F1 Singapore Sprint: Russell, Norris, Fellow Drivers React To An Eventful Race

Now, that's what you call a proper Sprint Race.

Max Verstappen survived the chaos and won an eventful first Formula 1 Sprint Race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. 

With only 13 drivers taking the checkered flag, the first Sprint Race in Singapore gave us a whole lot to talk about. Verstappen, George Russell, Lando Norris, and their fellow drivers chimed in with their thoughts on Saturday's race.

Verstappen started from pole, but he didn't get the jump that he needed into Turn 1. Instead, he found himself getting overtaken by Mercedes' George Russell. The latter led through the opening lap, but crashed into the barriers on Lap 2, giving up the lead back to Verstappen.

From then on, Verstappen controlled the pace, taking advantage of clean air. The Dutchman has now won two races in a row, including the Grand Prix win in Sepang.

Still, Verstappen admits that he can't make the same bad start in Sunday's race.

Verstappen: "The start was horrendous again, so that's definitely something that we need to improve on, because if you have something like that tomorrow, that's your race over if nothing crazy happens." 

After getting off to an excellent start to take the lead into Turn 1, Russell "misjudged" the final corner of the track when he attacked the corner with more speed than he wanted to. As soon as his wheels touched the white line of the kerbs, Russell's car spun and crashed into the opposite barrier.

It was a disappointing afternoon for Russell, as he lost more ground in his championship battle with teammate Kimi Antonelli.

Russell: "I misjudged it, to be honest. I came round the corner, on the throttle, and got more power than I was expecting from the battery."

Lewis Hamilton had a tremendous start in the Sprint Race, storming from P6 to P3 in the opening lap. The Russell crash bumped him up to P2, and it was all about tyre management for the rest of the afternoon.

Hamilton failed to close the gap to Verstappen in front, but his "mega start" had us on the edge of our seats.

Hamilton: "I had a mega start, which is awesome. I love driving this track in the rain and those conditions. As soon as the heavens opened, I was like, 'This is a great day.'"

Norris and Piastri followed each other throughout the race, and it was only a matter of time before they fully got their elbows out. On the final lap, Norris made a move to the inside of Piastri in Turn 5, but the cars collided, sending them spinning and turning the wrong way.

Piastri retired due to his rear-end damage, while Norris tumbled down the order and finished P8. It was nothing short of a frustrating afternoon for the two McLaren drivers.

Norris: "I went for it, but the gap closed a bit more than I would have liked. Obviously, I've had to back out of it because the gap was closing. I've had to try and avoid the incident, and obviously there still was one."

Piastri: "I need to look at it. I didn't see him at the apex. I looked behind into the corner and saw he was a reasonable way behind for a corner like that. But I'll have a look and the team can do what it needs to do."

At this point, it's almost like we have to feel some kind of pity for George Russell. Still, it was the driver's error this time around, and Russell will be seeing his championship hopes truly go down the drain.

As for Verstappen, this might be his best chance to finally get a Grand Prix win in Singapore. The RB26 is steadily improving, and he's still the exceptional driver that he always has been. If he could also secure pole in the main qualifying session, chances are Verstappen will also win in tomorrow's race.