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Impressive Norris secures stunning pole in Singapore, Verstappen alongside
Lando Norris secured pole position under the lights at the Marina Bay Street Circuit after an exciting qualifying session. After a nail-biting one-lap shootout in Q3, Norris' 1.29.525 was good enough for first place. Max Verstappen finished qualifying in second place, with Lewis Hamilton in third. Elsewhere, Carlos Sainz crashed heavily in the final session, and Sergio Perez was eliminated from qualifying in Singapore in Q2. Daniel Ricciardo was knocked out in Q1, and pressure continues to mount on the Australian in what is rumoured to be his final F1 weekend.
How the Singapore qualifying shootout happened:
Cars emerged from the pitlane first to get Q1 underway, and Charles Leclerc set the early pace. A banker lap of 1.30.896 was strong enough to put the Ferrari driver first. The Monegasque's teammate Carlos Sainz had a moment at turn one, running wide and ruining his flying lap. Soon after, Lando Norris took the lead from Leclerc by just over a tenth.
Pressure mounts on Ricciardo:
As Q1 continued, drivers appeared to be struggling with the 'green' track conditions, which were very different from those from a dusk FP3. Max Verstappen, who battled at the top of the timesheets, had a sliding moment. So did Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton, but the track evolved quickly, and drivers improved consistently. Daniel Ricciardo, who is under a lot of pressure at VCARB this weekend, was unable to get out of Q1, whilst his teammate Yuki Tsunoda finished Q1 in 10th. Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were also eliminated in the first qualifying segment. At the top of the timings, Lando Norris held first place, with Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri behind him.
Sergio Perez slips up in Q2:
On his first Q2 lap, Verstappen had a scary moment at the final corner of the Marina Bay Street Circuit. A big slide nearly sent the Dutchman into the wall, but cat-like reactions meant he stayed on the track. Verstappen's lap was deleted, which meant he had to strap on another set of tyres for his second Q2 outing. A big lap from Verstappen meant he finished the session in P2, just behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Verstappen's teammate wasn't so lucky. Sergio Perez was knocked out of Q2, and the Mexican will start tomorrow's race from 13th place. A 1.30.579 meant Perez finished behind both Williams drivers Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon, respectively. Also out in Q2 were Kevin Magnussen in 14th and Esteban Ocon in 15th.
Q3 smash for Sainz delays session:
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was the first to leave the pitlane in what was set to be an extremely unpredictable final qualifying session. Q3 was only underway for a few minutes before Carlos Sainz smashed into the wall at the final corner, causing a red flag. After a big snap, the Spaniard went flying into the barrier backwards. The accident could've been caused by a combination of cold tyres and dirty air, but importantly Sainz climbed out of the car unharmed. The rear of his SF-24 was destroyed. Without a doubt, the accident has compromised Sainz's Singapore Grand Prix. Verstappen's lap was deleted, although he felt like it should've stood due to his appropriate lifting under double yellow flag conditions.
Norris on pole:
After a slight delay, Q3 got back underway for a one-lap shootout between all nine remaining cars. Tentatively, cars made their way back out on track. A blistering final shootout followed. Lando Norris came out on top, with championship leader Max Verstappen alongside him. Charles Leclerc's lap time was deleted, meaning Ferrari will start the race provisionally from 9th and 10th in what is set to be a brilliant Singapore Grand Prix.
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