
In a heart-pounding qualifying session at the Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore, Carlos Sainz delivered a remarkable pole position for Ferrari, living up to the promise shown by the Scuderia all weekend. The Spaniard’s final run narrowly edged out his competitors, George Russell and teammate Charles Leclerc, securing him a coveted P1 start for the race.
This qualifying battle was nothing short of frantic, featuring some unexpected twists and turns. The drama was amplified by a red flag incident caused by Lance Stroll’s heavy crash in the final moments of Q1. Amidst the chaos, Sainz kept his composure, consistently setting the pace. He sealed his pole position with a lightning-quick final sector, improving his provisional pole lap by over four-tenths of a second, clocking in at 1 minute and 30.984 seconds – an impressive feat that marked his second consecutive P1 start.
George Russell, narrowly missing out on pole by just 0.072 seconds, secured the second position, while a frustrated Charles Leclerc qualified in third place for Ferrari. Lando Norris claimed fourth for McLaren, followed by Lewis Hamilton in fifth for Mercedes and Kevin Magnussen in an impressive sixth for Haas. Fernando Alonso secured the seventh spot for Aston Martin, while Esteban Ocon impressed by taking eighth for Alpine. Nico Hulkenberg in the other Haas and AlphaTauri’s Liam Lawson, making his first Q3 appearance, rounded out the top 10.
The shocking twist of the session was Max Verstappen’s surprise elimination in Q2, as the Red Bull driver could only manage an 11th-place qualification. His frustration was palpable, as his car’s performance failed to meet expectations. Sergio Perez, his teammate, also suffered an unfortunate exit in 13th place.
In between the Red Bull duo, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly secured the 12th position, with Alex Albon of Williams in 14th and Yuki Tsunoda from AlphaTauri in 15th after failing to set a Q2 time.The early exit list included Valtteri Bottas in 16th for Alfa Romeo, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in 17th, Williams’ Logan Sargeant in 18th, Zhou Guanyu from Alfa Romeo, and Lance Stroll, who brought up the rear after his dramatic crash in Q1.
As the sun set and the lights illuminated the track, the stage was set for an exhilarating hour of qualifying. While Ferrari had dominated the practice sessions, the question remained: could they convert their practice form into a pole position?
Early in Q1, Charles Leclerc set the pace with a lap time of 1 minute and 32.523 seconds, closely followed by Lando Norris, just 0.033 seconds behind. However, Mercedes’ George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who left the pit lane later than their rivals, quickly ascended to the top of the timesheets, with Russell leading the way.
Meanwhile, Lance Stroll expressed frustration over the radio, citing an impeding incident involving Williams’ Logan Sargeant. This incident was set to be investigated by the stewards after qualifying. With two minutes left in the session, drivers returned to the track, with Stroll in 16th place, followed by Sargeant, Albon, Bottas, and Zhou. The drivers were informed that track conditions were improving, with lap times expected to drop significantly.
However, as the chequered flag waved, red flags followed suit. Stroll had seemingly carried too much speed into the final corner on his last lap, launching his car briefly into the air and then into the barrier. Fortunately, Stroll emerged unharmed and reported his well-being over the radio, but several drivers behind him couldn’t set their final laps. This resulted in a mixed-up order, with Tsunoda topping the timesheets, followed by Perez, Hulkenberg, Lawson, and Magnussen. Russell, Sainz, Ocon, and Verstappen followed closely, while Leclerc secured the 10th spot.
Valtteri Bottas, Oscar Piastri, Logan Sargeant, Zhou Guanyu, and Lance Stroll were among those eliminated in the intense Q1 session.With a delay due to Stroll’s crash and barrier repairs, Q2 finally got underway. However, the session was not without controversy, as Max Verstappen and other drivers faced investigations for impeding incidents in Q1. After the initial laps, George Russell led the way, showcasing his impressive pace in the Mercedes. Alonso followed closely, with Carlos Sainz in third. Norris, Hamilton, Leclerc, Magnussen, Ocon, and Gasly completed the top ten. Verstappen found himself in a disappointing 10th place.
As drivers prepared for their final runs, Yuki Tsunoda was left frustrated by Verstappen, and this incident was slated for investigation by the stewards. In a surprising turn of events, Sergio Perez’s spin at Turn 1 immediately knocked him out of qualifying. Even more shocking was that both Red Bull drivers failed to make it out of Q2, with Liam Lawson moving up to 10th, displacing Verstappen to 11th.
The top of the Q2 leaderboard featured Sainz, Russell, Alonso, Magnussen, Norris, Hulkenberg, Leclerc, Hamilton, and Ocon, with Verstappen, Gasly, Perez, Albon, and Tsunoda eliminated.
In the final showdown of Q3, the 10 remaining drivers took to the track. Despite a brief investigation for not slowing under yellow flags, Charles Leclerc joined the fray. The drivers pushed the limits of the Marina Bay circuit, with Carlos Sainz securing provisional pole with a time of 1 minute and 31.170 seconds. Leclerc followed in second place, with Norris in third, Russell in fourth, Hamilton in fifth, Alonso in sixth, Magnussen in seventh, Hulkenberg in eighth, Ocon in ninth, and Lawson in 10th.
The climax of the session unfolded as drivers donned fresh sets of soft tires and embarked on their final runs. Carlos Sainz delivered a sensational performance, improving on his provisional time with a blistering lap of 1 minute and 30.984 seconds. The question remained: could anyone match his pace? As each competitor crossed the finish line, it became clear that Sainz’s time was unbeatable. George Russell came closest, finishing just 0.072 seconds behind the Ferrari driver. Russell’s impressive performance pushed a frustrated Charles Leclerc into third place, 0.079 seconds adrift of his teammate.
While the top three remained incredibly close, Lando Norris secured fourth place, trailing Sainz by nearly three-tenths of a second. Lewis Hamilton was half a second behind the Spaniard in fifth, followed by Kevin Magnussen in sixth, Fernando Alonso in seventh, Esteban Ocon in eighth, Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg in ninth, and Liam Lawson in 10th. Carlos Sainz’s dramatic pole position victory will undoubtedly be remembered as a defining moment in the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, setting the stage for an exhilarating race day.
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