This weekend, Formula 1 is back in Singapore for the last sprint race of the season.
George Russell is starting at the back of the grid on Sunday because he had to take a fifth power unit after engine failure in Malaysia. The penalty only applies to the Grand Prix, so Saturday’s sprint isn’t affected — he starts that one wherever he qualifies. He is currently 84 points behind Antonelli with 7 rounds left. This was the weekend he needed.
As for Antonelli, he can’t win the championship here. The earliest he can clinch the title is in Austin on October 25th. Hamilton holds third in the championship on 214 points and Leclerc is fourth on 191. Norris and Verstappen are tied on 188, with Norris fifth on countback and Verstappen sixth.
Here is the schedule, in Singapore time. Friday: one hour of practice at 4:30pm, then sprint qualifying at 8:30pm. Saturday: the sprint at 3:00pm, then qualifying at 7:00pm. Sunday: the Grand Prix at 8:00pm.
This weekend is a Sprint weekend, so drivers only get one hour of practice before they’re thrown into qualifying for the sprint race. After that the car goes into parc fermé. The elements of the car are locked and can’t be changed for sprint qualifying or for the sprint race, but with the new 2026 rules, the lock lifts again after the sprint and teams are allowed to change the car before qualifying. One window, and then it closes for good.
The weather in Singapore this weekend will be anywhere from 82 to 91°F. It will be dry Friday and Saturday, but thunderstorms on Sunday. If the heat index passes 88°F, the race director will declare a heat hazard. That means the minimum weight of the car goes up five kilograms so teams can fit a driver cooling system, and any driver who decides not to wear the vest carries half a kilo of ballast instead.
And if it really does rain on Sunday, the cars shouldn’t shut down this time. The wet energy settings are the ones that stopped the cars at Sepang, but the FIA patched it mid-delay. This weekend would be the first time that patch gets used in a race.
Nineteen corners, concrete walls, no run-off, and one hour of practice. And the one driver with anything left to play for starts at the back.