Sprint Qualifying 01 – Singapur – 09. October 2026
Singapore has already given us plenty to talk about, and we haven’t even had the Sprint yet.
Max Verstappen took pole for Saturday’s Sprint, beating George Russell by just 0.120 seconds. Charles Leclerc followed in third, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris completing the top five.
After Russell topped the only practice session, Mercedes looked competitive heading into qualifying. But Verstappen found the extra pace when it mattered, putting Red Bull at the front for the Sprint.
And honestly, with those gaps at the top, this could get interesting tomorrow.
Russell is close, but Verstappen gets it done
Russell came incredibly close to taking pole. Just 0.120 seconds separated him from Verstappen, which puts Mercedes in a promising position heading into the weekend’s first competitive session.
Leclerc was also right there, only 0.243 seconds off the top time. Piastri wasn’t far behind either, meaning the fight at the front is much closer than a quick look at the final order might suggest.
The big question now is whether Russell can turn that pace into a fight for the win. Starting alongside Verstappen gives him a chance, but Singapore is a circuit where track position can make life difficult once the race gets going.
Antonelli has some work to do
Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh, leaving him with a bit of ground to make up in the Sprint.
It’s not the result he would have wanted, especially with Russell starting on the front row. Still, seventh isn’t a disaster, and there are points available to fight for.
The important thing will be getting through the opening laps cleanly. Singapore doesn’t exactly make overtaking easy, so Antonelli will need to make his opportunities count rather than spend the entire Sprint stuck behind another car.
With Russell in second, Mercedes has a genuine chance at the front. Now it’s up to Antonelli to see how much he can recover.
And then there’s the FIA…
Because apparently, one controversy per weekend just isn’t enough.
A red flag followed Sergio Perez’s crash in SQ1, and the restart brought problems of its own. Some lap times weren’t registered correctly, creating confusion over the running order and which drivers would make it through.
There was also an issue with Overtake Mode, the system that gives drivers access to additional electrical energy. The FIA acknowledged that a human error meant the system was unavailable as expected before being activated briefly and then switched off again.
For drivers trying to put together a qualifying lap, that’s obviously not ideal. The timing issue and the Overtake Mode problem were separate incidents, but both added unnecessary confusion to a session that should have been decided on track.
After the problems in Malaysia, seeing more technical issues become part of the weekend is frustrating. Teams and drivers prepare for these sessions down to the smallest details. They should be able to trust that the systems around them are working as intended.
What to watch in the Sprint
Verstappen has pole, Russell is right behind him, and Ferrari and McLaren are close enough to make things interesting.
For Mercedes, the Sprint could go in two very different directions: Russell has a real shot at challenging Verstappen, while Antonelli needs to focus on gaining positions and limiting the damage.
And with Singapore’s tight layout, the start could be particularly important. Getting ahead is one thing. Finding a way past someone once the field settles down is another.
Saturday should give us a much better idea of who has the pace to fight at the front — and whether Verstappen can hold on when the lights go out.
Paddock Files — the story beyond the timing screens.