F1 Singapore GP: Max Verstappen triumphs over Ferrari's challenge to secure pole position.

Q2 – Hamilton leads, but Verstappen closes in

Hamilton maintained a solid lead during the early runs of Q2, clocking in at 1m31.766s, which placed him four tenths ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen trailed by over half a second, expressing frustration over “insanely bad” gear shifts, followed closely by George Russell, Norris, Piastri, and Leclerc—those five drivers all within a tenth and a half.

Theoretically, there were three Q3 spots available for midfield teams, and with five minutes left, those positions were held by Liam Lawson, Lindblad, and Nico Hulkenberg; Pierre Gasly was two tenths behind Hulkenberg, sitting in 11th.

Gasly significantly improved by six tenths on his final attempt, surpassing all his main competitors; the Racing Bulls regained their edge over the Alpine, but Gasly still managed to secure the last berth for the top-10 showdown, as Hulkenberg only recorded an insufficient two-tenth gain late in the session.

Franco Colapinto, having brushed the wall at Turn 17, ended up in a disappointing 16th place, a staggering 1.2s slower than his teammate.

Meanwhile, Hamilton continued his dominance with a time of 1m31.529s, with only Verstappen coming close at 1m31.639s. Norris and Leclerc lagged behind by 0.366s and 0.424s respectively, while Antonelli and Russell were again more than half a second off the pace.

Q3 – Verstappen triumphs in the final session

In fact, Verstappen set the early pace in Q3 with a time of 1m31.373s, while Hamilton recorded a 1m31.496s despite being nearly three tenths faster than Verstappen in sector two.

Antonelli managed an encouraging third position with a time of 1m31.562s, as Leclerc, Norris, and Russell all stayed within four tenths of the front. Piastri, however, trailed by 0.820s, having been slower than all but Lindblad in the final sector.

Both Verstappen and Hamilton were unable to improve on their final laps; Hamilton was overtaken by Ferrari teammate Leclerc for second place, with the Monegasque finishing just 0.054s behind the pole-sitter from Red Bull.

Piastri was the only other driver from a top team to enhance his time, improving by over three tenths, but it wasn’t sufficient to elevate his position; he took seventh behind Antonelli, Norris, and Russell.

Gasly was the top performer for Alpine with a time of 1m32.225; Lawson and Lindblad finished 0.144s and 0.556s slower respectively.

Photos from F1 Singapore GP - Saturday