Verstappen takes Singapore Sprint pole, but he's under investigation
Max Verstappen secured pole for the Sprint at the Singapore Grand Prix, edging George Russell by just over a tenth at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. But the result remains in question after the Red Bull driver was noted for a possible yellow-flag infringement in SQ1.
Charles Leclerc finished third, ahead of McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. The stewards will examine Verstappen’s passing of Lewis Hamilton under yellow flags during the opening segment. Hamilton reported the incident to his team over the radio, while Verstappen contacted Red Bull to defend his actions.
Verstappen’s pole is under scrutiny after SQ1 incident
The incident followed a crash for Sergio Perez at Turn 4, which brought out the first red flag of the weekend. Yellow flags appeared initially, but Perez’s damaged Cadillac then left debris across the track as he tried to return to the pits.
Several drivers, including the Red Bulls and McLarens, had yet to set a time when the session was stopped, creating a compressed run to the end of SQ1. Once the session resumed, the stewards chose to investigate Verstappen after qualifying rather than make an immediate ruling. They did not pursue a separate investigation into whether Perez had driven his car in an unsafe condition.
The timing-system problem added another interruption. It temporarily muddled the order of the session, and officials paused proceedings while the issue was corrected. Gabriel Bortoleto was eventually confirmed to have advanced at the expense of Arvid Lindblad. Lindblad, Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz were eliminated in SQ1.
Russell recovered after an early SQ2 struggle
Ferrari’s Leclerc and Hamilton set the early pace in SQ2. Russell, meanwhile, dropped to eighth and abandoned his second attempt after locking his tyres. He recovered with his final run, moving up to fourth and through to the final segment.
The delay meant SQ2 began only a few minutes before SQ3 was scheduled to end. There were no surprise eliminations in the middle segment, although the timing display had made the order uncertain earlier. The issues did not prevent Verstappen from taking the provisional top spot, with the stewards’ review now the outstanding question over the Sprint grid.
For more on the event, see our 2026 Singapore Grand Prix weekend schedule and preview of the key facts ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.