Max Verstappen won the sixth and final Formula 1 Sprint of the 2026 season at the Singapore Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at Marina Bay. Yet the Red Bull driver was in no mood to celebrate, immediately turning his attention to Sunday’s Grand Prix and warning that his poor start must be corrected.
Starting from pole position after topping Sprint Qualifying, Max Verstappen handled an exceptionally tricky race as changing track conditions made grip difficult to judge. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, while Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed the top three behind the Dutchman.
Max Verstappen wins rain-hit Singapore Sprint
The Sprint started late after a heavy rain shower hit Marina Bay. When the field eventually got under way, the drivers used intermediate tyres on a circuit offering dramatically different levels of grip from one section to another.
The opening two sectors remained fairly wet, while the third and fourth sectors were almost dry. In those difficult conditions, Max Verstappen ultimately capitalised on his pole position and brought the car home to secure victory.
The rain disruption also affected the wider Saturday programme at Marina Bay, with Singapore hosting a Formula 1 Sprint weekend for the first time in 2026.
Max Verstappen unhappy with Singapore Sprint start
Despite taking the victory, Max Verstappen was quick to identify an important weakness. His start was poor enough to allow George Russell, who had lined up second, to move ahead during the opening stages.
“The start was horrible and it’s something we have to improve because if I start like that tomorrow, my race will be compromised,” Max Verstappen said after the Sprint.
The Red Bull driver made clear that a repeat of the same mistake during Sunday’s longer Grand Prix could carry much greater consequences.
George Russell crash changes the Singapore Sprint
Max Verstappen’s path to victory was also helped by George Russell’s dramatic retirement. The Mercedes driver made an excellent start from second and managed to take the lead ahead of Verstappen before making an error after just one lap.
George Russell lost control of his Mercedes and hit the barriers, ending his Sprint almost immediately and handing the advantage back to Verstappen.
The four-time world champion openly acknowledged how important that incident had been.
“We were a little lucky with what happened to George. After that, I managed things and brought the car to the finish.”
From there, Max Verstappen managed the tyres and avoided further mistakes as the circuit continued to present difficult conditions. Russell’s accident undoubtedly influenced the outcome, but completing the Sprint required Verstappen to control the race without taking unnecessary risks.
Max Verstappen already focused on Singapore Grand Prix
Rather than dwelling on the Sprint result, Max Verstappen immediately shifted his attention to Sunday’s main event. For the Red Bull driver, winning the shortened Saturday race was not enough.
“The F1 Singapore Grand Prix is tomorrow,” he stressed, underlining where his real priority lies for the Marina Bay weekend.
When asked whether he was pleased to have now won at every circuit, Max Verstappen was equally dismissive of the milestone.
“I want to win tomorrow because this isn’t a real victory. We’ll all be close and we need to be ahead.”
The comments underline how little importance Verstappen is placing on the Sprint result compared with the Grand Prix itself. With the field appearing closely matched and Ferrari already demonstrating strong pace by taking second and third, the battle for Sunday’s victory remains open.
The championship picture also remains important, with Kimi Antonelli strengthening his position at the top of the Formula 1 drivers’ standings after finishing fourth. Verstappen, however, is focused on a more immediate objective: eliminating the weakness in his start and putting himself in position to fight for the main Singapore Grand Prix victory.
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