Verstappen snatches Singapore pole from Ferrari by 0.054s as Mercedes falter

Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay, outpacing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by a razor-thin 0.054 seconds with a best lap of 1m31.373s. It was his second pole of the weekend, having also topped qualifying for the sprint race.

Lewis Hamilton, in his first season with Ferrari, had set the pace throughout Q1 and Q2 but could not replicate that form when it mattered most in the final segment, ultimately classified third. The result underlined Verstappen’s ability to produce his best laps under pressure, despite the four-time champion complaining of “insanely bad” gear shifts during Q2.

For Mercedes, qualifying was a sobering afternoon. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, while team-mate George Russell ended up sixth — a result rendered largely academic by an overhanging engine penalty that will drop the Briton to the back of the grid for the race.

Red Bull also suffered on the other side of the garage. Isack Hadjar was eliminated in Q1 after stopping on track and reporting an engine issue. “The engine is off,” he told his team before managing to restart and return to the pits without setting a time. He too will start from the back following the session.

The opening segment had been eventful beyond Hadjar’s troubles. Esteban Ocon locked up and appeared to graze the wall at Turn 13, while Lance Stroll suffered a similar moment at Turn 7, though both drivers appeared to escape without significant damage. Lando Norris set the early pace in Q1 at 1m33.047s, just 0.029s ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri — this coming hours after the pair had collided during the sprint race.

Both Aston Martins were eliminated at the Q1 stage after late improvements from Arvid Lindblad and Gabriel Bortoleto bumped Fernando Alonso and Stroll out of the top 16, ending their qualifying sessions prematurely.

In Q2, Hamilton continued to lead the way with a 1m31.766s on his opening run, putting him four tenths clear of Antonelli, while Verstappen remained over half a second adrift at that stage. The final runs reshuffled the order entirely, with Verstappen finding the pace that had eluded him earlier to ultimately head the grid.