Red Bull driver Max Verstappen captured his second consecutive pole position, triumphing over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton during qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday.
Verstappen secured the top spot with his opening lap in the final qualifying session. Leclerc attempted a second-lap challenge but ultimately finished 0.054 seconds behind. Hamilton, who was the closest challenger to Verstappen during the initial runs, failed to improve his time on his second attempt.
The difficulties faced by the front runners on their second laps also affected other contenders. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli capitalized on the situation to take fourth place on the grid, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris in fifth.
A significant setback occurred for George Russell. Although he qualified sixth for Mercedes, the British driver will be demoted to the back of the grid due to a penalty for exceeding his allowance of engine components.
Oscar Piastri of McLaren was the sole driver among the top four teams, aside from Leclerc, to improve on his second run, but he could only manage seventh place. The top ten was rounded out by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.
The race is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 11 October at 13:00 BST.
Antonelli taking fourth is impressive for a rookie! Has Lewis lost a step, or is Red Bull just unstoppable?
George Russell’s penalty is brutal luck. He was looking strong in sixth until the engine issue.
Verstappen’s dominance is wild. That 0.054 gap shows just how close the battle was, though.