Singapore Grand Prix – Qualifying: Norris unbeatable, Max Verstappen returns and Ferrari disappoints

After the three Free Practice sessions, it is now time for Qualifying! On a circuit as demanding as Singapore’s, every mistake comes at a high cost, hence the importance of being cautious. With a track that improves significantly throughout the sessions, surprises are to be expected.

The Q1

The good performances of Lando Norris have been confirmed at the beginning of the qualifying session. The British driver has been putting together impressive laps and no driver seems to be able to stop him from clinching the pole position. He set the fastest time in Q1 with a time of 1:30.002. His teammate Oscar Piastri finished 3rd, two tenths behind the British driver.

Verstappen seems to be back in business during this qualifying session. Despite a car that is still difficult to drive, the Dutchman managed to adapt to achieve a time that positioned him in second place. Perez is still struggling to exploit the performance of his car, despite a 5th place time.

Ferrari struggled in Free Practice 3 (FP3) and the trend was confirmed in qualifying. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc showed a pace below expectations. Ranked 6th and 12th respectively, the Scuderia drivers struggled to grasp the functioning of their car and made some driving errors.

At Mercedes, it is now George Russell who is struggling with his car. The British driver qualified in 13th position, narrowly making it through Q1. He notably complains about a lack of grip, a situation that is incomprehensible compared to the performances during practice sessions. Hamilton, who was struggling with his car in FP3, set the 4th fastest time, showing an improvement in performance.

On the French side, Esteban Ocon advances to Q2 but Pierre Gasly, 18th, is eliminated.

The eliminated: Ricciardo, Stroll, Gasly, Bottas and Zhou.

The Q2

McLaren’s domination continues, but this time it’s Oscar Piastri who sets the best time with a lap under one minute thirty (1:29.640). Norris does less well on his first attempt, which will be his only one, as he aborted his second lap. He finishes 5th but remains a serious contender for pole position.

Verstappen confirms his good form by finishing 2nd in this Q2, displaying a solid performance. His result is promising for the future and allows him to approach the final qualifying phase with optimism. Sergio Pérez experiences a new disappointment by finishing in 13th position. This result once again highlights difficulties in driving for the Mexican driver, who struggles to find the necessary rhythm on this track. A disappointing result, especially considering Pérez had high expectations after his good performance in Baku.

For Williams, this Q2 is marked by the frustration of Alex Albon. The Thai driver reported the same issue as George Russell in Q1, namely tires completely different from those in previous sessions, lacking grip. Franco Colapinto, on the other hand, received encouragement from the Williams team director, James Vowles, after finishing 11th, just behind Albon.

Hülkenberg creates surprise by placing his car in Q3 after a 7th place. He is far ahead of his teammate Kevin Magnussen, who finishes 14th.

At Alpine, Ocon finishes 15th, ending the French team’s qualifications.

Eliminated: Albon, Colapinto, Perez, Magnussen and Ocon.

The Q3

This early Q3 start was marked by Carlos Sainz’s off-track excursion. The Spaniard lost control of his car just before starting a fast lap, which prematurely ended his qualifying session. This incident caused a red flag, an interruption at the worst possible moment for Norris, who was setting purple sector times.

At the restart, the drivers only had one chance left to grab the highly coveted pole position.

Norris finally took pole position with a time of 1:29.525, an absolute track record.

The big surprise comes from Max Verstappen’s second place, an unexpected result. He is not the only one surprising, as Nico Hülkenberg has climbed to 6th place on the grid thanks to an impressive lap at the end of the session.

The disappointment is immense at Ferrari. The two Scuderia drivers will start from 9th and 10th positions, unable to set a time in Q3. Charles Leclerc saw his time canceled for exceeding track limits. A bad day for Ferrari, which does not bode well for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

The result of the Singapore Grand Prix Qualifying: