Formula 1 returns to the Marina Bay Street Circuit this weekend for the Singapore Grand Prix - and the final sprint race of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli took another giant step towards his first world championship at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. His accomplished second-place finish came with the unfortunate late retirement of George Russell. The Italian’s lead over his Mercedes teammate is now 84 points with seven rounds remaining.
Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the season - and Red Bull’s first as a power-unit supplier - in Sepang while Lewis Hamilton fought back from a dreadful start to claim a memorable podium for Ferrari.
Singapore represents the final sprint weekend of the season, with Russell claiming three short-format victories this season. However, the Briton will start from the back of the grid for this Sunday’s grand prix after taking a new power unit.
Follow live updates from the Singapore Grand Prix with The Independent
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F1 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- Singapore hosts round 17 of the 2026 F1 season
- Qualifying at Marina Bay will be at 2:30pm BST
- Max Verstappen wins sprint; Hamilton 2nd; Leclerc 3rd
- McLaren cars crash on final lap of sprint
- CRASH! George Russell hits wall after taking early lead
- Heavy rain delays start of Singapore sprint race
Qualifying start time
12:17 , Kieran JacksonNow confirmed that qualifying will be at 2:30pm BST after the delay to the sprint.
Toto Wolff lashes out at Mercedes critics
13:42 , Kieran Jackson"I mean, literally, I don't know what's going on,” he said on Friday. “Do they think I have a button that says, 'George engine failure now', or disadvantaging one driver against the other when we are fighting for a Constructors' Championship, when we have always had the mindset of providing everybody equal material?
"But I guess this is maybe where social media goes today. People hide behind their screens and then they lash out.
"There's a lot of polarisation going on, and sometimes I read what people write. I find it hilarious. These people really contribute to my own entertainment when they are abusing the team or myself. I'm Satan, I've heard."
ICYMI - The Friday drama in Singapore
13:21 , Kieran JacksonAll in all, it has not been a confidence-building week for the FIA. And that’s despite the largely successful running of a one-off event in Malaysia, forming an adequately placed triple-header either side of Azerbaijan and Singapore.
First, we had the unprecedented software glitches that impacted the cars at the start of last Sunday’s wet race in Sepang. A software bug for a wet-weather engine map meant several cars struggled to move – at all - on formation laps before the start of the race. It gave the sport a farcical look. So much so, in fact, that it was over 90 minutes until the grand prix could resume at all, even when the track was definitely dry and safe to race on.
Then, on Friday at the Singapore Grand Prix, the final sprint weekend of the season started with controversy over “human error” – a familiar turn of phrase for football in its VAR era – and sporting fairness.
New FIA ‘human error’ makes another mockery of 2026 F1 rules in Singapore
George Russell after his crash in the sprint:
12:59 , Kieran Jackson"I just misjudged it, got more power than I was expecting from the battery, got a little wider than I expected and touched the white line.
“Rule number one in the wet is don't touch the white line. Very silly mistake."
Oscar Piastri after the crash:
12:43 , Kieran Jackson“I’ve not seen it properly. From where I sit, it’s for fourth and fifth in a sprint race, I’m not that bothered either way but a lot of work now for the team to get it fixed.”
Lando Norris after his crash:
12:28 , Kieran JacksonOn crash: “I’d rather just go back and review it.”
On going for the move: “It was.”
“I apologise to them [the team] because one of the cars is out. We’ll review.”
Hhhmmmm I’m not so sure...
Top-8 in sprint
12:11 , Kieran Jackson1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
5. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
6. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
7. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
8. Lando Norris (McLaren)
Charles Leclerc after finishing third:
11:55 , Kieran Jackson“Struggled a lot from mid-race onwards. When it dried up, I was nowhere, tricky at the end.
“We just didn’t have the pace at the end.”
Lewis Hamilton in second:
11:43 , Kieran Jackson“Had a mega start, that was awesome, love driving this track in the rain, as soon as the heavens opened, this was my day!
“Don’t think we could overtake in these conditions, started to push at the end, tough track to overtake.
