Source – Asharq Al-Awsat
In Saturday night’s qualifying session at Marina Bay, which featured an accident for Carlos Sainz at the beginning of Q3, Lando Norris defeated title rival Max Verstappen to secure pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix.
In a thrilling Singapore GP qualifying session, McLaren’s Lando Norris delivered a stunning lap time of 1m 29.525s to seize pole position after a chaotic ending, where Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz crashed out. The incident turned the final stages into a one-lap shootout, and Norris took full advantage, finishing two-tenths clear of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and a further tenth ahead of the charging Mercedes drivers.
Lewis Hamilton bounced back from recent qualifying woes and practice session balance issues to claim third, narrowly edging out his Mercedes teammate George Russell. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri, in the second McLaren, put in a solid performance, securing fifth, continuing his strong form alongside Norris.
Ferrari faced a nightmare end to qualifying as Sainz’s crash into the barriers at the final corner ended his chances. The Spaniard, who had been on the brink of a fast lap, was relegated to 10th on the grid. Charles Leclerc, his teammate, didn’t fare much better, as his lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving him a disappointing ninth.
In another standout performance, Nico Hulkenberg qualified an impressive sixth for Haas. The German, known for his strong Saturday showings, continued to punch above the team’s weight in qualifying. Fernando Alonso secured seventh for Aston Martin, while Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull took eighth, capitalizing on Ferrari’s struggles.
Williams nearly pulled off another double Q3 appearance, with Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto narrowly missing out on the top 10. Albon, in particular, was left frustrated after a puzzling lack of grip in the final moments of Q2, putting him 11th, with his teammate Colapinto in 12th.
Sergio Perez’s qualifying session was one to forget. The Mexican driver failed to make it past Q2, ending up a lowly 13th after struggling to extract the pace from his Red Bull, much to the team’s dismay. Behind him, returning Haas driver Kevin Magnussen secured 14th, followed by Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in 15th, who had been struggling to match his car’s potential throughout the session.
Daniel Ricciardo, looking to silence the critics amid speculation about his future, found himself out in Q1. A compromised final lap in the first session saw him finish just outside the cutoff in 16th, putting a damper on the Australian’s weekend ambitions.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly couldn’t match their teammates’ pace, finishing in 17th and 18th, respectively. Bringing up the rear were the Kick Sauber duo of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, who once again found themselves at the back of the grid, with Bottas in 19th and Zhou 20th.
The stage is now set for an exciting Singapore GP, with Norris leading the charge from pole and Verstappen eager to fight back from second. The unique challenges of the Marina Bay Street Circuit and the fallout from the chaotic qualifying session promise a thrilling race ahead.
