Verstappen takes Singapore pole ahead of both Ferraris

Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, setting the quickest time in a closely fought qualifying session at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. His 1:31.373 put him ahead of Charles Leclerc, with Lewis Hamilton third.

The pole fight came after a disrupted Sprint and a collision between the two McLaren drivers. For more on the setting for the weekend, read our Singapore Grand Prix preview.

Verstappen leads as the front-runners advance

Verstappen laid down the benchmark in the final segment, initially going more than a tenth quicker than Hamilton. Leclerc ultimately secured second, 69 milliseconds ahead of the Mercedes driver. Antonelli and Norris rounded out the first five on the grid.

Earlier, Mercedes used the second segment to compare its two cars: Russell ran the older package, while Antonelli used the upgraded specification. Hamilton set the pace in Q2, with Verstappen close behind. The Red Bull driver, however, voiced frustration over the gearbox’s downshifts, a concern that came after Hadjar’s own gearbox trouble.

Pierre Gasly progressed to the final segment alongside Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. Franco Colapinto missed out after hitting the wall on his final push lap. Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz and Gabriel Bortoleto were also eliminated in Q2.

Hadjar’s gearbox failure ends his qualifying

Hadjar had already gone off at Turn 8 in Q1. After returning to the track, his engine shut off and left him temporarily stranded; a system reboot appeared to get the car running again, but he later lost gears and could not set a time. He was classified 22nd.

Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas also failed to progress from Q1. Alonso said he would take a grid drop, while Russell’s power unit change already carries a penalty. The Singapore weekend schedule sets out the event timetable ahead of the race.