George Russell was flying through Marina Bay and won pole position for Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix, an impressive recovery for the Mercedes driver following his terrible shunt yesterday (Oct. 3) during second practice.
Russell showed no signs of losing confidence and rather doubled down on Q3, risking it all in his stunning 1:29:158-second fast lap, a gamble that was a little too much for Max Verstappen, who had to back down in the last corners, settling for second.
Q3
The silver arrows were flying in the early minutes of Q3, especially Russell, who scratched every wall and clocked the fastest lap of the Singapore qualifying with a time of 1:29:165.
The reigning champion was trailing behind, just 0.175 seconds away and within range of taking pole from Russell with one fast lap left in the chamber.
Last fast lap was underway, and Lando Norris had already fumbled his chance with 0.2s lost in the first sector, same for Charles Leclerc, who had lost 0.4 seconds to Russell by the second sector. The Britton was coming behind flying and improved 0.10 seconds on his time.
Verstappen was gunning for the pole but risked too much in the last sector and was close to hitting the walls, a mistake that had him lifting the throttle and resigning to second.
Oscar Piastri was never a pole contender and had to settle for third, followed by rookie Kimi Antonelli in fourth. Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top five.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Leader |
| 1. | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:29:158m | |
| 2. | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.182s | |
| 3. | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.366s | |
| 4. | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.379s | |
| 5. | Lando Norris | Mclaren | +0.428s | |
| 6. | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.530s | |
| 7. | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.626s | |
| 8. | Isaack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.688s | |
| 9. | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +0.710s | |
| 10. | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.797s |
Q2
After some delays following the yellow flag investigations of Q1, the second session was underway at Marina Bay.
With five minutes and 40 seconds left on the clock, there was an interesting sight on the track: a lone silver arrow was the only car going around. It was Antonelli in his W16 who, following his lap-time deletions due to track limits, was desperate for a clocking a good lap and had to go out early.
In the end, a solid effort that paid off for Antonelli, who made it to Q3 and has certainly improved his performance following the summer break.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 11. | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +0.065s |
| 12. | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | +0.126s |
| 13. | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.159s |
| 14. | 45 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.244s |
| 15. | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +0.277s |
Q1
Lights went on for the first night race of the calendar in Marina Bay, a circuit that follows the same unforgiving philosophy of Azerbaijan with tight corners and narrow straights.
The initial reading of the times was clear; good laps were given to those willing to gamble their car and stretch the limits of this track, inches away from the walls.
Coming into the two minutes of the session, Pierre Gasly lost power in his A525 and for the track exit in turn 11, putting up a yellow flag that gave trouble to many drivers under investigation for not complying with the warning on track.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 16. | 5 | Gabriel Bortoletto | Kick Sauber | +0.045s |
| 17. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.174s |
| 18. | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Renault | +0.207s |
| 19. | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +0.214s |
| 20. | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | +0.486s |
The F1 Singapore Grand Prix will begin on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 8 a.m. ET. Television coverage in the United States will be provided by ESPN.
Alex is the IndyCar Content Director at Frontstretch, having initially joined as an entry-level contributor in 2021. He also serves as Managing Director of The Asia Cable, a publication focused on the international affairs and politics of the Asia-Pacific region which he co-founded in 2023. With previous experience in China, Japan and Poland, Alex is particularly passionate about the international realm of motorsport and the politics that make the wheels turn - literally - behind the scenes.