Max Verstappen secured his first pole for the Singapore Grand Prix and the 50 of his career with a lap of 1:31.373. Charles Leclerc was 54 thousandths behind, and Lewis Hamilton was 123 behind: Ferrari will have two cars among the top three to put pressure on Red Bull from the start on Sunday, October 11.
For Mexico, the other key detail is Sergio Pérez’s position. The official grid places the Cadillac driver in spot 19, alongside Valtteri Bottas in 20. The race is scheduled for 06:00 Mexico City time; in Singapore, it will be 20:00 on the same Sunday.
Ferrari leaves only a tiny gap
Leclerc clocked 1:31.427 and Hamilton 1:31.496. The gap between the two Ferraris was also small: 69 thousandths of a second. Kimi Antonelli completes the second row with 1:31.562, ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Six cars are separated by less than half a second at the front of the qualifying order.
The result comes after Verstappen’s Sprint win, but each session has different consequences. The short-format victory awarded points on Saturday; the subsequent qualifying session determines the starting order for the Grand Prix. Winning the Sprint does not make Max the winner of the main race or take away his rivals’ opportunity to respond.
Here’s the grid published by F1
The first row will be Verstappen–Leclerc; the second, Hamilton–Antonelli; and the third, Norris–Piastri. Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson occupy seventh and eighth. Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hülkenberg round out the top ten.
Behind them are Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, Fernando Alonso, Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll. Pérez and Bottas start ahead of George Russell, who is in position 21, and Isack Hadjar, in 22, according to the official grid consulted. The published position after penalties are applied may differ from the qualifying time order.
Hadjar was unable to complete the session because of a gearbox problem, according to the F1 report. It is the contrast within Red Bull: one car starts first, while the other is at the back. For Checo, starting 19 means having most of the field ahead of him from the first lap.
What’s at stake on Sunday
Verstappen is seeking his first victory in the Singapore Grand Prix. Pole improves his starting position, but he will still have to turn it into a result during the race, with two Ferraris immediately behind him and the two McLarens on the third row.
It’s worth checking the official grid before the start in case of technical changes or subsequent penalties. The reference for planning the morning is 06:00 Mexico City time: that is the race time, not the time of the preceding shows on each broadcast.
