Verstappen wins Singapore Sprint and takes pole as Hadjar fails to set a time

On Saturday, Max Verstappen won the rain-hit Singapore Sprint and then took pole for the Grand Prix. His Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar had a very different day, failing to set a qualifying time after further technical trouble.

George Russell passed Verstappen at the start of the Sprint but crashed on the opening lap. Verstappen regained the lead and faced little pressure thereafter, recording his first victory of any kind in Singapore. He then set the fastest qualifying time, 1:31.373, 0.054 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc; Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies noted it was Verstappen’s 50th career pole.

Verstappen described the weekend as positive so far. “The car has been in a good window from the start,” he said, adding that Red Bull had been building momentum over recent races. He was pleased to be competitive at a circuit where the team had struggled before, and said a clean start was the most important remaining task before the Grand Prix.

Hadjar said an engine problem left him without power at the Sprint start, and that the team retired the car with qualifying in mind. After repairs, he stopped on track in Q1, got going again, returned to the pits and went back out, but still set no time. He said he could not get through the gears. Mekies said the gearbox problem was still under investigation and apologised for Hadjar’s limited running; he said Hadjar would start from the back.

At McLaren, the collision came on the Sprint’s final lap: Norris went for an overtake, and the two cars collided. Piastri spun into the wall and retired; Norris recovered to hold the final point. Stella called it unacceptable for two McLarens to come together and said the team had reminded both drivers that its interests must come first. Norris said he had apologised to the team; Piastri said they had reviewed the incident and moved on together. Both cars were repaired for qualifying: Norris was fifth and Piastri seventh. With Russell’s grid penalty applied, the team-mates were due to start alongside each other.