“We showed we have a great car, get both cars up there in qualifying, we can be there hounding them, hopefully position the car in a better position.”
Qualifying delayed
11:33 , Kieran JacksonGiven how late the sprint race got going, qualifying will be delayed.
More news as we get it.
Max Verstappen after finishing first:
11:31 , Kieran Jackson“The start was horrendous again, we need to improve on. Not ideal, we got a bit of lucky with what happened with George and after that, just keep it calm and under control because you know you can’t pass around here.
“Happy to win here in the sprint but I want to win tomorrow, not today.”
“We need to have a good qualifying, it’ll be very close and hopefully a good battle.”
Norris on team radio
11:20 , Kieran Jackson“Sorry about that, obviously didn’t want that to happen, I thought I was alongside at the apex and ran out of space.”
Norris’ fault, for me. He went for the move down the inside of a right-hander... and they collided!
Max Verstappen wins Singapore sprint race
11:19 , Kieran JacksonA cruise to the line for Verstappen, who takes the eight points for a sprint victory.
Lewis Hamilton in second, with Charles Leclerc in third.
4-8: Antonelli, Lawson, Bearman, Hulkenberg Norris
Norris and Piastri touch (Lap 20/20)
11:16 , Kieran JacksonOh guys!
Piastri out! Norris drops down the order...
Leclerc on team radio (Lap 17/20)
11:10 , Kieran Jackson“The front tyres are destroyed.”
All the slick tyres are wearing thin now... but they’ll have to survive.
No window to pit now!
Verstappen comfortable (Lap 15/20)
11:07 , Kieran JacksonIt’s a tad processional right now... and actually I don’t think any of them will gamble for slicks, really.
Verstappen has a 4.6-second lead to Hamilton, who has 1.5-seconds over teammate Leclerc.
Closest ‘battle’ in the top-eight is Antonelli behind Norris in fifth but, around this tight street circuit, there’s no real chance to overtake.
Verstappen builds lead (Lap 10/20)
10:58 , Kieran JacksonVerstappen has a 1.3-second lead over Lewis Hamilton, who believes it’s not yet time for slicks.
Who’ll blink first?!
3-8: Leclerc, Piastri, Norris, Antonelli, Lawson, Bearman
George Russell after his retirement:
10:56 , Kieran Jackson“Miscalculation, came through the corner, had more battery deployment, went wider than I thought, hit the white line... a shame.”
Verstappen keeps lead (Lap 7/20)
10:54 , Kieran JacksonVerstappen, as ever, starts pretty smoothly and retains the lead at the start.
Terrific move from Ollie Bearman down the inside at turn 3 to take eighth - the final points position - from Pierre Gasly.
The rest? All away fine.
Top-8: Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc, Piastri, Norris, Antonelli, Lawson, Bearman
Russell out
10:52 , Kieran Jackson
Safety car coming in (Lap 6/20)
10:51 , Kieran JacksonOK here we go then.
Safety car heading in. The track is drying... when will some of them dive in for slick tyres, if at all?
Five cars already out: Colapinto, Hadjar, Russell, Perez, Stroll
Colapinto out (Lap 5/20)
10:46 , Kieran JacksonAnother one bites the dust.
Colapinto’s Alpine car has now stopped on track.
Red flag, perhaps?
Isack Hadjar out (Lap 3/20)
10:44 , Kieran JacksonIt’s all happening at the moment!
Hadjar has also taken a run-off area and he’s out of this sprint race now! Blimey...
Top-8 behind the safety car: Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc, Piastri, Norris, Antonelli, Lawson, Gasly
Russell crash
10:41 , Kieran JacksonReplays show he took the final corner all fine but then lost it as he took the kerb on the home straight.
A white line spin?
Meanwhile, Lance Stroll has also stopped out on the circuit - and he’s out of the sprint race too.
George Russell crashes
10:39 , Kieran JacksonRussell is OUT!
Oh my word. Russell has crashed on the home straight!
That’s a safety car.
George Russell leads (Lap 1/20)
10:37 , Kieran JacksonSuper start from Russell!
