Russell laments 'very silly mistake' after Singapore Sprint crash: 'I just misjudged it'
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Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
George Russell has taken full responsibility for his Singapore GP Sprint crash, admitting his opening lap spin came as a result of a "very silly mistake" and overconfidence.
After a 35-minute delay due to rain, the Briton made an excellent start in the Sprint, getting ahead of pole-sitter Max Verstappen after the Dutchman suffered yet another "horrendous" launch off the line.
However, at the very end of that opening lap, Russell went wide at Turn 19 onto the white line, sliding off the track and into the wall. The Briton already had a challenging weekend ahead of him due to a power unit penalty that will see him start from the back of the Grand Prix grid on Sunday.
Russell rues 'very silly mistake' in Singapore Sprint
Reflecting on the crash, Russell held his hands up over the crash, explaining that despite receiving more electrical power on exit than he was expecting, he broke "the number one rule in the rain."
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“I just misjudged it, to be honest,” he told F1 TV. “I came round the corner, I came on the throttle, I got more power than I was expecting from the battery.
“I went a little bit wide and then I touched the white line. The number one rule in the rain is don’t touch the white line. It’s a very silly mistake – overly confident. I think it’s my first crash of the year. It’s annoying to happen from that position.”
While only a Sprint Race, Russell's DNF in Singapore sees him lose further ground on Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in the Drivers' standings.
Coming into the weekend with an 84-deficit to the young Italian, Russell now trails by 89. With Mercedes still seeming to be struggling after their Bahrain GP in Malaysia upgrades, Antonelli finished outside the podium places in P4 during the Sprint - 17 seconds down on winner Verstappen.
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