Lando Norris secured pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, placing McLaren at the front of the grid. Max Verstappen, the current leader in the Formula One championship, will join his closest rival on the front row after a thrilling Saturday session. Lewis Hamilton, a seven-times world champion, qualified in third place for the night race alongside his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who took fourth. In fifth position is McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. The top-10 shootout was briefly interrupted by Carlos Sainz, last year’s winner, who crashed his Ferrari.
This marks Norris’s fifth pole position of the season, sixth of his career, and his third in the last four races. Having shown impressive pace during practice on Friday and Saturday, Norris expressed confidence in his car’s performance. He stated, “The car has been feeling good, and when you have a well-handling car and confidence, you can push and achieve a fast lap time.” Norris is eager to see what tomorrow’s race will bring.
With seven rounds remaining, Verstappen currently leads Norris by 59 points in the championship standings. The start of the race will be crucial as overtaking is challenging on the Marina Bay circuit.
The final stage of qualifying was interrupted when Sainz crashed into the barriers at the last corner, causing his flying lap to be aborted. According to the Spaniard, he misjudged the grip on the cold tyres. As a result, Verstappen had his lap time deleted due to the yellow flag rules, leaving seven drivers without a recorded time and only eight minutes remaining to set one. With less than four minutes on the clock, the two McLarens took the initiative. Norris claimed the top spot with a lap time of one minute 29.525 seconds, followed by Hamilton in second place. Verstappen managed to go faster but was still 0.203 seconds behind the pace set by the McLaren. Despite finishing second, Verstappen expressed satisfaction considering his poor performance in the earlier practice session and his lack of victories in Singapore. The triple champion acknowledged that anything can happen in Singapore but appreciated having a chance to compete for victory.
He proceeded to stage an extraordinary demonstration during the FIA press conference in protest of the penalty he received earlier in the week for using profanity.
A difficult day for Ferrari On Sunday, Hulkenberg will begin in sixth place, with Fernando Alonso in seventh for Aston Martin and Yuki Tsunoda in eighth for RB. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had his time invalidated, causing him to drop from seventh to ninth, while Sainz finished in 10th place. This was a disappointing result for McLaren, who had considered Ferrari their main competitors for the weekend. “We put in so much effort throughout the weekend, preparing for that one qualifying lap, knowing that it’s just as important as Monaco. However, when we left the pits, our front tires were too cold,” explained Leclerc. “This has put us in a very unfavorable position for the rest of the weekend,” added the Monegasque driver. “The issue with the Q3 tire temperature has essentially rendered all our efforts useless.” Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez qualified in 13th place, the same position he held on the grid in Singapore last year before finishing eighth. Williams drivers Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto will start in 11th and 12th places respectively. Unfortunately, Daniel Ricciardo failed to progress beyond the first stage of what could potentially be his last qualifying session of his career.
The Australian driver, who is currently ranked as the 16th fastest, appears to be on track to be substituted for New Zealander Liam Lawson at Red Bull for the upcoming round in Austin, Texas, as the team evaluates their choices for 2025.
“I attempt to maintain a positive outlook, but today has been overwhelmingly negative. I may find solace in my ice bath and allow myself to float there tomorrow,” commented Ricciardo with a touch of dark humor.
