Lewis Hamilton delivered an impressive performance under challenging conditions in the 2026 F1 Singapore GP Sprint. Following a delayed start due to heavy rain, the Brit showcased his skills on the wet street circuit, making his way up from sixth position to second place. Speaking after the sprint, Hamilton broke down his charge through the grid, his battle with Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s potential for the Qualifying ahead.
Wet conditions and strategic tyre management
Reflecting on his run through the field at the start, Hamilton expressed joy over the rainy opening conditions. He highlighted his great start, which allowed him to pick the right path through traffic as he got the inside into Turn 1.
Loving the challenge of driving the 2026 F1 Singapore GP Sprint in the rain, Hamilton admitted that the wet conditions played right into his hands.
Once he was second after Russell crashed out, Hamilton tried to close the gap to Max Verstappen without burning through his tyres unnecessarily. However, he noted that it was nearly impossible to overtake safely without risking severe tyre degradation on a single dry racing line.
After backing off to manage the tyres, Hamilton explained that he tried to start another push to close back in on Verstappen, ultimately crossing the line in second place.
“Yeah, I mean, I had a mega start, which was awesome. I love driving this track in the rain and those conditions, so as soon as the heavens opened, I was like, this is a great day. And then, yeah, I was trying to get close to him without killing my tyres, so I wasn’t really pushing that much, but I was bringing him in, and then I just realised that just at this point, we still got a long way to go.
“I don’t think we’ll be able to overtake in these conditions. There’s only one line, and so I backed off, and then the front right started to overheat a little bit, but then I got the controls back sorted, and then towards the end, I started to push and started to close the gap, but, you know, it’s a tough track to overtake.”
Hamilton’s takeaways for Qualifying at the 2026 F1 Singapore GP
Looking ahead to the remainder of the weekend, Hamilton emphasised the strong underlying pace of the current Ferrari package. He noted that securing better grid positions during the upcoming Qualifying remains crucial to unlock Ferrari’s full potential for the race on Sunday at the 2026 F1 Singapore GP.
The Ferrari driver pointed out that having both cars at the front of the grid will allow them to apply real pressure to both Mercedes and Red Bull throughout the race. While acknowledging the pace of their rivals, he expressed confidence that Ferrari can stay in the fight and challenge them.
Finally, he praised the energetic Singapore crowd for turning up on Saturday, thanking the fans for creating an incredible atmosphere.
“Well, I think, I mean, we showed that we obviously have a good car. I think if we can do slightly better in qualifying, get both cars up there, I think we’ll be able to really apply pressure tomorrow to both the Mercedes and the Red Bull, so they are quick, of course, but we can be there hounding them, so hopefully we can position the car in a slightly better position in this qualifying session coming up. And yeah, and also we got a great crowd already just on a Saturday, so big up to everyone here in Singapore.”
