2026 Singapore GP Sprint Qualifying Preview

James Punt has already posted an in-depth, team by team betting preview for this weekend, click here to read it. His 2026 Singapore GP sprint qualifying preview and tips are below.

2026 Singapore GP Sprint Qualifying

The one and only free practice session is over and the teams must now set the cars up for the sprint part of the weekend, before pressing the reset button for the main event.

The important thing to note about FP1 was how dusty the track is/was. Singapore had the worst air quality in the world yesterday. It is all down to forest fires burning in neighbouring states. The air is thick with smoke haze and the city is getting a coating of ash. This meant that the track was getting faster and faster as the cars circulated and cleaned up the track surface. Last man out was getting more grip, and that is likely to be the case later.

Soft Tyres

The top five in practice all ran on the soft tyres for their best laps. George Russell was fastest from Charles Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton and Piastri. Verstappen was the fastest of the medium tyre runners, 0.732s off Russell’s time. He should be right in the mix once he goes for the soft tyres.

Russell has a very good record in the Sprints this season. He has won three of the five Sprint races to date and also been fastest sprint qualifier three times. He is running the ‘old’ Mercedes this weekend, while Kimi Antonelli is in the updated car. It was hard to compare the two over a very quickly evolving track, but Russell looked very comfortable from the off, Antonelli was having a few moments.

It will be important for Russell to get the most out of the sprint session, as come Sunday, he will start at the back of the grid after taking his penalty for a new power unit. The penalty only applies to the GP, not the Sprint.

FP1 Form Usually Key

The driver who was quickest in FP1 at sprint weekends has gone on to be the ‘shootout’ winner twice. Russell in China, and Hamilton at Silverstone. Perhaps of more relevance is that the same manufacturer that has been fastest in FP1 has got the sprint pole in four of the five so far. Antonelli has been fastest in FP1 twice, only to have Russell beat him in the shootout.

George Russell won this race from pole last year. He has won three of the five sprint shootouts in 2026. That Mercedes was fastest in FP1 looks to be a big hint that they are favourites for the shootout.

2026 Singapore GP sprint qualifying Tip: 1 point George Russell to be fastest in the Sprint Shootout @ 4.33 with SpreadEx

-JamesPunt