Verstappen beats Russell to Singapore sprint pole by 0.12s
Max Verstappen took sprint pole for the Singapore Grand Prix, beating George Russell by 0.12 seconds in night qualifying at Marina Bay on 9 October. The Red Bull driver struck late in the final shootout to deny the Mercedes man. The margin was tiny. The timing screens made it official. BBC Sport
A sprint is a shorter Saturday race with its own quick qualifying session and extra points on offer. Behind the front two, Charles Leclerc qualified third for Ferrari, with Oscar Piastri fourth and Lando Norris fifth. Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli completed the sharp end of the order, with Antonelli seventh.
Hamilton helped set the early story. He went out first in the final phase and briefly sat second behind Leclerc. He then slid down the order as the late runners improved.
Mercedes arrived with a split garage. Antonelli used the upgraded package that had underperformed in Malaysia, while Russell stuck with the previous specification. On this evidence, the older parts held their own over one lap.
Earlier in the day, Russell had topped the sole practice session with a time of 1 minute 32.274 seconds, ahead of Leclerc and Norris. Verstappen was the fastest driver on the medium tyres in that hour, a useful read on race pace with limited running. Reuters
The result comes five days after Verstappen and Red Bull took their first victory of the season in Malaysia. Singapore is the final Sprint weekend of the 2026 season, so it is the last chance for that extra Saturday points haul. Formula 1 Qualifying was also hit by further glitches with FIA-provided engine settings, after a software bug in Malaysia left cars crawling at low speed on wet formation laps.
For fans, this means Saturday offers Russell a clear shot before a much harder Sunday. He is set to start the main Grand Prix from the rear of the field because of a power unit change. Formula 1 History says the start matters in Singapore, where 11 of the 16 races have been won from the top starting spot.
