Max Verstappen wins rain-affected Singapore GP Sprint, rises to 5th
What's the story
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing clinched the rain-affected Singapore Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday. The race was marred by a dramatic crash from George Russell, who had taken the lead from pole-sitter Verstappen at the start. However, Russell lost control of his Mercedes at the end of lap one and crashed into the barriers. It was a solid show from Verstappen who came into this race after having won last weekend's Bahrain GP in Malaysia.
Race control
Nine drivers retired from the race
Verstappen maintained his lead after Russell's crash, with Scuderia Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton finishing second and Charles Leclerc third despite tire issues.
Nine drivers retired from the Sprint after Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Cadillac's Sergio Perez collided on lap one just before Russell's crash.
Red Bull's Isack Hadjar and Alpine's Franco Colapinto retired due to reliability issues during the early Safety Car, while Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas, Williams's Alex Albon, Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto crashed into each other on restart.
Post-race reflections
Verstappen concerned about Red Bull's starts
Verstappen expressed his concerns about Red Bull's starts and said, "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."
He also admitted he was lucky with Russell's crash at the last corner.
"I'm happy to win here in the Sprint, but I also know that I want to win tomorrow, not today," he added.
Championship implications
Kimi Antonelli plays it safe as Russell crashes
Russell's crash has a major impact on the championship standings.
He is now 89 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli, who played it safe during the Sprint but benefited from his Mercedes teammate's crash and a last-lap collision between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Despite the chaos, Racing Bulls's Liam Lawson finished an impressive fifth, with Haas' Oliver Bearman in sixth after overtaking Audi's Nico Hulkenberg during one of the few top-10 overtakes on Safety Car restart.
Poin
Verstappen leapfrogs Norris to go fifth in F1 2026 standings
By collecting 8 points with this Sprint win, Verstappen has risen to 5th in the 2026 Formula 1 standings.
He has raced to 196 points and is seven above Norris (189).
Antonelli leads the show with 325 points, gaining 5 from this race.
Meanwhile, Hamilton claimed 7 crucial points and owns a tally of 221. He is closing in on Russell (236).
Leclerc is a point above Verstappen on 4th (197).