Sainz holds off Norris and a fast-charging Mercedes pair to win the Singapore Grand Prix

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainzwon the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday after a thrilling finish that saw the Spaniard hold off a trio of British drivers.

At the start of the race, Sainz's teammate Charles Leclerc passed George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton swept past his Mercedes teammate, running wide off the track, before having to give up that position, and then another to Lando Norris behind him.

Sainz appeared to be in control until Logan Sargeant crashed into the wall on lap 20, which brought out a safety car, and many cars took advantage of the opportunity to pit.

A double stack for Ferrari cost Sainz his position, which was taken by Russell, who was on hard tyres and putting pressure on the Spaniard.

The usually dominant Max Verstappen was the second-to-last driver to pit, as Red Bull realized their strategy in Singapore had not worked. That put the Dutchman in 15th place for the final third of the race, and while his streak of ten straight F1 victories came to an end, he finished a creditable fifth.

After Esteban Ocon broke down, a virtual safety car allowed both Mercedes in for new medium tyres, making them faster as they chased Leclerc and Norris behind Sainz. Going into the final nine laps, Russell breezed past Leclerc into third, with Hamilton soon following.

That left the two Mercedes, Norris and Sainz, to battle it out over the final five laps, and a tussle between the chasing trio saw the Spaniard take the victory as the British pair ran out of time, with Hamilton clinching third after Russell slammed into a wall on the final lap as his vehicle clipped the wall.

SportsLigue