Max Verstappen (Red Bull) won the wet sprint for the Singapore Grand Prix in Formula 1. The Dutchman finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), and the race at “Marina Bay“ was interrupted by numerous incidents.
The success is Verstappen's first in a sprint this season and his first on the Singapore track. It is also the second consecutive for the four-time world champion after his victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia last week.
Russell led, but crashed out early
The start was delayed by 30 minutes due to heavy rain. The drivers completed two warm-up laps behind the safety car, then started the race on intermediate tyres. The extra lap reduced the distance from 21 to 20 laps.
George Russell (Mercedes) got off to a great start and overtook Verstappen in the opening metres. However, at the end of the first lap, the Briton spun out of the final corner and hit the wall, which brought out the safety car.
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) also retired early on after contact with Sergio Perez (Cadillac), as did Isaac Hajar (Red Bull) and Franco Colapinto (Alpine) due to injuries. Several more drivers retired after the restart.
Antonelli extends lead
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) finished fourth after starting eighth and gained three positions. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) and Lando Norris (McLaren) also entered the points.
On the final lap, Norris attacked his teammate Oscar Piastre (McLaren) at Turn 5. The two collided, Piastre hit the wall and retired, while Norris continued but finished eighth. Norris previously warned on the radio: “The track is not yet suitable for dry tyres.“ The Briton may receive a penalty for the incident.
Antonelli increased his lead in the general classification over the retired George Russell to 89 points. Lewis Hamilton is 104 points behind the leader. In the constructors' championship, Mercedes is in the lead with 561 points, ahead of Ferrari with 418, McLaren with 317 and Red Bull with 306.
Sources: sportal.bg, cadenaser.com