Lando Norris casts doubt on Singapore GP sprint excitement: "I don't think it is"
· Yahoo Sports
McLaren driver Lando Norris is expecting the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix to be a testing weekend for him and his fellow competitors, but he's less convinced about how good the first sprint weekend on this circuit is going to be for fans.
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The Marina Bay Street Circuit will be hosting its first-ever sprint race this weekend, meaning teams will have only one practice session to familiarise themselves with the track before going into competitive running. With this being the first time the current-regulation cars have driven at this circuit, it adds a level of complication to an already tough weekend.
Why Norris thinks the sprint race could be underwhelming
Asked whether he's looking forward to the sprint format in Singapore, the Briton wasn't sure.
"I think this kind of track, I mean, I don't know from a Sprint race if it's going to be the best Sprint race you'll ever see. I don't think it is. But in terms of just FP1, qualifying and the challenge of getting up to speed quickly on a street circuit with these cars is a big, big challenge. So, from that bit, I look forward to it."
This will be the final sprint weekend of the 2026 season, meaning this will be the last chance for a driver to score 33 points over a single weekend.
This weekend could play to Norris's strengths
The reigning champion was later asked, after a string of strong sprint results, whether McLaren could perform well in Singapore despite the lack of practice.
Sprint Lando Norris Oscar PiastriChinaP4P6MiamiP1P2CanadaP2P4BritainP3P7NetherlandsP3P5"I think so," he answered. "I still have faith that we can have some good races this season and we can still be competitive. Street circuit, I don't know. I don't know why, sorry, Sprint races. I think a little bit of it is just the fact you don't have much time to get up to speed, and I think that's something I can think can be one of my strengths, is to find the limits with not much time.
"I think in the end we're all probably good enough after three sessions to get within a few hundredths of each other, or a tenth, two tenths. I think it's a bigger challenge to get up to pace and figure out everything within one session. And I think that's something I've always enjoyed, that challenge, and I think it's something I'm able to make a bit of a difference in and be able to capitalise on. So I hope this weekend's the same."
At Zandvoort, for example, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc passed Norris for second in the Sprint, with Norris finishing third despite McLaren’s lack of outright pace.
The Marina Bay Street Circuit is a difficult track with minimal overtaking opportunities, but Norris enjoys the challenge.
"It is just a fun place to come to so I know that doesn't have the biggest effect on obviously the driving. It's just a track from a driving style point of view where certain things you just feel very comfortable with and you can click with very quickly.
"Generally the car has always performed pretty good here too so I don't know I don't know what in particular it's just it's a fun circuit it's challenging you have to adapt a lot from a driving style point of view I think with the bumps and the cornering layout so just all in all it's a tough track but one I enjoy.”
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