Verstappen wins rain-hit Singapore Sprint as Russell crashes out on lap one
Max Verstappen won the first Singapore Sprint from pole. Early leader George Russell hit the wall on the opening lap and retired, while Kimi Antonelli finished fourth for five points and stretched his advantage over Russell to 89 points. The Grand Prix is tomorrow, Sunday.
Rain delays the start by 30 minutes; Russell is out on lap one
The Sprint was scheduled for 17:00 local time but was delayed by heavy rain. The formation lap began at 17:30, and the field followed the Safety Car for two laps before a standing start. Everyone ran intermediate tyres. A race scheduled for 21 laps was cut to 20 because of the formation laps (PlanetF1).
Russell took the lead at the start but lost control exiting the final corner and slid into the wall. It happened within a lap of the start, and the reports differ slightly on exactly where. On the same lap Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll collided under braking for Turn 16, leaving Stroll stopped on the spot. Isack Hadjar and Franco Colapinto also stopped early. The Safety Car came in at the end of lap 6.
Top eight and the contact after the restart
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 39:48.162 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +2.591s |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +16.871s |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +17.238s |
| 5 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +20.632s |
| 6 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +24.3s |
| 7 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +27.5s |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +28.2s |
The top five scored 8, 7, 6, 5 and 4 points. The gaps for sixth to eighth come from PlanetF1; formula1.com lists points only down to fifth, so points below that are unconfirmed. PlanetF1 says Norris took a single point for eighth.
After the restart Alex Albon ran into the back of the Audi and the Cadillac then hit the Williams, putting Gabriel Bortoleto and Valtteri Bottas out. The stewards are reviewing that contact after the race. The two McLarens also touched. Norris went down the inside of Oscar Piastri, and formula1.com says it happened at Turn 5, with Piastri spinning and finishing 14th and lapped. PlanetF1 and Motorsport.com place it on the final lap and say Piastri retired, so the reports disagree. Both say Norris was summoned by the stewards, but neither gives an outcome. A possible yellow-flag breach by Hamilton ended with no further action.
Championship and Sunday
According to formula1.com, Russell lost five more points to Antonelli and is now 89 points behind. Antonelli leads the championship. The sources do not say how badly Russell's car was damaged in the crash.
Sources
- Formula1.com – Verstappen wins dramatic, rain-hit Singapore Sprint as Russell crashes and McLarens collide
- PlanetF1 – Max Verstappen wins Singapore Sprint, Russell adds his name to DNF list, McLaren pair collide
- Motorsport.com – F1 Singapore GP: Max Verstappen wins sprint, George Russell crashes out and McLarens collide