Lewis Hamilton: Challenge to F1 leader after second place in the sprint

Lewis Hamilton started the final race of the year at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore from sixth on the grid. The Ferrari star demonstrated his driving skills right from the start and worked his way up to third place. On a wet track, he kept his nerve and maintained control of his red racing car, benefiting from the early retirement of his former team-mate George Russell. The Mercedes star, who had taken the lead in the opening metres, spun off the track and was lucky not to be hit by the Ferraris as he went off.

Hamilton got everything right and managed to finish second behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen. Afterwards, he gave himself high praise and enthused: “I had a brilliant start, which was just fantastic. I love driving on this circuit in the rain and in conditions like this – so as soon as it started pouring down, I thought to myself: ‘This is a brilliant day.’"

Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton: Red Bull Racing and Mercedes in his sights

And the 41-year-old explained: “I tried to get closer to Max without ruining my tyres, so I didn’t really go all out, but I kept him at bay. Then I realised that we still had a long way to go at that stage. I don’t think we can overtake in these conditions; there’s only one line. So I eased off the throttle a bit, after which the front right tyre started to overheat slightly, but then I regained control and pushed harder towards the end to close the gap. But it’s a track where overtaking is difficult.”

Hamilton also issued a challenge to the frontrunners: “We’ve shown that we obviously have a good car. “I think if we can do a bit better in qualifying and get both cars right at the front, we’ll be able to really put the pressure on both Mercedes and Red Bull Racing on Sunday. They’re fast, of course, but we can stay hot on their heels. Hopefully we can secure a slightly better starting position in the upcoming qualifying session.”

Topic of the week

A stuttering start to the Bahrain Grand Prix: the FIA narrowly avoids a fiasco like the one in Indianapolis in 2005

Fans could hardly believe their eyes at what they witnessed at the Bahrain Grand Prix: cars crawling along, racing cars that simply came to a standstill. The FIA narrowly avoided a fiasco like the one at Indy in 2005.

Mathias Brunner

Read More

TV Program

Tomorrow

Singapur: Rennen Re-Live

FIA Formula One World Championship

11.10.2026 - 18:00