Singapore Showdown:Russell on Pole
Qualifying in Singapore once again proved its importance on the narrow city circuit, starting position is almost everything. Over the past 15 years, the pole-sitter has won ten times, and this weekend was no exception when it came to drama.
Friday and Saturday practice sessions were repeatedly interrupted by red flags, while the decisive session turned into an extremely tight battle: in FP3, the entire top five was separated by just nine hundredths of a second. Due to recent reconstruction, the track was shortened by 13 meters, which reset all previous lap records.
In Q1, all drivers set their times on Soft tires without major incidents, with Hamilton leading the way at 1:29.765. Eliminated were Bortoleto, Stroll, Colapinto, Ocon, and Gasly, whose car suffered a technical failure.
In Q2, the lead changed hands between Verstappen, Antonelli, and Russell. Ultimately, it was Russell who came out on top with a 1:29.562, while Hamilton had his lap deleted. The final brought further success for George, as he secured pole in Singapore with a 1:29.158 his seventh career pole and second of the season. He will start alongside Verstappen on the front row, followed by Piastri and Antonelli.
However, just a few hours later, the stewards announced the disqualification of both Williams drivers for a technical infringement, though they were still permitted to start the race.