He charges off the line and seizes the lead from Max Verstappen!
And the rest of them are all through cleanly...
Start imminent
10:35 , Kieran JacksonSafety car is in.... this should be fun!
FIA STATEMENT
10:34 , Kieran Jackson“Standing start.”
Good stuff. We’re onto the second formation lap... how many more will we have?
Oscar Piastri in third:
10:32 , Kieran Jackson“The spray is very bad.”
It is... but it should dry very quickly!
Formation lap
10:30 , Kieran JacksonSo Max Verstappen leads the pack away for the formation lap - or two of them - behind the safety car.
Unsurprisingly, every car is on the intermediate tyre.
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies:
10:27 , Kieran Jackson“They know what to do, they don’t need instructions. You have the additional complication with the sprint race, different risk-taking, but they know what to do.”
START TIME: 10:30am BST
10:23 , Kieran JacksonWe have a start time, with the rain having stopped. We’ll be underway at 10:30am BST.
And it’ll be two formation laps behind the safety car...
FIA STATEMENT:
10:15 , Kieran Jackson“Next inspection lap at 17:15.”
That’s now. Fingers crossed...
Rain easing
10:08 , Kieran JacksonThe rain is now less heavy, but sections of the racetrack are still very wet.
Fascinatingly, sector two looks very, very dry.
Latest FIA statement: “Medical Car on track for further inspection. Area of concern is T2/T3 where there is a lot of standing water.”
FIA STATEMENT
10:02 , Kieran Jackson“Start delayed due to the rain, there is a large amount of standing water around turn 2 and 3.
“Next inspection planned at 17:05.”
A reminder of the starting grid:
09:59 , Kieran Jackson1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
11. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
13. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
15. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
16. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
17. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
19. Alex Albon (Williams)
20. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
21. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
22. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
Rain in Singapore
09:56 , Kieran JacksonRight then, we have a delay.
It is torrential rain right now in Marina Bay and, to be fair, they’ll need it to ease at least a little bit...
McLaren CEO Zak Brown:
09:56 , Kieran Jackson“I’m sure we’ll have a delay here and get everything programmed on the wet, we should have a good race.”
Racing Bulls Liam Lawson:
09:55 , Kieran Jackson“This is very wet... I’m gonna get ready.”
Haas' Ollie Bearman, starting P13:
09:52 , Kieran Jackson“I saw the radar with a big blob over it, turns out it’s correct!
“We got a taster last week and we didn’t get the chance properly.”
The rain is now coming down... very hard.
FIA STATEMENT:
09:50 , Kieran Jackson“Medical car is going on track now to assess conditions.”
Kimi Antonelli after qualifying only 7th:
09:49 , Kieran Jackson“FP1 I was struggling, still a lot to understand about this package, the car is very difficult and unpredictable... hard to put a lap together.
“I had high hopes - I think it'll be a difficult weekend but other than that, it'll be very tricky, don't see where we can find seven-tenths. Will try and improve the driving, let's see tomorrow where we'll end up.”
Lewis Hamilton, who'll start in sixth:
09:45 , Kieran Jackson“I dunno. It was looking good in Q1 and Q2, don't know where it went away. Did a different run to the others, my call. The car was very oversteery on that lap, very snappy, just not a good lap.
“Mediums were good - much different on the soft, lots of grip on the front, none on the rear. I had the pace in the first two sessions but didn't have the grip.”
A very downbeat Lewis after sprint qualifying. Will he fare better today?
Max Verstappen on sprint pole:
09:21 , Kieran Jackson“Once we bolted on the soft tyres, the car was coming alive a bit more I did not expect this - very happy to come first.
“The last two races we’ve been a lot stronger but this track highlights a few weaknesses in the car.
“It’s like a sauna and doing exercise in it, very hot, try and cool yourselves between rounds. It’s never comfortable but that’s what’s unique about this place - that’s why we love it as well.”
New FIA ‘human error’ makes another mockery of 2026 F1 rules in Singapore
09:11 , Kieran JacksonAll in all, it has not been a confidence-building week for the FIA. And that’s despite the largely successful running of a one-off event in Malaysia, forming an adequately placed triple-header either side of Azerbaijan and Singapore.
