Samwise F1 Newsletter
Saturday, October 10, 2026
Verstappen Takes Singapore Sprint Pole Ahead of Russell and Leclerc
Max Verstappen took pole position for the Singapore Sprint with a lap of 1m 31.156s on soft tyres at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, following his first victory of the 2026 season. Mercedes’ George Russell qualified second, 0.120s behind, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took fourth and fifth, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in sixth and championship leader Kimi Antonelli in seventh. Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly completed the top 10. “I did not expect this,” Verstappen said. RACER noted it is his first pole in any qualifying format in Singapore. The 21-lap Sprint was scheduled for 1700 local time on Saturday.
Sources: Formula1.com, RACER
Verstappen Escapes Penalty for Yellow-Flag Pass on Hamilton
FIA stewards ruled that Max Verstappen breached the yellow-flag regulation by overtaking Lewis Hamilton in the first segment of Singapore sprint qualifying, but imposed no penalty, so the Red Bull driver keeps Sprint pole. The pass came before Turn 8 after Sergio Perez damaged his front wing and left debris on the circuit. Telemetry confirmed Verstappen lifted fully off the throttle within approximately 40 metres of entering the yellow-flag sector, while Hamilton had slowed to less than 60km/h. Stewards called the overtake “an unfortunate consequence of the significant closing speed differential.” Hamilton had radioed: “Max overtook me under yellow flag.” Verstappen then abandoned his push lap.
FIA Confirms 40-Place Grid Penalty for Russell in Singapore
The FIA confirmed George Russell will serve a 40-place grid penalty at the Singapore Grand Prix after Mercedes fitted his fifth internal combustion engine, fifth turbocharger, fifth exhaust set and fourth MGU-K of the season. Each additional element carries a 10-place penalty, and drivers who accumulate a grid drop of more than 15 places must start at the back. The change follows Russell’s second mechanical retirement of 2026 last weekend in Malaysia, which left him 84 points behind teammate Kimi Antonelli with seven races remaining. Russell said he expects another engine penalty before the season ends: “That’s just how the cookie crumbles.”
FIA Admits Human Error Left Some Cars Without Overtake Mode
The FIA admitted a “human error” in Race Control left some cars without Overtake Mode during the first segment of Singapore sprint qualifying. The governing body said the mode was not available after the red-flag period, was then activated for 27 seconds and deactivated again, affecting “certain cars based on the timing of their run and their position around the lap.” Overtake Mode, introduced for 2026, lets drivers deploy additional energy over a lap. PlanetF1 telemetry showed Carlos Sainz lost a full second in a single corner, while Lance Stroll surrendered nearly 20km/h on the longest straight. Sainz qualified 22nd and last. The FIA said SQ2 and SQ3 were unaffected.
Sources: PlanetF1, PlanetF1 Data
Russell’s Old-Spec Mercedes Outpaces Antonelli’s Upgraded Car
Mercedes ran split specifications in Singapore, and the older car came out ahead. George Russell, using the W17 specification that delivered pole and victory in Baku, topped the only practice session and qualified second for the Sprint. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, running the upgrade introduced at Sepang, was seventh in both sessions and 0.573s behind his teammate in sprint qualifying. “I can definitely confirm the old one is not bad,” Russell said, adding that “the stopwatch has not been great for the upgrade yet.” Antonelli called the car “very difficult, very unpredictable.” RACER reported Mercedes rolled Antonelli back to a previous-spec front wing after sprint qualifying.
Sources: GRANDPRIX247, RACER
Wolff Calls Claims of Mercedes Favouring Antonelli “Brainless”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff dismissed claims that the team favours Kimi Antonelli over George Russell, calling those making them “brainless” during Friday’s FIA press conference in Singapore. The question followed Russell’s engine failure at Sepang, with Antonelli holding an 84-point lead over him. “Do they think I have a button that says, ‘George engine failure now’?” Wolff asked, noting Mercedes is fighting for the Constructors’ Championship. He said Russell would get the same opportunities even though it is “more realistic for Kimi to win a championship in sheer mathematical probability,” calling equal treatment “the ethos and the integrity” on which the team has operated since 2013.
