Verstappen wins F1 Singapore Sprint after Russell crashes out of lead

SINGAPORE, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Red Bull's Max Verstappen claimed his first Formula 1 victory in Singapore on Saturday, winning a rain-hit Sprint race that saw Mercedes' George Russell crash out of the lead and McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collide on the final lap.

Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc (L), P1 Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen (2L) and P2 Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton (R) celebrate with their trophies alongside Singapore's athlete and sprinter Veronica Shanti Pereira at the end of the sprint race ahead of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore on October 10, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

Verstappen, who started from pole position, finished ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli taking fourth after benefiting from the late McLaren collision.

The victory marked Verstappen's first win of any kind at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, previously the only venue on the current Formula 1 calendar where the four-time world champion had never won.

Singapore's first-ever Sprint race was also its first Formula 1 contest held in daylight, but a torrential downpour shortly before the start forced a delay, echoing the disruption caused by heavy rain at last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

After two formation laps, the 20-lap race began from a standing start on a track that remained wet in places, particularly along the main straight, despite some sections having already dried.

Russell made the better getaway from second on the grid, sweeping past Verstappen to take the lead, while Hamilton surged from sixth to third.

However, Russell's advantage lasted barely a lap. The Mercedes driver lost control exiting the final corner and spun into the barriers along the pit straight, damaging the right-rear of his car and bringing out the safety car.

"Sorry," Russell told his team over the radio.

The incident compounded a difficult weekend for the Briton, who is already set to start Sunday's Grand Prix from the back of the grid after incurring penalties for exceeding his allocation of power unit components.

Russell's retirement handed the lead back to Verstappen, with Hamilton and Leclerc second and third.

The opening laps descended into further chaos as Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez collided near the back of the field, eliminating both drivers.

Isack Hadjar also retired after reporting an engine braking problem, while Franco Colapinto stopped on track. Gabriel Bortoleto and Valtteri Bottas were among the other casualties, and Arvid Lindblad came under investigation for driving in the wrong direction while recovering from a spin.

With Russell's damaged Mercedes and debris being cleared from the circuit, the remaining cars were briefly directed through the pit lane before racing resumed at the end of lap six.

Verstappen controlled the restart and gradually established himself at the front, and with Hamilton unable to mount a serious challenge, the Dutchman eased to victory.

"The start was horrendous again, so that's definitely something that we need to improve on because if you have something like that tomorrow, that's your race over, if nothing crazy happens," said Verstappen, who had battled back to win last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after having initially lost the lead at the start.

"Not ideal, but we got a bit lucky with what happened with George out of the last corner.

"And after that, you just want to keep it calm and under control, because you know that you can't pass around here, especially around here in these conditions with the intermediate.

"I'm happy to win here in the Sprint, but I also know that I want to win tomorrow [in the grand prix], not today."

Although a dry racing line began to emerge as the race progressed, drivers remained on intermediate tyres, with the limited number of laps remaining making a switch to slicks increasingly unattractive.

Overtaking opportunities were also scarce on Singapore's narrow street circuit, and with only eight championship points available to the winner, drivers had little incentive to risk damage ahead of qualifying for Sunday's main race.

By lap 16, Alex Albon had also retired, leaving just 14 cars running and making it the most attrition-hit Sprint race in Formula 1 history.

The closing stages appeared set to pass without further incident until Norris attempted to overtake teammate Piastri on the inside during the final lap.

The two McLarens made contact and spun, with Piastri forced to retire and Norris recovering to finish eighth, taking the final championship point.

Norris apologized to his team over the radio.

"Thought I was fully alongside, ran out of space," the Briton said.

The collision allowed championship leader Antonelli to finish fourth and collect five points, two more than he would have earned in sixth.

Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson finished fifth, ahead of Haas driver Ollie Bearman and Audi's Nico Hulkenberg, with Norris completing the points-paying positions.

The qualifying session for Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix takes place later on Saturday.