George Russell delivered a dazzling display under the lights of Marina Bay to claim pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, as Saturday night brought both triumph and controversy.
The Mercedes driver produced a record-breaking lap of 1:29.158 in Q3 to secure his seventh career pole and Mercedes’ first in Singapore since Lewis Hamilton in 2018.
It was a statement performance from Russell, who brushed the walls on his way to the top and later admitted he had pushed his car right to the edge.
His achievement comes with added significance. Pole position has traditionally been a powerful advantage on the tight Singapore streets, with ten of the last fifteen Grand Prix wins here coming from the front of the grid. Russell, who converted his only other pole this season in Montreal into victory, now has another golden chance to do the same.
Max Verstappen had to settle for second best, the Red Bull driver voicing his frustration over the radio after losing time in traffic on his final lap. Despite being a four-time front row starter at Marina Bay, the Dutchman has still never started from pole at the venue.
Just behind, championship leader Oscar Piastri celebrated his best-ever Singapore qualifying with third, continuing a season in which he has emerged as a genuine title contender. He will line up ahead of Mercedes’ rising star Kimi Antonelli, who made it two Silver Arrows in the top four after another polished performance in his rookie campaign.
Lando Norris, meanwhile, was left disappointed in fifth, marking the second race in succession where he has failed to crack the top four.
Ferrari also struggled to match the pace of Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton narrowly edging Charles Leclerc for sixth place. For Hamilton, it was a rare landmark, as this would be the first time in his Singapore career that he would not start inside the top five.
Behind the leading pack, the midfield provided its own drama. Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar once again impressed by comfortably reaching Q3 and securing eighth place, though the Frenchman admitted he made a mistake that cost him a potentially stronger lap.
Haas teenager Ollie Bearman stunned with ninth, the best qualifying result of his short F1 career, while Fernando Alonso salvaged 10th for Aston Martin despite struggling with the balance of his car all weekend.
The biggest story after the chequered flag, however, came not from the timesheets but from the stewards’ room. Both Williams drivers, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, were disqualified after their cars failed post-Qualifying checks.
FIA scrutineers discovered that the DRS slot gap on both machines exceeded the legal limit of 85mm, a clear breach of the technical regulations.
Williams did not contest the ruling, with Team Principal James Vowles describing the outcome as “bitterly disappointing” and insisting the team had not sought any advantage.
The disqualification relegates both drivers to the back of the grid, promoting those around them and reshaping the order for Sunday’s race.
For New Zealand’s Liam Lawson, the decision provided a small boost. The Racing Bulls driver endured a challenging build-up after crashing in both FP2 and FP3, forcing his mechanics into back-to-back rebuilds.
Despite limited preparation, Lawson managed to haul his car into Q2 and eventually qualified 14th. With the Williams exclusions, he will move up to 12th on the grid, offering a better platform to chase points.
“The team did an amazing job to get me back out,” Lawson said.
“Missing so many laps made it tough, but I’ll work hard tomorrow to make up ground. It’s not easy to overtake here, but we’ll give it everything.”
Racing Bulls Chief Technical Officer Tim Goss praised the effort on both sides of the garage, pointing to Hadjar’s consistency and Lawson’s resilience as signs of progress for the team.
With Hadjar starting inside the top ten and Lawson close behind, the outfit is well-placed to fight for crucial points in the Constructors’ Championship.
Elsewhere, Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed a first Q3 appearance of the year for Kick Sauber and will line up 11th, while rookie team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto’s run of out-qualifying the German came to an end.
Lance Stroll again fell at the first hurdle, eliminated in Q1 for the third consecutive Singapore weekend, while Alpine’s struggles deepened as Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly languished at the back, Gasly stopping on track during Q1.
Esteban Ocon also endured a poor night, out-qualified once more by Haas rookie Bearman.
With Russell on pole, Verstappen poised alongside, and Piastri leading McLaren’s challenge from third, Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix promises to be another tense battle in both the race and the wider championship fight.
The added intrigue of disqualifications and Kiwi Lawson’s recovery from a bruising build-up only adds to the drama on what is set to be a long, hot and unpredictable evening at Marina Bay, with possible rain also on the radar.
Header Image: Formula 1 via X