Sources: GRANDPRIX247
Leclerc Admits Ferrari Pace Deficit as Hamilton Blames Own Run Plan
Charles Leclerc qualified third for the Singapore Sprint but admitted Ferrari lacks the pace to fight the leaders. “I think the real pace the last three or four races, we’ve lost a little bit of our performance,” he said. Leclerc had topped SQ2 on medium tyres before setting a 1:31.399 on softs. Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth after opting for a single flying lap in SQ3, a call he took responsibility for: “It was my choice and think I got that wrong.” He described the car as “very snappy, very oversteery” on that lap. Team principal Fred Vasseur said both cars were better on mediums than softs.
Sources: GRANDPRIX247
Perez Crash Brings Out Red Flag in Singapore Sprint Qualifying
Cadillac’s Sergio Perez crashed at Turn 5 around halfway through the first segment of Singapore sprint qualifying, breaking his front wing. He limped back to the pit lane, but the wing caught under his car and littered debris on the track, forcing a red flag for cleaning. Stewards noted Perez for driving in an unsafe condition but decided against penalising him. He was eliminated in SQ1 along with Cadillac teammate Valtteri Bottas, while Williams’ Carlos Sainz, who complained of front locking, qualified 22nd and last. RACER reported it was the first time in any qualifying format that Williams had not placed at least one driver in the top 18.
Racing Bulls to Decide 2027 Lineup in Coming Weeks as Lawson Waits
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane said a decision on the team’s 2027 driver lineup will come “in the coming weeks,” leaving Liam Lawson’s future unresolved. Lawson’s current contract runs until the end of the 2026 season. Permane said the team has “two fantastic drivers” and “a fantastic driver in F2,” Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov, who sits second in the Formula 2 standings. “But three doesn’t fit into two, of course,” Permane said. He named speed and pace as the top criteria, adding: “It’s not just about the here and now. It’s also about what they can do in the future.”
Sources: GRANDPRIX247
Russell Tops the Only Practice Session in Singapore
George Russell set the pace in the only practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, lapping in 1m32.274s. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was 0.198s back in second, with McLaren’s Lando Norris third, Lewis Hamilton fourth and Oscar Piastri fifth. Max Verstappen finished sixth after Red Bull had no radio contact with him during his first run; Laurent Mekies said that was why Verstappen was out of the car while the team tried to fix it. Nico Hulkenberg parked his Audi just outside the pit lane after reporting a gearbox issue, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. Marina Bay is hosting the sprint format for the first time.
Sources: The Race, GRANDPRIX247
Round 16 of 23 — After the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
Drivers’ Championship
| Pos | Driver | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | K. Antonelli | 320 |
| 2 | G. Russell | 236 |
| 3 | L. Hamilton | 214 |
| 4 | C. Leclerc | 191 |
| 5 | L. Norris | 188 |
| 6 | M. Verstappen | 188 |
| 7 | O. Piastri | 128 |
| 8 | I. Hadjar | 96 |
| 9 | L. Lawson | 65 |
| 10 | P. Gasly | 41 |
| 11 | A. Lindblad | 38 |
| 12 | F. Colapinto | 27 |
| 13 | O. Bearman | 20 |
| 14 | G. Bortoleto | 10 |
| 15 | N. Hulkenberg | 7 |
| 16 | E. Ocon | 7 |
| 17 | F. Alonso | 7 |
| 18 | C. Sainz | 7 |
| 19 | A. Albon | 5 |
| 20 | Y. Tsunoda | 1 |
| 21 | L. Stroll | 0 |
| 22 | V. Bottas | 0 |
| 23 | S. Perez | 0 |
Constructors’ Championship
| Pos | Constructor | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 556 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 405 |
| 3 | McLaren | 316 |
| 4 | Red Bull Racing | 298 |
| 5 | Racing Bulls | 90 |
| 6 | Alpine | 68 |
| 7 | Haas F1 Team | 27 |
| 8 | Audi | 17 |
| 9 | Williams | 12 |
| 10 | Aston Martin | 7 |
| 11 | Cadillac | 0 |
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