Max Verstappen secured pole position for the sprint in Singapore

Max Verstappen, the Red Bull Racing driver, secured pole position for the sprint race at the Singapore Grand Prix, beating Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in a session held under the floodlights at the Marina Bay circuit.

Verstappen set the benchmark time on his final flying lap, stopping the clock at 1 minute, 31.156 seconds. The Dutch driver was 0.120 seconds faster than Russell, while Leclerc finished the session in third place, approximately one tenth of a second behind the pair.

The result comes after a practice session in which four teams appeared capable of fighting for the top positions. Verstappen explained that the soft tyres gave the car an extra performance boost on a street circuit where drivers run very close to the walls and push to the limit through the fast corners.

“Here in Singapore, the race is always close,” said Verstappen, who said he was surprised by the pace achieved and pleased to have finished in first place.

However, his pole position has not yet been officially confirmed. Verstappen is due to be heard by the race stewards over a possible breach of the rules concerning adherence to the yellow flag during the first part of sprint qualifying, SQ1. Therefore, the starting order could be changed after the disciplinary decision.