Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton to win chaotic Singapore sprint as McLarens collide

Max Verstappen beat his great Formula 1 rival Lewis Hamilton to victory in a dramatic sprint race at the Singapore Grand Prix. 

The four-time world champion lost out to George Russell at the start but regained the lead when the Mercedes driver crashed out in damp conditions on the main straight at the start of the second lap. 

Verstappen successfully navigated the restart following the early safety car to clear Russell’s stricken Mercedes and pulled clear of Hamilton to follow up his first grand prix victory last weekend in Malaysia with a sprint win in Singapore. 

A brilliant start from Hamilton saw him jump from sixth on the grid to third, but after initially shadowing Verstappen in the early stages, the seven-time world champion could not challenge his old title rival for the victory. 

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc just fended off Andrea Kimi Antonelli to take third after reporting that his intermediate tyres were destroyed. 

Antonelli has further extended his championship lead to 89 points with his P4 finish after Mercedes team-mate Russell crashed out and scored no points. 

Liam Lawson claimed a strong fifth for Racing Bulls, ahead of Ollie Bearman in the Haas, Audi's Nico Hulkenberg and reigning world champion Lando Norris. 

Norris scored the final point on offer in eighth but dropped down the order after clumsily colliding with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri as they battled for fourth place on the final lap. 

Piastri was forced to retire, joining eight other drivers on the sidelines who failed to finish a chaotic 20-lap sprint. 

The start of the race was delayed by 30 minutes due to a heavy thunderstorm that hit the Marina Bay Street Circuit shortly before the scheduled start. 

Qualifying, which was due to start at 14:00 UK time, has been delayed as a result of the late finish to the sprint race.