First, we had the unprecedented software glitches that impacted the cars at the start of last Sunday’s wet race in Sepang. A software bug for a wet-weather engine map meant several cars struggled to move – at all - on formation laps before the start of the race. It gave the sport a farcical look. So much so, in fact, that it was over 90 minutes until the grand prix could resume at all, even when the track was definitely dry and safe to race on.
Then, on Friday at the Singapore Grand Prix, the final sprint weekend of the season started with controversy over “human error” – a familiar turn of phrase for football in its VAR era – and sporting fairness.
Full piece below:
New FIA ‘human error’ makes another mockery of 2026 F1 rules in Singapore
Start times this weekend:
09:06 , Kieran JacksonTimes BST
Saturday 10 October
- Sprint race: 10am
- Qualifying: 2pm
Sunday 11 October
- Race: 1pm
George Russell on his penalty and future penalties
09:00 , Kieran Jackson"I knew I was going to have a penalty," Russell said. "The plan was always to go in Austin, and obviously Singapore is the second hardest track to overtake on on the calendars. So you would never choose to do it (here).
"But we have no engines because of all of the various failures, so there was no engine I could have reverted to from earlier in the season. With the failure I had to take it.
"We don't have the (upgrade) this weekend, and because there are seven races remaining, you can either choose to roll the dice and hope it lasts for seven races, but also suffer a performance offset (as the engine degrades), or just accept I'll be taking another penalty."
No penalty for the sprint this morning though...
What is the starting grid for the sprint?
08:51 , Kieran Jackson1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
11. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
13. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
15. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
16. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
17. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
19. Alex Albon (Williams)
20. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
21. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
22. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix
08:48 , Kieran JacksonFormula 1 returns to the Marina Bay Street Circuit this weekend for the Singapore Grand Prix - and the final sprint race of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli took another giant step towards his first world championship at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. His accomplished second-place finish came with the unfortunate late retirement of George Russell. The Italian’s lead over his Mercedes teammate is now 84 points with seven rounds remaining.
Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the season - and Red Bull’s first as a power-unit supplier - in Sepang while Lewis Hamilton fought back from a dreadful start to claim a memorable podium for Ferrari.
Singapore represents the final sprint weekend of the season, with Russell claiming three short-format victories this season. However, the Briton will start from the back of the grid for this Sunday’s grand prix after taking a new power unit.
The sprint race starts at 10am BST.
George Russell after qualifying second:
Friday 9 October 2026 15:23 , Kieran Jackson“We've been competitive all day, we knew Max was fast and went on a different strategy but pretty satisfied with the P2. Definitely confirm the old [setup] is not bad, let's see what happens with Kimi and the upgrades but it's all driven by the stopwatch - let's see!
On race: “It'll be very challenging, probably about maintaining P2.”
FIA update
Friday 9 October 2026 15:15 , Kieran Jackson“During the first period of Sprint Qualifying there was a human error in Race Control unrelated to the timing issue also encountered in SQ1. This issue in question meant Overtake Mode was not available after the red flag period during SQ1.
“When it became apparent that Overtake Mode was not active after the restart, it was then activated for a period of 27 seconds before being deactivated again. The FIA acknowledges that this unfortunate human error had an impact on the performance of certain cars based on the timing of their run and their position around the lap.
“The second and third periods of Sprint Qualifying were not affected.”
Not a great look.
What is the starting grid for the sprint?
Friday 9 October 2026 15:10 , Kieran Jackson1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
11. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
13. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
15. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
16. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
17. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
19. Alex Albon (Williams)
20. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
21. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
22. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
Top-10 in sprint qualifying
Friday 9 October 2026 14:46 , Kieran Jackson1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Max Verstappen on sprint pole
Friday 9 October 2026 14:38 , Kieran JacksonA stunner of a lap from Verstappen!
He goes fastest with a 1:31:156 - 0.120 secs clear of George Russell in second!
Kimi Antonelli down in seventh!
