Lawson defends Singapore sprint despite overtaking challenge

Liam Lawson has defended the decision to hold a Formula 1 sprint in Singapore, saying he enjoys the format on street circuits even though the 2026 cars make overtaking difficult there.

“I quite like them, to be honest,” Lawson said when asked about Singapore as a sprint during the Grand Prix weekend. He said street circuits are especially enjoyable in qualifying, while overtaking in a race has always been hard.

Lawson said there had been plenty of overtaking earlier in 2026. At Singapore, he pointed to little difference in straight-line performance: the cars travel at much the same speed down the straights, making it, in his words, “very, very hard to race.”

Singapore was the first traditional street circuit to host a sprint. The previous street-circuit sprint was at Baku in 2023, where a long main straight offered plenty of overtaking opportunities. Monaco is due to host a sprint for the first time in 2027.