Singapore GP: Qualifying delayed after rain-hit Sprint Race

Qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix will not start at its scheduled time after heavy rain delayed Saturday’s Sprint at Marina Bay. The FIA confirmed that the session must be pushed back to comply with the sporting regulations, with an updated timetable still to come.

The Sprint delay left too little time before qualifying

Max Verstappen won, with Lewis Hamilton second and Charles Leclerc third. The finish time left the original qualifying slot, set for 9pm local time, short of the regulations’ required interval. The rules stipulate that qualifying cannot begin less than three hours after the Sprint ends; following the 6:16pm chequered flag, that puts the earliest permissible start at 9:16pm.

The delay therefore follows directly from the later Sprint finish, rather than a separate interruption to qualifying. The FIA said a revised schedule would be released shortly. Until that update arrives, the precise new start time remains unconfirmed. Readers can check the event’s weekend timetable alongside the official schedule announcement when it is issued.

Wet conditions shaped a disrupted Saturday

The rain arrived shortly before the Sprint and forced race control to wait while standing water was dealt with. The subsequent safety-car running and on-track incidents further compressed the gap between the race and the evening’s qualifying session.

The shift also puts renewed focus on the conditions at Marina Bay, where Singapore weather coverage has been part of the weekend build-up. For now, the next confirmed step is the FIA’s revised running order; the qualifying session’s new start time has not yet been announced.