Ferrari begins the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix Sprint with Charles Leclerc in third place on the grid and Lewis Hamilton starting sixth, as Max Verstappen leads the field away from pole at Marina Bay. George Russell lines up second, leaving the Scuderia with one car directly in the fight near the front and another facing a more difficult recovery from the third row.
The 21-lap Sprint around the Marina Bay Street Circuit is scheduled to start at 11:00 and should last around half an hour. With overtaking traditionally difficult on Singapore’s tight street layout, the opening laps and track position could prove particularly important for Ferrari’s hopes of challenging the drivers ahead.
Charles Leclerc starts Singapore Sprint from P3
Max Verstappen secured the best starting position after topping Friday’s Sprint Qualifying session, beating George Russell and Charles Leclerc in the closing stages. The Ferrari driver therefore starts directly behind the front row, giving the Maranello team its strongest opportunity to attack during the short Saturday race.
Friday’s qualifying had already shown that Ferrari possessed competitive pace at Marina Bay, particularly before the decisive soft-tyre phase. A closer look at how the session unfolded is available in the analysis of Ferrari’s strong medium-tyre pace and subsequent loss of ground on soft tyres.
Charles Leclerc ultimately secured third on the Sprint grid, behind Max Verstappen and George Russell. The full context of that result can also be found in the report on Max Verstappen’s Sprint pole and Charles Leclerc’s P3.
Lewis Hamilton faces a tougher race from sixth
Lewis Hamilton endured a more difficult final qualifying lap. Several small mistakes prevented the seven-time world champion from converting his earlier pace into a stronger grid position, leaving him sixth behind the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
That means Ferrari enters the Sprint with its two cars in different situations. Charles Leclerc starts close enough to the front to put pressure on Max Verstappen and George Russell, while Lewis Hamilton will need to negotiate traffic and find opportunities on a circuit where passing can be difficult.
Further updates on the British driver’s Ferrari campaign are available in the Lewis Hamilton news section.
Kimi Antonelli starts only seventh with updated Mercedes
One of the more unexpected results from Sprint Qualifying was Kimi Antonelli’s seventh place. The Italian driver continues to experience difficulties with the Mercedes package updated at Sepang and could manage only a fourth-row starting position.
Kimi Antonelli lines up alongside Liam Lawson, adding another variable to the group immediately behind Lewis Hamilton. George Russell, meanwhile, starts from the front row and provides a sharp contrast within Mercedes after qualifying second.
Ferrari waits to see whether Marina Bay changes the order
The Singapore Sprint now provides the first opportunity to see whether Friday’s qualifying order will translate directly into race performance. Marina Bay is often described as a street circuit where track position carries enormous value, and the short format gives drivers limited time to recover from any poor start or early loss of position.
For Ferrari, much of the attention will be on whether Charles Leclerc can stay close enough to Max Verstappen and George Russell to challenge at the front, while Lewis Hamilton will aim to make progress from sixth.
All of ScuderiaFans’ weekend coverage can be followed through the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix hub, with the Sprint forming the next major step before Saturday qualifying and Sunday’s Grand Prix.
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