Max Verstappen (Red Bull) will start from pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix after winning qualifying at the “Marina Bay“. The Dutchman recorded a time of 1:31.373 minutes and achieved his first pole position in Singapore, the 50th of his career. Qualifying took place just hours after his victory in the sprint race.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was second, 0.054 seconds behind Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) took third place, 0.123 seconds behind. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) is fourth, while Lando Norris (McLaren) will start fifth.
“I'm very happy to be on pole position because that's the position I wanted. The car was strong all weekend“, Verstappen said after qualifying. He added that the differences between the leading drivers were minimal and that there were elements that could be improved.
George Russell (Mercedes) set the sixth fastest time, but will not keep that position due to a penalty related to excessive levels of power unit components. The Briton will start from the back of the grid. Due to the penalty, Norris and Oscar Piastre (McLaren), who finished fifth and seventh respectively in qualifying, will be next to each other on the third row of the grid.
The two McLaren drivers had an accident on the final lap of the sprint while fighting for fourth place. Norris finished eighth and Piastre did not finish. Russell retired on the second lap after a collision.
Kimi Antonelli remains at the top of the drivers' standings with 89 points. He is followed by teammate George Russell. Max Verstappen won his first race of the season last weekend in Malaysia and will try to record his first victory in Singapore on Sunday, October 11.
Isaac Hajjar (Red Bull) did not set a time in qualifying due to a technical problem, having also retired from the sprint earlier. Esteban Ocon (Haas) hit the wall early in the session but managed to continue.
Sources: bta.bg, formula1.com