Max Verstappen wins wet Singapore GP sprint after George Russell crashes

Red Bull's Max Verstappen claimed a wet-weather sprint race victory at the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday, 10 October 2026, after initial race leader George Russell crashed out on the opening lap. The tropical downpour struck the Marina Bay Street Circuit just minutes before the scheduled start, forcing a thirty-minute delay before the field embarked on two formation laps behind the safety car.

All cars began on intermediate tyres while facing varied track conditions, with parts of the circuit remaining dry while sectors featured standing water. Russell made a strong launch ahead of pole-sitter Verstappen to take the lead. However, his advantage ended before completing a full lap when he slid on a slippery white line at the final corner and hit the pit-lane wall.

George Russell Rebukes Own 'Silly Mistake' at Marina Bay

Russell's race-ending crash compounded a difficult stretch for the Mercedes driver, who enters Sunday's main grand prix facing a grid penalty that forces him to start from the back due to a power unit change. Russell took accountability for the incident in post-race comments to Sky Sports.

"It was a miscalculation; I came through the corner, had more battery deployment than I thought, which pushed me a little bit wider than I hoped, and went on to the white line. Silly mistake. Big consequences."

George Russell, Mercedes driver, via Sky Sports

The accident triggered a safety car period that bunched the field. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton capitalized early, executing a strong start from sixth on the grid to bypass his teammate Charles Leclerc and the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Once racing resumed, Verstappen managed his pace at the front, keeping Hamilton at bay while noting persistent concerns over his team's launch performance.

"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,"

Max Verstappen, Red Bull driver, via Sky Sports

Late-Race McLaren Collision Shakes Up the Points

As the race neared its conclusion, overtaking proved difficult around the tight street circuit, leaving positions mostly static until a dramatic final lap. Lando Norris attempted an inside passing maneuver on teammate Oscar Piastri at Turn 5 while running fourth and fifth respectively. The two cars touched and spun, eliminating Piastri on the spot and dropping Norris down the order.

The collision promoted Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli to fourth place, extending his championship lead. Liam Lawson finished fifth for Racing Bulls, followed by Haas driver Oliver Bearman in sixth and Audi's Nico Hulkenberg in seventh. Despite his late-race spin and subsequent steward investigation, Norris managed to cross the finish line in eighth to secure the final point.

Attention now shifts to Saturday afternoon qualifying, which was pushed back 30 minutes to 14:30 BST as a result of the sprint delay, setting the grid for Sunday's main grand prix.