3-10: Leclerc, Piastri, Norris, Hamilton, Antonelli, Hadjar, Lawson, Gasly
Charles Leclerc on provisional pole
Friday 9 October 2026 14:33 , Kieran JacksonFive drivers have set times - and Leclerc is the best of them.
A 1:31:568 - 0.019 secs ahead of Norris.
3-5: Piastir, Russell, Antonelli
Mercedes short of pace!
2:00 to go in SQ3...
SQ3 underway
Friday 9 October 2026 14:29 , Kieran JacksonThis feels... very open. Eight minutes, all on softs.
10 drivers involved: Russell, Antonelli, Norris, Piastri, Hamilton, Leclerc, Verstappen, Hadjar, Gasly, Lawson
Nice little fact: every British driver has taken pole for a sprint this year. Will it be six out of six?
Out in SQ2
Friday 9 October 2026 14:25 , Kieran Jackson11. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
13. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
15. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
16. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
Fernando Alonso out
Friday 9 October 2026 14:24 , Kieran JacksonNo SQ3 for Alonso - he’s out of sprint qualifying.
George Russell was in the bottom-six prior to his final lap... but then he went fourth.
Bottom-six (11-16) and out in SQ2: Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Bortoleto, Alonso, Ocon
Top-3: Leclerc, Hamilton, Norris
Lewis Hamilton on team radio:
Friday 9 October 2026 14:19 , Kieran Jackson“A couple of big snaps in the last two corners.”
Hamilton in P2, nonetheless.
Isack Hadjar the biggest profile driver in trouble after the first laps... in P11. “Traction is so poor,” he says.
Current bottom-six (11-16): Hadjar, Bortoleto, Alonso, Colapinto, Ocon, Bearman
2:00 to go in SQ2...
SQ2 underway
Friday 9 October 2026 14:14 , Kieran JacksonThis time, we have just 10 minutes to discover who’ll be the top-10 for SQ3.
Should be two laps each...
Eliminated in SQ1:
Friday 9 October 2026 14:09 , Kieran JacksonWe have a final leaderboard for SQ1, then:
17. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
19. Alex Albon (Williams)
20. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
21. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
22. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
SQ2 will resume at 2:11pm BST
Friday 9 October 2026 14:06 , Kieran JacksonFix presumably sorted, we now have a start time of 2:11pm.
FIA STATEMENT
Friday 9 October 2026 14:02 , Kieran Jackson“Start of SQ2 will be delayed due to an issue with timing systems, some lap times had not been registered. That is now resolved and the current timings are considered correct.
“We are investigating whether we can proceed with the rest of the session.”
Sounds... extreme.
CORRECTION
Friday 9 October 2026 13:59 , Kieran JacksonNot often you see this.
An error with the timing screen means Gabriel Bortoleto actually made it through at the death, with Arvid Lindblad out in SQ1.
As a result of the error, the start of SQ2 will be delayed.
Out in SQ1
Friday 9 October 2026 13:56 , Kieran Jackson17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
18. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
19. Alex Albon (Williams)
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
21. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
22. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
Sainz and Albon out in SQ1
Friday 9 October 2026 13:55 , Kieran JacksonIt was late in the day for both Red Bulls - with just one lap - but they’re safely through, with Verstappen in P1.
Both Williams drivers are out in SQ1, however.
Out in SQ1 (17-22): Stroll, Bortoleto, Albon, Bottas, Sainz, Perez
SQ1 back underway
Friday 9 October 2026 13:46 , Kieran JacksonThey storm out of the pit-lane.
How many laps will the majority get in?
SQ1 set to resume
Friday 9 October 2026 13:43 , Kieran JacksonCars burst out into the pit-lane for sprint qualifying, with it resuming in 3 minutes.
George Russell lit up his tyres as he spun out of the garage!
RED FLAG
Friday 9 October 2026 13:38 , Kieran JacksonLo and behold, with 6:09 left in SQ1, the race director has thrown the red flag.
Most drivers have not even set a timed lap...
Sergio Perez in wall
Friday 9 October 2026 13:37 , Kieran JacksonOh dear.
