Hamilton urges Singapore track redesign after rain masked a processional sprint race

Lewis Hamilton has called for changes to the Marina Bay Street Circuit layout after the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix sprint race — a chaotic, rain-affected affair that saw only 13 of 22 cars reach the finish line — exposed the venue’s fundamental overtaking problem.

Hamilton crossed the line in second place, but the Ferrari driver was candid about what the result obscured. Without the wet conditions that triggered George Russell’s crash and a collision between the two McLaren drivers, he argued, the race would have been a procession.

“I thought it was fun, but if it was dry, that would probably have been the most boring race for you to have watched,” Hamilton said. “It was the wet, the rain, that made it exciting. So, if you can always make it rain, then it’s always going to be a great sprint race. But otherwise, it would probably just have been straightforward tyre management, everyone sticking behind each other.”

The seven-time world champion acknowledged that Singapore already has a strong pedigree as a qualifying circuit, but said the layout simply does not offer drivers a realistic chance to attack.

“I really do love the race here, but I think they need to change the track to maybe create a longer straight somewhere in order to allow us to overtake, for it to be truly a great racing circuit,” Hamilton said. “There literally just isn’t one place where you could potentially get close to overtake.”

He also pointed to a specific technical issue at Turn 16, where a crest in the road surface sends sparks flying and limits drivers’ options further. “I think there’s some adjustments that can be made to make this 100% a great circuit,” he added.

The Marina Bay circuit has been modified before — the notorious Singapore Sling chicane was altered in 2013, and Turns 16 to 19 were removed in 2023 due to construction work — but Hamilton believes those changes have not gone far enough.

His comments were echoed, from a different angle, by Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, who both suggested Formula 1 should reconsider holding sprint races at street circuits where overtaking is structurally near-impossible. The partially wet surface during Saturday’s sprint left drivers with a single racing line, making any move on track exceptionally difficult regardless of car pace.

With the full Singapore Grand Prix still to come at the same venue, the debate over the circuit’s suitability for modern F1 racing is unlikely to fade before the weekend is out.