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Formula One news from Autosport, RaceFans, and BBC Sport.
Max Verstappen won the rain-hit Singapore Grand Prix sprint after George Russell spun out of the lead on lap one. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed the podium, while a final-lap collision ended Oscar Piastri’s race and dropped Lando Norris to eighth.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says he mishandled the 2016 race that decided the title between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. He also described his efforts to keep the team balanced between drivers, recalling advice from Alain Prost about the team politics between Prost and Ayrton Senna.
Five years ago, Valtteri Bottas earned his 10th Grand Prix win in a wet Turkish Grand Prix, while Max Verstappen moved back ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the championship. Hamilton finished fifth after a power unit penalty, and Esteban Ocon took the final point without stopping.
Max Verstappen will start first in Saturday’s sprint as Formula 1’s 17th round of 2026 runs at Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit from Oct. 9 to 11. The weekend is the season’s final sprint event and has been declared a heat hazard, with rain also in the forecast.
Max Verstappen will start Saturday’s Singapore Grand Prix sprint from pole after stewards found he breached yellow-flag rules by passing Lewis Hamilton but imposed no penalty. Separately, a race control error that disabled Overtake Mode after an SQ1 red flag left teams frustrated, with Aston Martin considering its options over the qualifying result.
Carlos Sainz said an FIA software error left some drivers with less power during Singapore Grand Prix sprint qualifying. He finished last after brake and tyre problems, and questioned the FIA’s response to the incident.
The FIA said a Race Control error temporarily left Overtake Mode unavailable after a red flag in Singapore sprint qualifying, affecting the performance of some cars. It said the incident was separate from a timing system fault that delayed the start of SQ2, and that the second and third qualifying periods were unaffected.
Max Verstappen secured provisional pole for the Singapore Grand Prix sprint race, ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc. Stewards will investigate whether Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton under yellow flags after Sergio Perez crashed in SQ1.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff rejected claims that the team is favouring Kimi Antonelli over George Russell, calling them “completely nonsensical.” The drivers are using different car specifications at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix as Mercedes assesses an upgrade introduced in Malaysia.
Drivers disagree over whether Formula 1’s cooling vests are useful, comfortable or necessary as Singapore hosts the series’ fourth heat hazard event of 2026. Some praise the equipment’s benefits, while others cite reliability problems, discomfort and limited cooling time.
George Russell topped the only practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix sprint weekend, setting the fastest time on soft tyres. Max Verstappen was quickest on mediums, half a second ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Carlos Sainz says Williams’ poor 2026 season stems from its car concept and aerodynamics, not James Vowles’ criticism of Formula 1’s cost cap. The team has scored 12 points, compared with 86 at the same stage last year, despite an upgrade package introduced in Baku.
Katie Smith is joined by Sean Farrington, presenter of Wake Up to Money.
Ticket prices for major UK sporting events have climbed sharply, while fans need more subscriptions to watch live sport. Organisers and industry figures cite rising event costs, demand for premium experiences and competition for broadcast rights, as fans warn that the increases are pricing them out.
Software bugs, George Russell’s penalty and a sprint weekend are dominating the build-up in Singapore.
George Russell said his own performance has contributed to fading championship hopes after his latest retirement in Sepang. He also expects another engine penalty before the season ends.
George Russell says he will need a further new engine, and another grid penalty, after starting the Singapore Grand Prix from the back because of an engine change. Mercedes is also splitting its car specifications in Singapore as it investigates the performance of a recent aerodynamic upgrade.
Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto said extreme heat is reducing Audi’s engine power, making Singapore a likely challenge. They also said the team has confirmed its Baku upgrade is working as expected and expressed confidence in future power unit improvements.
McLaren has changed auxiliary components on Lando Norris's Mercedes power unit ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, aiming to resolve a fuel injection problem that hurt straight-line speed. Norris said the issue affected his recent qualifying results, though he will need to test the changes on track.
Esteban Ocon says he wants to remain in Formula 1 and is not considering another racing series for 2027. If he cannot secure a race seat, he would consider a test-driver role similar to the one he held at Mercedes in 2019.
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