News Summary
- The Singapore GP sprint was delayed after heavy rain left standing water across sections of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
- The FIA scheduled the formation lap for 17:30 local time, 30 minutes after the original race start.
- Max Verstappen is set to start from pole, ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc, if conditions allow the race to proceed.
Formula 1 was forced to postpone the start of the Singapore GP sprint on Saturday, October 10, after heavy rain left sections of the Marina Bay Street Circuit covered in standing water, making conditions unsuitable for the originally scheduled start.
The 21-lap race had been due to begin at 17:00 local time, but heavy rainfall swept across Marina Bay shortly before the start procedure. Water accumulated in several sections of the circuit, particularly between Turns 2 and 3, creating concerns about aquaplaning and reduced visibility.
After sending the medical car onto the circuit to assess conditions, race control announced that the formation lap would begin at 17:30 local time, equivalent to 10:30 BST in the United Kingdom, 05:30 ET in the United States and Canada, and 15:00 IST in India.
FIA postpones Singapore sprint after heavy rainfall
The conditions deteriorated rapidly as rain intensified around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, leaving several sections of the asphalt saturated.
Standing water was particularly visible through the opening corners, where cars would normally accelerate towards Turn 3 after negotiating the first two bends.
The FIA dispatched the medical car to inspect the circuit before confirming that the scheduled start could not proceed.
The governing body subsequently announced a revised formation-lap time of 17:30 local time, allowing additional time for the rain to ease and for standing water to drain from the circuit.
The revised schedule did not guarantee an immediate racing start, as officials retained the authority to delay proceedings further if visibility or track conditions remained unsuitable.
Singapore weekend suffers another interruption
The rain delay adds to an already disrupted Singapore GP weekend, following Friday’s chaotic sprint qualifying session.
Sergio Pérez crashed into the barriers during SQ1, damaging his Cadillac’s front wing and leaving debris on the circuit. The accident forced a red flag before a separate technical problem affected the FIA’s timing systems.
As GRANDE PRÊMIO reported, some lap times were initially not registered, forcing officials to delay SQ2 while they verified the classification.
The FIA eventually resolved the issue and completed qualifying, with Verstappen securing pole ahead of Russell and Leclerc.
Verstappen faces wet-weather challenge from pole
Verstappen will start Singapore’s first Formula 1 sprint from pole position after setting a 1:31.156 on Friday, beating Russell by 0.120s and Leclerc by 0.243s.
The Red Bull driver admitted that his sprint pole came as a surprise, particularly because Marina Bay’s slow corners had exposed weaknesses in the RB22 during practice.
Russell starts alongside Verstappen on the front row with Mercedes’ older aerodynamic specification, while Leclerc lines up third for Ferrari. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris occupy fourth and fifth for McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton sixth.
The Dutchman also retained pole after the FIA investigated a possible yellow-flag infringement involving Hamilton during qualifying. Although the stewards confirmed that Verstappen had overtaken the Ferrari under yellow flags, they decided not to impose a penalty.
The rain creates an additional challenge for the front-row drivers, particularly because Singapore’s narrow street circuit offers limited run-off areas and the spray generated by the cars can significantly reduce visibility.
What time is the delayed Singapore F1 sprint?
The FIA scheduled the formation lap for 17:30 Singapore time on Saturday, October 10, following the postponement caused by heavy rain.
| Country / region | Revised formation-lap time |
|---|---|
| Singapore (SGT) | 17:30 |
| United Kingdom / Ireland (BST) | 10:30 |
| United States / Canada (ET) | 05:30 |
| United States (PT) | 02:30 |
| India (IST) | 15:00 |
| Australia — Sydney/Melbourne (AEDT) | 20:30 |
| New Zealand (NZDT) | 22:30 |
These times refer to the scheduled formation lap, not a confirmed race start. The FIA may revise the procedure depending on weather and circuit conditions.
The complete Singapore GP schedule, including sprint and broadcast information is available in GRANDE PRÊMIO‘s weekend guide. GRANDE PRÊMIO follows the latest Formula 1 news throughout the Singapore GP weekend.
