Max Verstappen secured sprint pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, edging out Mercedes driver George Russell by 0.12 seconds. The Red Bull driver built on his momentum from a dominant victory at last weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, which marked the team’s first win of the season, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took third place.
The qualifying session was marred by technical issues involving the FIA’s engine management system. Drivers reported inconsistencies in power delivery after a red flag was waved for Sergio Perez’s crash. Carlos Sainz, who was eliminated in the first qualifying segment, criticized the organization for allowing half the field to benefit from higher engine output depending on when they took to the track.
The FIA acknowledged a human error in race control, stating that overtake mode was inadvertently disabled during the red flag period and only partially reactivated for 27 seconds before being switched off again. The governing body admitted the mistake impacted certain cars based on the timing of their laps but confirmed the issue did not affect the second and third sessions.
Momentum continues to favor the field ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who managed only seventh place. The Mercedes driver, who holds an 84-point advantage in the standings, struggled with the team’s latest car upgrade, describing it as unpredictable and difficult to handle. He finished more than half a second behind his teammate Russell, raising further questions about the efficacy of the upgrades introduced in Malaysia.
Russell expressed frustration that data had yet to justify the upgrade’s performance, while Antonelli admitted he saw no clear path to recovering the deficit before Sunday’s main race. Leclerc, meanwhile, lamented Ferrari’s recent loss of raw performance but remained optimistic about their prospects for the sprint final.
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