Singapore hosts its first Formula 1 Sprint

When the Sprint format was introduced in 2021, it was assigned to Silverstone, Monza and Interlagos, circuits considered especially well suited to racing. The addition of a 100km Saturday event was intended as a prelude to the main Sunday Grand Prix. The format now arrives in Singapore for the first time, at the Marina Bay street circuit, home to the sport’s original night race.

The choice sits uneasily with the Sprint’s original purpose. Singapore has no notable long straight, and overtaking opportunities are severely limited. Qualifying is therefore crucial at Marina Bay, where close walls and a tight layout also make Saturday sessions particularly spectacular. Drivers will need to find their rhythm quickly: building confidence on a street circuit takes time, but this weekend they will have to compress that process.

The schedule raises the stakes. Sprint Qualifying is set for Friday, followed by Grand Prix Qualifying on Saturday: two decisive sessions, and two chances to damage a weekend. Teams will have only one hour of practice, rather than the usual three, to work on their car set-ups. Practice takes place at 4.30pm local time, ahead of Sprint Qualifying at 8.30pm under the floodlights and in cooler conditions. Teams will have to account for the changing conditions. Once parc-ferme rules take effect, they will not be able to touch the cars again before Saturday’s Sprint, which takes place in the late afternoon.

This is the sixth and final Sprint of the year, concluding the first flyaway triple-header of the 2026 season. George Russell could also be in contention: he won at Marina Bay last year with Mercedes, but an excessive-engine-use penalty will send him to the back of the Grand Prix grid. That penalty does not apply to the Sprint, where Russell will hope to feature near the front.

Max Verstappen is also expected to be a contender for Red Bull. He has yet to win at Marina Bay, although he finished second in each of the last two seasons. McLaren and Lando Norris enter the picture after dominant victories at the high-downforce circuits of Hungary and Zandvoort, despite a difficult start to the Azerbaijan-Malaysia-Singapore triple-header.

The Sprint format will expand to 10 events next season, with Monaco set to host one in 2027. That choice may seem counterintuitive on a circuit where overtaking is even harder than in Singapore. The added qualifying challenge and the prospect of greater unpredictability are among the factors behind the decision. Drivers, most of whom have supported bringing the Sprint to Monaco, will have the Singapore experience to assess as it unfolds.