George Russell took the lead from pole-sitter Verstappen at the start of the rain-delayed Sprint but lost control of his Mercedes at the end of the first lap and slammed into the barriers. The crash knocked the championship contender out of points and added to a difficult week after he retired with a power unit failure in Malaysia the previous round.
Verstappen controlled the Sprint following Russell's crash, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton securing second place and Charles Leclerc holding onto third despite tyre troubles. The wet conditions and multiple collisions shaped the race dramatically, including a last-lap clash between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri that sent Piastri into the barriers. Norris limped home in eighth after the incident.
Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson claimed fifth place with an impressive drive through the chaos, while Haas' Oliver Bearman took sixth after overtaking Audi's Nico Hulkenberg on the Safety Car restart. Nine drivers retired from the 21-lap Sprint after collisions and reliability issues struck multiple teams. Russell will start at the back of the grid for Sunday's main Grand Prix after taking a new power unit, falling 89 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.