Max Verstappen may have won his first F1 Singapore Grand Prix sprint, but the lack of overtaking left the Red Bull driver questioning whether the Marina Bay Street Circuit is suited to the format. Lewis Hamilton echoed his concerns, calling for track changes to improve racing after a rain-hit contest featuring nine retirements.The 20-lap sprint on Saturday was delayed by rain, with six laps run behind the safety car. While multiple crashes provided drama, overtaking opportunities remained limited, prompting both drivers to call for changes to the circuit.
Verstappen, Hamilton call for track changes
Verstappen, who started from pole position, secured his first victory at the Singapore circuit but said the layout offered little opportunity for wheel-to-wheel racing.“I think we shouldn’t host a sprint where you can’t pass,” Verstappen told reporters.“I’m fine, I just do my thing… but it’s not what I like. The overtake mode, it barely does anything here. You don’t really gain a lot on the straights … we need to have a longer straight or like more of a proper hairpin to overtake,” he added.Hamilton also backed the idea of modifying the circuit, arguing that it was better suited to qualifying than close racing.“It’s a great track to drive over a single lap and qualifying, but … there’s like one place, really, that you could potentially get close to overtaking,” the Mercedes driver said.
Crashes, safety cars define Singapore sprint
The rain-hit race produced plenty of incidents, with George Russell crashing into the wall on the final corner of the opening lap while leading. The final lap brought further drama when the two McLaren cars collided while battling for the last podium position. In total, a record nine cars retired from the inaugural Marina Bay sprint.Hamilton admitted the wet conditions made the race more entertaining than it might otherwise have been.“I thought it was fun, but if it was dry, that would have been probably the most boring race for you to have watched. It was the rain, that made it exciting,” he said.
Leclerc opposes sprint races on street circuits
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished third, questioned the decision to stage sprint races on street circuits altogether.“I don’t think it makes sense to have any sprint races on city tracks in general,” Leclerc said, adding that neither Singapore nor Monaco necessarily benefited from the format.Singapore is not included on the 10-event sprint calendar for next season, although Monaco is scheduled to host one. The debate over street circuits and sprint racing is likely to continue as F1 looks to balance entertainment with opportunities for genuine on-track competition.