SportsPosted at: Oct 9 2026 10:59PM


Verstappen takes F1 Singapore Sprint pole as Mercedes upgrade doubts persist

Singapore, Oct 9 (UNI) Max Verstappen claimed pole position for Saturday's Sprint race at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, edging George Russell and Charles Leclerc in a closely
contested qualifying session on Friday.

Fresh from his first victory of the season at last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Verstappen continued his resurgence with a fastest lap of 1 minute, 31.156 seconds, beating
Russell by 0.120 seconds, with Leclerc a further 0.123 seconds adrift.
However, the Red Bull driver faces an investigation for overtaking Lewis Hamilton under yellow flags during the opening qualifying session, potentially putting his pole position at risk.
"It's always close here in Singapore," Verstappen said. "You're pushing as hard as you think is possible, close to the walls in places." "Once we bolted on the soft tyres, it felt like the car was coming alive a little bit more, but I did not expect this. Of course, I'm very happy to be first."
Verstappen acknowledged that Singapore's tight, twisting Marina Bay circuit continued to expose weaknesses in his Red Bull despite the team's improved form.
"I think the last few races we have been a lot stronger, but this track still highlights a few little weaknesses in the car, but we manage to drive with them as well as possible," he said.
Russell's second place offered encouragement for Mercedes, which has struggled to extract the expected performance from an aerodynamic upgrade introduced in Malaysia.
The Briton reverted to an older specification of the car for Singapore, while teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli continued with the newer package, allowing Mercedes to compare their performance directly.
Russell qualified five places ahead of Antonelli, who was seventh, raising further questions about the effectiveness of the upgrade, though the difference in specification alone does not establish whether the new parts are responsible.
Russell will start Sunday's main Grand Prix from the back of the grid after exceeding his permitted allocation of power unit components following an engine failure while running third in Malaysia. Behind the leading trio, Oscar Piastri qualified fourth for McLaren, ahead of teammate Lando Norris, with Hamilton sixth for Ferrari. Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly completed
the top 10.

Hadjar had a faster lap deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving him ninth. The session was disrupted twice, first when Sergio Perez struck the barriers in the opening segment and damaged his front wing. Although the Mexican managed to continue, debris from his car subsequently prompted a red flag with just over six minutes remaining.
Perez was among six drivers eliminated in SQ1, along with Arvid Lindblad, Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz. The second segment was delayed by approximately 10 minutes because of a timing system malfunction that initially prevented some lap times, including Gabriel Bortoleto's, from being registered, according to Xinhua.
"The start of SQ2 will be delayed due to an issue with timing systems, some lap times had not been registered," the FIA said in a statement, before confirming that the results had been corrected and
the session could resume.
The disruption followed a separate software problem at last weekend's race in Malaysia, where
a glitch in F1's wet-weather power unit software caused several cars to lose power during the formation laps, forcing the race start to be aborted while the FIA issued a software fix.
Leclerc topped SQ2 with a time of 1:32.246, ahead of Hamilton, while Russell survived a heavy lockup to progress to the final segment.
Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Bortoleto, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon were eliminated. Singapore is hosting a Sprint weekend for the first time, with the shorter race offering a maximum of eight championship points before qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix later on Saturday.
Overtaking opportunities are expected to be limited on the narrow street circuit, placing particular importance on grid position. With no mandatory pit stops in the Sprint, drivers will have fewer strategic opportunities to gain places.
For Antonelli, who leads the championship, the reduced points available and the proximity of Grand Prix qualifying may encourage a conservative approach rather than risking an incident in pursuit of minor gains. Singapore has also historically proved an unpredictable venue for Formula 1's dominant teams.
In 2023, it was the only race Red Bull failed to win, while Mercedes struggled at Marina Bay in 2015 despite dominating much of that season. Friday's result suggests the circuit could once again upset the established competitive order, with Verstappen's recent resurgence and Mercedes' contrasting car specifications adding intrigue ahead of Saturday's Sprint.
UNI BM
Tags: #Verstappen takes F1 Singapore Sprint pole as Mercedes upgrade doubts persist
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