F1 Singapore GP: Max Verstappen secures sprint pole position while Kimi Antonelli finishes in seventh place.
Max Verstappen secured the top spot in sprint qualifying for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix after a brilliant final lap, where he will be joined on the front row by George Russell.
This marks the first occasion Verstappen has achieved pole in any qualifying session at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, though he will face an investigation for a purported yellow flag violation.
Championship frontrunner Kimi Antonelli will begin the sprint race from seventh position, having been outpaced by the Ferraris and McLarens.
SQ1 – Verstappen leads, Lindblad falls short
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
No one had recorded a time in Q1 when Sergio Perez triggered a yellow flag by crashing into the Tecpro barrier at Turn 5. The Mexican damaged his front wing and ultimately lost it on the racing line, leading to a red flag to clear the track of debris.
With just six minutes left on the clock, few drivers had set competitive lap times. Consequently, the closing moments turned into a frantic rush to post a respectable time, with cars exiting the pit lane well before the light turned green.
Verstappen set the fastest time at 1m33.477s, which was nearly half a second off his own FP1 benchmark on the same medium tire. He edged out Charles Leclerc by 0.018s and Russell by 0.096s, with Lewis Hamilton trailing by 0.271s.
Everyone else was at least six tenths behind, starting with the impressive Nico Hulkenberg for Audi, closely followed by Isack Hadjar, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Antonelli.
Further down the standings, Carlos Sainz was the slowest of all. “I experienced a lot of front locking and no rear grip at the same time,” he reported over the radio. He was eliminated after Q1, alongside Williams' Alexander Albon, the Cadillacs, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, and surprisingly, Arvid Lindblad. The Racing Bulls rookie fell short by a tenth, but only after confusion caused by an FIA software issue.
SQ2 – Russell narrowly advances after lock-up
George Russell, Mercedes
Verstappen clocked a time 0.75s quicker than the SQ1 fastest time right from his first attempt in the second segment of sprint qualifying, recording a 1m32.724s.
However, the Dutchman’s benchmark was quickly surpassed by Leclerc, Hamilton, and Norris, with the Monegasque setting a new best at 1m32.457s. Antonelli and Russell trailed by six and nine tenths, respectively.
Meanwhile, Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto, Fernando Alonso, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon, and Oliver Bearman found themselves at risk of elimination. Even Hadjar was lagging nearly half a second compared to 10th-placed Nico Hulkenberg.
Russell’s second attempt was not an improvement, as he suffered a lock-up at Turn 13. Hadjar’s and Colapinto’s respective gains pushed the eight-time grand prix winner out of the top 10, but a last-minute effort saw him secure a safe fourth position.
Colapinto was thus eliminated with a deficit of 0.094s compared to Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, along with Hulkenberg, who failed to improve in the final moments.
SQ3 – Verstappen outshines Leclerc
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Transitioning from medium to soft tires as required by regulations, drivers had limited opportunities to make a mark in the eight-minute SQ3 segment.
The McLarens and Mercedes were the first to hit the track, with Norris clocking a lead time of 1m31.587s, ahead of Piastri by 0.189s, Russell by 0.250s, and Antonelli by 0.518s.
Next, the Ferraris took to the track, with Leclerc setting the quickest time at 1m31.568s, narrowly surpassing Norris. Hamilton was nearly two tenths quicker than his teammate in the initial sector but lost ground in the final segment, finishing 0.134s behind.
Leclerc then improved late in the session with a 1m31.399s but could not fend off a significantly faster Verstappen, who posted a time of 1m31.156s on his only run – marking his first victory in a qualifying session at this circuit, although it won't officially count as a pole position.
Russell secured a front-row spot in the final moments of the session, finishing ahead of Leclerc, Piastri, Norris, and Hamilton.
Antonelli concluded his run in seventh, 0.693s behind Verstappen, with Lawson, Hadjar, and Gasly rounding out the top 10.
F1 Singapore GP Sprint Qualifying Results
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