forced race control to delay the start, and the 20 laps contested could prove valuable should the weather once again become a factor.
In a race marked by a Safety Car, incidents and several retirements, Max Verstappen managed the situation best to take victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Chaos at the start amid Safety Car and numerous retirements
After two formation laps behind the Safety Car, the Sprint finally got under way on a track that remained extremely treacherous. When the lights went out, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton made strong starts, while Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Isack Hadjar lost ground in the opening stages.
However, the race changed almost immediately. After just two laps, Russell lost control of his car on the straight and hit the barriers, prompting the deployment of the Safety Car. Shortly afterwards, Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez also made contact: the Mexican hit the rear tyre of the Aston Martin, causing both drivers to retire.
The retirement list grew further with Hadjar, who was stopped by a power unit issue, and Franco Colapinto, who was also forced to retire from the Sprint early.
Verstappen controls proceedings, Leclerc holds on and the McLarens collide
At the restart, Verstappen controlled the field perfectly, retaining the lead without giving his pursuers an opportunity. Behind him, the positions remained largely unchanged, with qualifying awaiting the drivers just a few hours after the Sprint.
Among the more notable moments was Ollie Bearman’s strong restart, which saw him pass Pierre Gasly to move into ninth. Otherwise, the race quickly settled down, with Alexander Albon’s retirement four laps from the end the only further incident.
In the closing stages, Charles Leclerc began complaining of severe front-tyre degradation as the McLaren pair closed in behind him. The most spectacular moment of the second half of the race came on the final lap: attempting to pass Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris touched his team-mate’s rear tyre. The contact forced the Australian to retire, while Norris was able to continue to the chequered flag.
At the front, however, nothing changed. Verstappen took Sprint victory ahead of Hamilton and Leclerc, who completed the podium in a race that may already have provided valuable indications ahead of Sunday in Singapore.
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All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Singapore GP 2026
