Motor racing-Singapore sprint underway after rain delay

The ​start of the Singapore ‌Grand Prix ​sprint race on Saturday was delayed by half an hour due to heavy ‌rain at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Ashower minutes before the scheduled 5 p.m. (0900 GMT) start sent fans and officials rushing for cover ‌while standing water around turns 2 and 3 forced ‌the FIA to put back the start after the medical car had assessed track conditions.

Once the standing water was cleared, the FIA said drivers would ⁠do ​two formation laps ⁠behind the safety car as teams quickly swapped out the slick tyres ⁠for intermediates. "The spray is very bad," McLaren's Oscar Piastri said on the ​team radio as the drivers did two formation laps ⁠before a standing start for the final sprint race of the season.

Red Bull's ⁠Max ​Verstappen took pole position for the sprint ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Last weekend, the ⁠Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia descended into chaos as heavy rain ⁠at the ⁠Sepang circuit triggered multiple delays and a suspended start procedure that left drivers scrambling in treacherous ‌conditions.