Verstappen takes Singapore sprint pole, Antonelli only seventh
Max Verstappen took pole for the Singapore GP sprint with a 1m31.156s lap, 0.120s ahead of George Russell. Drivers' championship leader Kimi Antonelli could manage only seventh. The sprint is today (Saturday) at 17:00 local time (09:00 UTC) over 21 laps, so this is the grid it will start from.
Top ten and gaps
| Pos | Driver (team) | Time | Gap to pole |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verstappen (Red Bull) | 1:31.156 | - |
| 2 | Russell (Mercedes) | 1:31.276 | +0.120 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | 1:31.399 | +0.243 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 1:31.454 | +0.298 |
| 5 | Lando Norris (McLaren) | 1:31.587 | +0.431 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) | 1:31.702 | +0.546 |
| 7 | Antonelli (Mercedes) | 1:31.849 | +0.693 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) | 1:32.341 | +1.185 |
The table follows Autosport's results. Ninth-placed Isack Hadjar and tenth-placed Pierre Gasly are reported differently. Formula1.com says both drivers' SQ3 lap times were deleted, and The Race says they have no time because of track limits, whereas Autosport's table lists times for both.
Antonelli seventh, Russell second
Autosport said Antonelli was outpaced by the Ferraris and McLarens and was 0.518s slower than Norris in SQ3. According to Sky Sports, Antonelli said he has been 'struggling' in the updated W17 and that it has been 'very difficult', and he expects a hard weekend unless the car improves. Russell locked up at Turn 13 on his first SQ2 attempt, went again on used tyres and got through in fourth, then took second in SQ3. Sky Sports reported that Russell will serve a grid penalty for Sunday's Grand Prix but did not give the reason.
Yellow-flag investigation and an FIA error
In SQ1 Sergio Perez hit the tyre barrier and damaged his front wing; the part ended up on the racing line and brought out a red flag. The sources disagree on the corner: Motorsport.com and The Race say Turn 5, Formula1.com says Turn 4.
Verstappen was investigated for passing under those yellow flags but kept pole without a penalty. Formula1.com says the car he passed was Leclerc's and that the stewards called it an 'unfortunate consequence' of the cars' differing speeds, while Sky Sports says it was Hamilton's. Both say the stewards found a breach but applied no penalty.
Race Control also made a mistake. Sky Sports reported that after the SQ1 red flag, Overtake Mode was switched on for only 27 seconds, which affected some cars depending on timing and track position, and called it 'human error in Race Control'. The Race said Arvid Lindblad missed the SQ2 cut by one tenth and linked the confusion to an FIA software glitch, but Sky Sports did not tie Lindblad to the error.
The SQ2 eliminations were Franco Colapinto (11th) through Esteban Ocon (16th), and the SQ1 eliminations were Lindblad (17th), Lance Stroll (18th), Alex Albon (19th), Perez (20th), Valtteri Bottas (21st) and Carlos Sainz (22nd), which matches across at least two outlets. Formula1.com reported mediums in SQ1 and SQ2 and softs for the final SQ3 run. Verstappen's pole is a sprint qualifying pole, not a pole for Sunday's Grand Prix.
Sources
- Formula1.com — Verstappen clinches pole position in Singapore Sprint Qualifying ahead of Russell
- Autosport — F1 Singapore GP: Verstappen storms to sprint pole with Antonelli only seventh
- The Race — F1 2026 Singapore GP sprint qualifying results
- Sky Sports — Singapore GP Sprint Qualifying: Verstappen keeps pole position from Russell
- Motorsport.com — F1 Singapore GP: Max Verstappen takes sprint pole with Kimi Antonelli only seventh