Kimi Antonelli arrives at Marina Bay with an 84-point lead for the first F1 Sprint weekend in Singapore’s history, which starts with practice at 4.30pm on Friday, 9 October. Formula 1’s timetable for round 17 puts Sprint Qualifying on Friday night, the Sprint on Saturday and the 62-lap Grand Prix on Sunday, in the last Sprint weekend of the 2026 season.
The Mercedes driver has 320 points to team-mate George Russell’s 236. Russell, who won here last year, will start Sunday’s Grand Prix from the back of the grid.
What the Sprint changes at Marina Bay
A normal Singapore weekend gives teams three practice hours to find their way around 19 corners and a bumpy street surface. This one gives them one. First practice runs from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on Friday, and by 8.30pm the cars are in Sprint Qualifying, which finishes at 9.14pm.
Saturday carries the most racing. The Sprint starts at 5pm and runs over 21 laps of the 4.927km circuit, or 60 minutes. Grand Prix qualifying follows at 9pm. Sunday’s race starts at 8pm, over 62 laps or 120 minutes, after the drivers’ parade at 6pm.
Sunday is set to be a one-stop race in which track position is vital. The Sprint has no compulsory pit stop.
The track has its own habits. Formula 1 puts the chance of a Safety Car at 67 per cent, and a pit stop costs 22.44 seconds in lost time. There were 58 overtakes in the 2025 race.
Why Antonelli cannot win the title here
The Sprint pays eight points to the winner, down to one point for eighth. A driver who wins both races in Singapore collects 33 points.
Six Grand Prix rounds remain after Singapore, from the United States Grand Prix on 23 to 25 October to the final round on 4 to 6 December, worth 25 points each for a win. That is 150 points still on the table after Sunday, so even a perfect weekend for Antonelli cannot settle the title at Marina Bay. It would, however, take his lead to 117 points.
Behind the Mercedes pair, Lewis Hamilton has 214 points, Charles Leclerc 191, and Lando Norris and Max Verstappen 188 each. Mercedes lead the teams’ table on 556, ahead of Ferrari on 405.
Russell’s penalty, and Verstappen’s missing win
Russell’s engine failed on the closing laps of the Bahrain Grand Prix, held at Sepang in Malaysia last Sunday, while he was on course for a podium. It was his third non-scoring round of the season, and the gap to Antonelli grew to 84 points.
The new power unit Mercedes has fitted takes him over the season’s allocation. The penalty is at least 10 places, which means a start from the back on Sunday. It does not apply to Saturday’s Sprint, which leaves Russell one clean chance to score from a normal grid slot.
“George has the added challenge of a power unit penalty, which will mean starting from the back of the grid on Sunday,” team principal Toto Wolff said. “We need to maximise this final Sprint weekend of the year.”
Verstappen won in Malaysia, his first victory of 2026, with Antonelli second and Hamilton third. Verstappen has never won the Singapore Grand Prix.
Getting in, the Padang and watching from home
Every race ticket includes Zone 4, which holds the Padang Stage, and a valid ticket is needed for anyone of any age. JJ Lin plays the Padang from 10.30pm to 11.45pm on Friday. The Killers are on at the same time on Saturday, and Lana Del Rey closes the weekend from 10.25pm to 11.55pm on Sunday.
Gates open at 1.30pm on Friday for Zones 1 and 2 and at 2pm for Zone 4, at 2.15pm on Saturday and at 3pm on Sunday. Tickets are mobile only, in the Singapore GP app, and screenshots or printouts are not accepted. Singapore GP advises that children under seven should not attend, and anyone under 12 must stay with a parent or guardian.
Roads around Marina Centre and the Padang have been closed since 12.01am on Wednesday, 7 October, and fully reopen at 5.30am on Tuesday, 13 October. The skipped bus stops and later trains are in our guide to getting around during F1 race week.
Singapore GP runs the event rain or shine. At 6am on Thursday, NEA’s 24-hour PSI was in the unhealthy range across the island, from 113 in the north to 161 in the west, and NEA forecast the unhealthy range to continue.
