Liam Lawson finishes fifth in chaotic Singapore sprint race

Liam Lawson finished fifth in a chaotic, rain-affected Singapore Grand Prix sprint race, equalling his career-best Formula One result. The Racing Bulls driver climbed three places from eighth on the grid to collect four points, bringing his season total to 69. This result follows Lawson's seventh-place finish in Malaysia last week.

Max Verstappen won the sprint race from pole position, marking his first victory in Singapore. Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished second and third respectively. World championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, while Lawson's teammate Arvid Lindblad finished 13th.

The race was marked by a 30-minute delay due to heavy rain and saw nine of the 22 drivers fail to finish. Mercedes' George Russell crashed into a wall on the first lap after briefly taking the lead. Additionally, a collision between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on the final lap allowed Lawson to move up the order.

Lawson will start eighth for the Singapore Grand Prix on Monday at 1am NZT. He will start one place ahead of teammate Arvid Lindblad, who qualified 10th. George Russell will start from the back of the grid following a 40-place penalty for an engine change.

How it developed

• Sun 11 Oct, 3:36amLawson's qualifying time of 1m 32.369s placed him ninth, but he was promoted to eighth due to a penalty for George Russell.

Where reports differ

• Reports vary on the specific reason for Russell's crash, with one citing a spin on a painted line and another noting a collision with the wall.

Compiled from reports by NZ Herald, Stuff and 1News.