Russell crashes on lap two of wet Singapore sprint, safety car deployed

Mercedes driver George Russell seized the lead at the start of the wet Singapore Grand Prix sprint by passing polesitter Max Verstappen on the inside into Turn 1. On the following lap, Russell lost control at the final corner, collided with the pit wall on the inside and came to a stop on the outside of the start-finish straight, triggering a safety-car deployment.

"Verstappen led the field during the neutralisation ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who had an excellent start from sixth, and Charles Leclerc," the race report noted.

The incident also saw Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez collide at Turn 4, eliminating both. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar retired with a suspected power-unit problem, while Alpine’s Franco Colapinto also exited the race. Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad spun and fell to 17th, the last of the remaining competitors.