Verstappen tops Singapore sprint qualifying for first time with bold one-lap strategy

Max Verstappen secured sprint pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix on Friday, topping a qualifying session at the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the first time in his Formula 1 career. The Red Bull driver edged George Russell by 0.120 seconds, with Charles Leclerc a further 0.123 seconds back and both McLarens behind him.

The result surprised even Verstappen himself. “It’s always close here in Singapore. You’re pushing as hard as you think is possible, close to the walls in places. Once we bolted on the soft tyres, it felt like the car was coming alive a little bit more, but I did not expect this,” he said.

When pressed on why he had not anticipated the pace, Verstappen acknowledged that the RB22 still carries weaknesses on a circuit defined by its bumps and kerbs. “I think the last two races we have been a lot stronger, but this track still highlights a few little weaknesses in our car. But thankfully we managed to drive with them as well as possible.”

One of the more striking elements of the session was Red Bull’s tyre strategy. While Russell and Leclerc each completed multiple flying laps in SQ3, Verstappen ran a straightforward out-lap, single push lap, and in-lap — the most aggressive use of the tyre’s initial performance window.

Pirelli’s chief engineer Simone Berra noted the divergence in approaches across the top three. “What was interesting from our side is that in SQ3, with the soft compound, we had three different approaches for the top three in the classification. Basically Verstappen did an out-push-in and was the fastest. Russell decided to do out-push-double cool and then push again. And Leclerc did out-push-one cool and then push. Different approaches and in the end with this low degradation and the possibility to recover performance, all three worked well.”

Berra was careful not to overstate the role of strategy in the outcome, however. When asked whether Verstappen’s single-lap approach had been the decisive factor, he indicated it had not proved to be the main performance differentiator between the three drivers.

The result also reflects the RB22’s growing competitiveness in slow-speed corners — a characteristic that suits Singapore’s tight, wall-lined layout particularly well. The circuit did offer less grip than Pirelli had anticipated, with an unusually high level of dust reducing surface traction throughout the session.