Max Verstappen and Red Bull continued their extraordinary run of form by securing pole position for the Singapore Sprint at Marina Bay. The Dutchman produced a 1:31.156 to beat George Russell by 0.120 seconds, with Charles Leclerc taking third for Ferrari, although Verstappen’s pole position could still be threatened by a stewards’ investigation into an overtake on Lewis Hamilton under yellow flags.
Verstappen arrived in Singapore fresh from a major victory in Malaysia and needed only a single attempt in SQ3 to set a time nobody could match. The performance underlined Red Bull’s current momentum, while Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren were left chasing the four-time world champion around the demanding Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Max Verstappen seals Singapore Sprint pole with one SQ3 lap
Max Verstappen stopped the clock at 1:31.156, a benchmark that proved unreachable for the rest of the field. The fact that the Dutchman achieved it with only one attempt in SQ3 made the performance even more impressive.
The only potential threat to his pole position concerns an incident involving Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen overtook the Ferrari driver while yellow flags were being shown, although Hamilton was travelling very slowly ahead of him at the time. The manoeuvre by the four-time world champion is under investigation by the stewards.
Fans following the full weekend can also find the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix Sprint, qualifying and race schedule ahead of the remaining Marina Bay sessions.
George Russell shines with older Mercedes package as Kimi Antonelli struggles
The only driver able to get close to Verstappen was George Russell. The British driver finished just 0.120 seconds behind in a Mercedes W17 equipped with the team’s older specification package, providing another indication that this configuration may currently be the more effective solution.
The newer package entrusted to Andrea Kimi Antonelli disappointed again. The World Championship leader had to settle for seventh place, almost seven tenths behind Verstappen and 0.573 seconds behind Russell. Given the level Antonelli has demonstrated throughout the season, the deficit was particularly significant.
The contrast provides an important technical talking point for Mercedes, with the older configuration performing strongly in Russell’s hands while Antonelli was unable to extract comparable pace from the updated version.
Charles Leclerc puts Ferrari third as Lewis Hamilton takes sixth
Ferrari had been expected to fight near the front in Sprint Qualifying and ultimately secured third place with Charles Leclerc. From Friday’s free practice session, however, it had already appeared that Verstappen had an advantage over the rest of the field.
The Ferraris had looked competitive, but Russell managed to beat the leading SF-26 by 0.123 seconds. Lewis Hamilton placed the second Ferrari sixth, behind the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in fourth and fifth respectively.
Hamilton had reason to be disappointed with an imprecise final sector. During his only SQ3 lap, the seven-time world champion touched the wall several times and appeared to be overdriving the car. His final position and deficit of more than half a second to Verstappen reflected how costly those mistakes had been.
The result nevertheless leaves Ferrari with both cars inside the top six for the Sprint, with Leclerc positioned directly behind the leading Red Bull and Mercedes.
Liam Lawson impresses as Pierre Gasly completes the top 10
Liam Lawson and Racing Bulls produced an excellent qualifying performance. The New Zealander has returned even stronger following his experience with Red Bull, where he replaced the injured Isack Hadjar, and claimed eighth place in Singapore directly ahead of the Paris-born driver.
The gap to Antonelli’s Mercedes in seventh remained substantial, but that took nothing away from Lawson’s performance. Pierre Gasly completed the top 10 for Alpine as the team continued to keep the battle for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship alive.
The wider championship picture remains particularly important with Antonelli leading the drivers’ standings, which can be followed through the updated Formula 1 driver standings.
Franco Colapinto, Audi and Fernando Alonso miss SQ3
Franco Colapinto missed out on SQ3 by only 0.094 seconds to Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly. The Argentine had a genuine opportunity to progress but could go no higher than 11th.
SQ2 also brought disappointment for Audi. Both Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto were eliminated during the middle phase of Sprint Qualifying, with the German finishing 12th and the Brazilian 14th. Oliver Bearman’s Haas, the only car from the team equipped with upgrades this weekend, split the two Audi drivers in 13th.
Fernando Alonso managed to take Aston Martin into SQ2 but did not have enough performance to make the next step into the top 10. The Spaniard finished 15th, four tenths away from the tenth-place time required to progress.
Esteban Ocon’s difficult run continued with only 16th place. The Haas driver appeared to make a mistake during his decisive lap, as his one-second deficit to team-mate Bearman was too large to be explained simply by the performance difference between the two cars.
Sergio Perez red flag shapes SQ1 as Williams endure difficult session
SQ1 was heavily influenced by a red flag caused by Sergio Perez hitting the wall. The Mexican struck the barriers nose-first at Turn 5, effectively forcing the rest of the field to secure their SQ2 places with a single attempt once running resumed.
Amid the confusion, Arvid Lindblad was a surprise elimination. The Racing Bulls driver, usually a regular presence around the top 10, could manage only 17th place as team-mate Lawson progressed comfortably ahead of him.
While Fernando Alonso survived the opening elimination zone, Lance Stroll was unable to do the same. The Canadian’s final lap was not quick enough to challenge for a place in SQ2, leaving him 18th on the grid for the Sprint, ahead of Alexander Albon’s Williams.
It was an extremely difficult Sprint Qualifying session for Williams. Carlos Sainz finished last after repeated lock-ups prevented him from finding competitive pace. He was almost four seconds slower than the fastest SQ1 time and 1.2 seconds behind Albon.
The two Cadillac drivers finished between the Williams cars, with Sergio Perez 20th and Valtteri Bottas 21st. Despite his contact with the wall, Perez still managed to beat the Finnish driver by 0.108 seconds.
Leave a Reply