Perez has looked to drive back to the pits after hitting the wall - and his front wing has smashed, leaving a lot of debris on the circuit.
Come on Sergio - you should know better than that...
SQ1 underway
Friday 9 October 2026 13:32 , Kieran JacksonHere we go then with the final sprint qualifying of the season!
Twelve minutes, all 22 cars on mandatory medium tyres.
It’ll be quickfire...
Sprint qualifying in Singapore
Friday 9 October 2026 13:28 , Kieran JacksonFeels like an open book this!
George Russell quickest in FP1 - in an older car - and we’re not too sure about Kimi Antonelli’s car at this point.
It may well present an opportunity for McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull to make some ground at the top.
Sprint qualifying coming up in a few minutes!
How many points are on offer in the sprint race?
Friday 9 October 2026 13:25 , Kieran JacksonP1 - Eight points
P2 - Seven points
P3 - Six points
P4 - Five points
P5 - four points
P6 - three points
P7 - two points
P8 - one point
Work at Mercedes
Friday 9 October 2026 13:23 , Kieran JacksonInteresting.
Mercedes’ upgraded car for Kimi Antonelli is on its hinges - and his front wing is being frantically changed before sprint qualifying.
A reminder: George Russell is using an older car, the model he won with in Baku, in contrast to his teammate.
Reminder of FP1 leaderboard:
Friday 9 October 2026 13:20 , Kieran Jackson1 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m32.274s
2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.198s
3 Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.273s
4 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.499s
5 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.564s
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.732s
7 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +1.251s
8 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +1.449s
9 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.764s
10 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1.881s
F1 cars receive software update to prevent rain chaos in Singapore
Friday 9 October 2026 13:16 , Kieran JacksonFormula One cars will receive a software update in a bid prevent a re-run of the shambolic scenes in Malaysia which saw drivers effectively unable to power their vehicles in the wet conditions.
“The review concluded that some cars running on low engine RPM in certain circuit sectors where a 250kW power reduction was applied experienced a loss of power beyond the original intent and that could not be recovered in those sectors,” an FIA statement read ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
“As a result, the configuration established for the Sepang event will be reinstated for the Singapore Grand Prix should similar weather conditions be expected. Additionally, a further update to the wet weather software will be released for the United States Grand Prix on October 25.”
The Singapore haze
Friday 9 October 2026 13:10 , Kieran JacksonWe saw plenty of fog during FP1 earlier - what will it be like under the lights?
Wildfires in neighbouring Indonesia, across regions such as Sumatra and Kalimantan, have resulted in a distinctive haze across Singapore in recent days, with skyscrapers shrouded in murky fog amid a “super El Niño” in the region.
On Tuesday, Singapore’s National Environment Agency declared the air quality levels “unhealthy.”
Rwanda on course to host F1 race as historic grand prix deal for Africa looms
Friday 9 October 2026 13:03 , Kieran JacksonRwanda looks set to pip South Africa to the post as Formula 1 nears a permanent return to Africa.
F1 has not raced in Africa – the only habitable continent not currently on the calendar – since the 1993 South African Grand Prix, at the Kyalami Circuit outside Johannesburg.
Kyalami and Cape Town have expressed an interest in returning to the schedule, but Rwanda looks to have beaten them to the punch, with plans in motion to build a permanent facility 40 kilometres outside the capital of Kigali.
The Independent understands that conversations between Rwanda and F1 stakeholders are ongoing and an announcement is expected soon. Various reports suggest a race in Rwanda would not come before 2030.
Full details below:
Rwanda on course to host F1 race as historic grand prix deal for Africa looms
Toto Wolff on Russell's penalty:
Friday 9 October 2026 12:55 , Kieran Jackson"[Russell's penalty] is particularly frustrating given the way he drove last weekend and the result he deserved to be fighting for," said Wolff.
"Unfortunately, these things are part of the sport and our focus now is on giving him the best possible car and opportunities to fight back through the field."
