Max Verstappen won a wet and chaotic Singapore sprint race for Red Bull on Saturday, after George Russell crashed his Mercedes while leading at the end of the opening lap.
Verstappen held off Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton to win by 2.50 seconds, with Charles Leclerc third. The McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri touched and spun on the final lap while running fourth and fifth.
Heavy shower delays start at Marina Bay
A heavy shower about 10 minutes before the scheduled start led to a 30-minute delay. All cars began on intermediate tyres, although some sectors of the Marina Bay Street Circuit were much drier than others.
The field then completed two formation laps behind the safety car before the standing start. Russell got away better from the front row alongside pole-sitter Verstappen, but his advantage did not last long.
Russell’s crash and McLaren contact reshape the order
Russell lost control after touching a treacherous white line on the final bend of the opening lap. He slid sideways into the pit lane wall, which brought out the safety car.
Russell, who will start from the back of the grid in Sunday’s grand prix because of engine penalties, admitted the error to Sky Sports. “It was a miscalculation,” he said, adding that it was a “silly mistake” with “big consequences”.
The incident left Hamilton, who had made a brilliant start from sixth on the grid, in second place. He had passed Ferrari team-mate Leclerc and the two McLarens. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli inherited fourth after starting seventh.
Liam Lawson of RB took fifth, followed by Oliver Bearman in the Haas in sixth and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg in seventh. Norris got going again to limp home in eighth, completing the points scorers.
