F1 makes sprint history in dramatic eight-car retirement madness

The Singapore Grand Prix Sprint has become the most chaotic in F1's short sprint history, with nine drivers failing to reach the chequered flag at Marina Bay on Saturday.

Max Verstappen crossed the line first after 20 laps around the street circuit, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completing the podium. 

But the race behind them was defined by a string of retirements that eclipsed anything seen since sprint races were introduced in 2021.

George Russell was the first of the nine to fall by the wayside after crashing at the end of the first lap, before Cadillac's Sergio Perez ran into Lance Stroll in his Aston Martin to send them both into retirement. Franco Colapinto suffered an ERS failure soon after in his Alpine.

As the safety car ended, at the conclusion of lap six, Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas ran into the back of Alex Albon in his Williams, who in turn hit the Audi of Gabriel Bortoleto. Bottas and Bortoleto returned to their garages and retired; Albon did so later in the race.  

Oscar Piastri also failed to finish, taking the total to nine, after he was taken out by McLaren team-mate Lando Norris on the final lap. However, he was a classified finisher in 14th. It means eight drivers were classified as retirements.

The sheer spread of teams affected, from Red Bull and Mercedes to Williams, Audi, Cadillac, Aston Martin and Alpine, underlined how widespread the carnage was through the Singapore streets.

The previous record for most Sprint DNFs

Until Saturday, the record for the most retirements in a sprint had stood since the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, where five drivers failed to finish.

That sprint at Lusail began unravelling almost immediately, with Liam Lawson spinning into the gravel at Turn 2 on the opening lap. 

Logan Sargeant added to the carnage three laps later, beaching his Williams at Turn 9 and triggering a second safety car.

The most dramatic moment came on lap 11, when Perez, Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg collided three-wide into Turn 2 while fighting for position. 

Perez and Ocon were stranded immediately, while Hulkenberg limped back to the pits before retiring. Stewards later classed the incident as a racing accident, with no driver found predominantly at fault.

Singapore has now surpassed that mark by three retirements, cementing Saturday's sprint as the most attrition-hit in the format's history.

Five drivers also retired from the 2025 United States Grand Prix sprint, although failed to surpass the the feat seen in Qatar.