SINGAPORE, Oct 10 — Dark clouds and a gloomy haze hung over the Marina Bay Street Circuit today, setting an unlikely stage for Singapore’s first-ever Formula One Sprint race, which Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won after George Russell crashed out of the lead.

What was expected to be a scorching afternoon for the first competitive F1 race held in daylight in Singapore instead began with a downpour, delaying the scheduled 5pm start by 30 minutes.

But the rain-soaked build-up gave way to drama within seconds of the start. Mercedes’ Russell snatched the lead from pole-sitter Verstappen off the line, only to lose control at the final corner of the opening lap and slam into the wall.

“Miscalculation. Came through the corner, had a little more battery deployment than I thought, (and it) sent me wide,” said Russell. 

“Silly mistake, big consequences.”

Verstappen inherited the lead and never lost it, finishing 2.5 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton for his first victory at Marina Bay. Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc was a distant third, 16.8 seconds behind the winner.

It was also the Dutchman’s first Sprint win of the season, at a circuit where he has never won the grand prix. This follows a week after he gave Red Bull their first grand prix win of the year in Malaysia.

There was a final twist on the last lap, when McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, collided while fighting over fourth place. 

That promoted championship leader Kimi Antonelli to fourth in the other Mercedes, stretching his lead over Russell from 84 points to 89.

The start had been pushed back after motorsport’s world governing body FIA reported “a large amount of standing water around Turns 2 and 3”. The race eventually began at 5.35pm and was run over 20 laps instead of the scheduled 21.

Russell was the first of several casualties. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Cadillac’s Sergio Perez also collided, and eight of the 22 starters were out by Lap 15.

Hamilton, who had jumped from sixth on the grid, stayed within 1.3 seconds of Verstappen until half-distance. But nobody gambled on slick tyres as the track dried, and the Dutchman pulled almost five seconds clear before easing to the flag.

Russell, who won here in 2025, leaves with no points and a damaged car that Mercedes must repair before qualifying at 9pm. He will start the October 11 grand prix from the back of the grid after a power unit penalty.

Sprint result: 1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +2.591sec, 3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +16.871sec, 4 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 5 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), 6 Oliver Bearman (Haas), 7 Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), 8 Lando Norris (McLaren). — AsiaOne