Constructor standings ahead of Singapore GP
Friday 9 October 2026 12:46 , Kieran Jackson1. Mercedes - 556 points
2. Ferrari - 405 points
3. McLaren - 316 points
4. Red Bull - 298 points
5. Racing Bulls - 90 points
6. Alpine - 68 points
7. Haas - 27 points
8. Audi - 17 points
9. Williams - 12 points
10. Aston Martin - 7 points
11. Cadillac - 0 points
Lewis Hamilton on Malaysia F1 chaos: ‘Wet weather races aren’t what they used to be’
Friday 9 October 2026 12:34 , Kieran Jackson“Wet-weather races aren’t the same as we used to have, for sure,” Hamilton said in Singapore ahead of this weekend’s race.
“I’ve had great races, in 2008 in the rain, and ultimately back then we had more testing and we did have better tyres for the rain. I love wet racing more than anything else.
“I do think the guys running the show are far more cautious but then again the young drivers coming in are more and more cautious.”
Hamilton’s full quotes below:
Lewis Hamilton on Malaysia F1 chaos: ‘Wet weather races aren’t what they used to be’
Christian Horner’s astonishing Red Bull payout confirmed in new documents
Friday 9 October 2026 12:26 , Kieran JacksonChristian Horner was given an astonishing £67m payout after being sacked by Red Bull last summer, official documents confirmed.
The release of Red Bull Technology Limited’s 2025 financial report reveals that Horner, who was dismissed after 20 years at the helm, was given the figure as “compensation for loss of office.”
In addition, the remuneration was listed as £9.029m with “company contributions to money purchase pension schemes” at £10,000. In total, this amounts to upwards of £76m ($101m).
Full story below:
Christian Horner’s astonishing Red Bull F1 payout confirmed in new documents
Top-10 Driver standings ahead of Singapore GP
Friday 9 October 2026 12:18 , Kieran JacksonKimi Antonelli has an 84-point lead over George Russell.
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 320 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 236 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 214 points
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 191 points
5. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 188 points
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 188 points
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 128 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 96 points
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 65 points
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 41 points
George Russell on his penalty and future penalties
Friday 9 October 2026 12:09 , Kieran Jackson"I knew I was going to have a penalty," Russell said. "The plan was always to go in Austin, and obviously Singapore is the second hardest track to overtake on on the calendars. So you would never choose to do it (here).
"But we have no engines because of all of the various failures, so there was no engine I could have reverted to from earlier in the season. With the failure I had to take it.
"We don't have the (upgrade) this weekend, and because there are seven races remaining, you can either choose to roll the dice and hope it lasts for seven races, but also suffer a performance offset (as the engine degrades), or just accept I'll be taking another penalty."
FP1 results
Friday 9 October 2026 12:00 , Kieran JacksonGeorge Russell - whose penalty will only hit for the race on Sunday - was fastest by nearly two-tenths in FP1 earlier.
1 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m32.274s
2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.198s
3 Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.273s
4 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.499s
5 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.564s
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.732s
7 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +1.251s
8 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +1.449s
9 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.764s
10 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1.881s
What are the times this weekend?
Friday 9 October 2026 11:55 , Kieran JacksonTimes BST
Friday 9 October
- Sprint qualifying: 1:30pm
Saturday 10 October
- Sprint race: 10am
- Qualifying: 2pm
Sunday 11 October
- Race: 1pm
Singapore Grand Prix
Friday 9 October 2026 11:52 , Kieran JacksonFormula 1 returns to the Marina Bay Street Circuit this weekend for the Singapore Grand Prix - and the final sprint race of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli took another giant step towards his first world championship at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. His accomplished second-place finish came with the unfortunate late retirement of George Russell. The Italian’s lead over his Mercedes teammate is now 84 points with seven rounds remaining.
Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the season - and Red Bull’s first as a power-unit supplier - in Sepang while Lewis Hamilton fought back from a dreadful start to claim a memorable podium for Ferrari.
Singapore represents the final sprint weekend of the season, with Russell claiming three short-format victories this season. However, the Briton will start from the back of the grid for this Sunday’s grand prix after taking a new power unit.
