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Singapore GP · qualifying

Singapore: Verstappen’s first Marina Bay pole is worth 54 thousandths

The tightest lap of the weekend is decided in a single sector. Behind, Ferrari makes few mistakes and still loses, and Mercedes pays for an engine.

Muretto · Redazione tecnica·Q
What happened A pole Singapore had always denied him

At Marina Bay Max Verstappen had never started ahead of everyone. On Saturday he does it with a 1:31.373, 54 thousandths better than Charles Leclerc. Here, in qualifying, he had never gone beyond the front row. Verstappen says it was exactly the pole he wanted, with a car that was strong all weekend.

Lewis Hamilton is third, 123 thousandths back, ahead of Kimi Antonelli. George Russell sets the sixth fastest time but will start from the back rows. Russell explains that he has exceeded the number of power unit components allowed.

What the timing says One sector each, then the third

The official sector times show where the margin forms. In the first, Verstappen is 23 thousandths ahead of Leclerc. In the second, Leclerc gives him back 130 thousandths, and the best split of the session in that section belongs to Hamilton. In the third, Verstappen gains 161 thousandths on Leclerc, and is the quickest of all.

It is the sector where the pole pulls away most. The timing, though, does not say in which corner. Leclerc admits he got one wrong on his fast lap: which one, the official times do not show.

Verstappen and Leclerc do their decisive lap on new Softs, fitted two laps earlier. The difference does not come from the tyres. And it is a tighter margin than the one with which, on Friday, Verstappen had taken pole for the Sprint.

Gap to pole sector by sector in Q3, from the sector times of the official classification: a bar to the right = slower than VER in that sector, to the left = faster. The three add up to the gap over the lap.Q3, sector by sectorgap to VER in the official sector times · Singapore 2026 qualifyinglapSector 1+0,023+0,271+0,154+0,191+0,175+0,198+0,175+0,288+0,375Sector 2−0,130−0,273−0,079−0,060+0,144−0,155+0,244+0,322+0,570Sector 3+0,161+0,125+0,114+0,208+0,055+0,444+0,433+0,386+0,463VERpoleLEC+0,054HAM+0,123ANT+0,189NOR+0,339RUS+0,374PIA+0,487GAS+0,852LAW+0,996LIN+1,408right = slower than pole in the sector, left = faster · lap = sum of the three sectors
Gap to pole sector by sector in Q3, from the sector times of the official classification: a bar to the right = slower than VER in that sector, to the left = faster. The three add up to the gap over the lap.
What remains open Who is left without a lap

Isack Hadjar has no time. Laurent Mekies, Red Bull’s team principal, speaks of a gearbox problem on his car.

Hamilton apologises to the team for not being able to go faster, after setting the best split in the middle section. With Russell in the back rows, Mercedes’ Sunday rests on Antonelli.