Verstappen takes Singapore GP pole as Leclerc snatches the front row
Max Verstappen took his 50th career pole by 0.054s from Charles Leclerc, with Lewis Hamilton third. The top three were split by just 0.123s.
Max Verstappen is on pole for the Singapore Grand Prix, the 50th of his career. It completes a clean sweep of the weekend so far for the Red Bull driver, after pole in Sprint Qualifying and victory in this afternoon’s rain-hit Sprint.
His 1:31.373 was just 0.054s quicker than Charles Leclerc, who snatched second with his final lap. Lewis Hamilton was third, only 0.123s off pole, so Ferrari lock out the second and third spots.
The session started 30 minutes late, at 9:30pm, because the Sprint ran long.
Top 10
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 1:31.373
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, +0.054s
- Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, +0.123s
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, +0.189s
- Lando Norris, McLaren, +0.339s
- George Russell, Mercedes, +0.374s
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren, +0.487s
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine, +0.852s
- Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, +0.996s
- Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls, +1.408s
Out in Q2: Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto.
Out in Q1: Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Isack Hadjar failed to set a time after a gearbox problem.
“Better than 49”
Verstappen had to live with an issue all session. He complained about his gear shifts during Q2, and said afterwards “that stayed, so we just had to live with that.”
Asked if 50 poles meant anything to him, he kept it short: “Better than 49, not as good as 51.”
Singapore has been a rare blind spot for him. He has never won the Grand Prix here, but says this year’s car suits Marina Bay better: “Our car now works a little bit differently compared to the previous regulations, where we’re stronger in different areas of a corner.”
His worry is the start. He made what he called a terrible getaway in the Sprint, and asked if Sunday could be better, he said: “It cannot get worse, so it can only get better, right?”
Ferrari’s near miss
Leclerc thinks pole was there for the taking. He struggled with the car pulling under braking through Q1 and Q2, and only found the time on his last lap by committing more.
“I think there was potential to be on pole today, but Max just did a better job,” he said.
Hamilton topped both Q1 and Q2 but lost time to snaps in Q3, after adding a little wing to find more speed. “I’m grateful to be third, to be honest, given that those laps weren’t very good,” he said.
With two red cars behind Verstappen, Hamilton is already thinking about teamwork: “There might be opportunities for us to work together to try and apply the pressure.”
Grid penalties
Russell qualified sixth but starts from the back after an engine penalty, and Alonso confirmed during qualifying that he is changing his engine too. Hadjar also starts at the back after failing to set a time.
With Russell out of position, championship leader Antonelli has a chance to stretch his 89-point lead over his teammate from fourth on the grid.
The Singapore Grand Prix starts at 8pm local time on Sunday.
