George Russell’s Formula One title challenge continued to fall apart as he crashed out of the sprint race in Singapore.
For the second time in as many races, Russell hopped out of his stricken Mercedes and thumped it in frustration as his chances of reeling in runaway championship leader Kimi Antonelli have all-but ended.
Last weekend in Malaysia it was the misfortune of a late power-unit failure but here on Singapore’s streets the 28-year-old was caught out by slippery conditions following a pre-sprint rainstorm, dipping a wheel onto the white lines on the exit of the final turn.
From the lead of the race at the end of lap one, his Mercedes careered into the barriers, spun round and drifted back across the track as his rivals drove past.
Russell had started the sprint superbly, blasting past pole-sitter and eventual winner Max Verstappen off the line to seize the lead, but his race soon came to a shuddering halt.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Russell said over the team radio. He later told Sky Sports that it was a “silly mistake” with “big consequences”.
It appears it never rains but pours for Russell, who will start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid due to an engine change.
Lewis Hamilton made up three places off the line and came home to take second.
Antonelli was way off the pace in his upgraded Mercedes but the Gods continue to smile on the Italian, who was promoted two places to fourth as McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collided on the final lap – knocking Piastri out and Norris down to eighth.
Antonelli therefore extended his championship lead to 88 points with only 175 points left to fight for.
Formula One’s ability to race in the rain was again in the spotlight.
Six days on from the shambolic scenes in Malaysia – where drivers were left effectively unable to power their cars on the formation lap in the wet due to a “software bug” which led to a 53-minute delay, by which time the track had significantly dried – the start of the sprint was halted by the weather.
As the F1 circus assembled on the grid, a torrential downpour broke out causing pandemonium among the teams.
Hamilton spoke on Thursday of the caution of younger Formula One drivers when it comes to wet-weather racing – something Norris disputed as he likened the effect of the spray to “going down the motorway at 200 miles per hour and shutting your eyes”.
Again, race officials waited for the surface to partially dry before the race could begin, with marshals brushing water away in the opening turns – but remarkably large chunks of the street circuit appeared to have escaped the rain altogether.
After a 30-minute delay and two formation laps behind the safety car, the sprint began.
Hamilton again showed his prowess in wet conditions as he soared off the line to move from sixth on the grid up to third.
Verstappen tucked in behind Russell and was soon gifted the race lead, which he never looked like relinquishing as he pulled away from Hamilton.
Talk of a switch to slick tyres on the drying surface never materialised, with Hamilton’s Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc taking third.
It has been a difficult season for four-time world champion Verstappen, who remains 128 points adrift of Antonelli’s title lead, amid Red Bull’s struggles and a bitter dissatisfaction with the sport’s 2026 regulations.
But Red Bull have made a significant step forward with recent upgrades and Verstappen backed up a sparkling sprint pole with a solid victory in Saturday’s dash.
He will be favourite to repeat that success on Sunday.
The sprint was held in daylight, whereas Sunday’s main event will take place under lights around Singapore’s streets.
