Russell storms to pole at Singapore ahead of Verstappen and Piastri

Charlotte Mui
2 hours ago
4 min read

Written by Charlotte Mui

After a costly crash in practice yesterday, George Russell recovered by charging to a dominant pole on the streets of Singapore. With two brilliant Q3 laps, he put himself nearly two tenths ahead of Max Verstappen who will start second and four tenths ahead of Oscar Piastri who will start third.

Qualifying 1

Q1 got underway around the Marina Bay circuit at 14:00 BST. All cars bar Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls peeled out of the pit lane to begin their warm up laps. The New Zealand driver suffered a big crash in the earlier practice session, but luckily, his crew was able to repair his car in time, only missing out on the first two minutes of the session.

As the early lap times were coming in, Lewis Hamilton had a moment between Turn 1 and 2 and abandoned his first attempt. He will be looking for a better result than last time out in Baku, where he failed to progress into Q3.

A few minutes later, championship leader Piastri was also forced to abandon his lap due to yellow flags. With ten minutes left in the session, the Australian had yet to set a fast lap.

Ollie Bearman in the Haas surprisingly went fastest with a brilliant lap, before being displaced by Verstappen for the top spot. If the Red Bull driver can take pole here, it could be a massive moment for the championship momentum. Singapore marks the only track on the 2025 calendar where Verstappen has yet to win, and it would be a huge boost in confidence if he manages to claim pole.

Track evolution continued to play a huge factor in the session. The Ferraris went second and third quickest behind Verstappen, before Isack Hadjar went fastest overall.

With five minutes to go, Lando Norris, winner at Singapore last year, went quickest with a 1:29.932. Though feeling uncomfortable in practice yesterday and missing some run-time due to a crash in the pit lane with Charles Leclerc, he remains a favourite for pole. Piastri, on the other hand, sat down in eighth, but looked set to put in another lap.

Both Sauber drivers sat in the drop-zone with a minute to go. Fortunately, Hülkenberg was able to improve to P13, allowing him to progress to the next stage in qualifying.

Yuki Tsunoda was also in danger of elimination, but put in a lap good enough for P10 at the last minute. He will be hoping to build on his solid performance from last weekend in order to keep his seat for next year.

Q1 eliminations

16. Gabriel Bortoleto

17. Lance Stroll

18. Franco Colapinto

19. Esteban Ocon

20. Pierre Gasly

Qualifying 2

Verstappen set the pace for the next phase in qualifying, putting in a 1:29.747. Track evolution seemed to have died down, as the following drivers were unable to topple his time.

With eight minutes to go, both Kimi Antonelli and Hamilton had their times deleted for track limits, while Piastri went second fastest, less than a tenth behind Verstappen.

Leclerc the hit the wall, losing him time and leaving him in the drop zone. Luckily, the damage wasn't significant and he continued on in the session after his team provided him with a new front wing.

With three minutes to go, Antonelli topped the timesheets with a 1:29.649. However, he was displaced at the top by his teammate not long after, who finished the session with the quickest time overall. The Mercedes cars have been looking strong on this circuit. Verstappen put in a time to split the Mercedes pair a few minutes later.

Leclerc also set a time good enough for sixth, allowing him to escape elimination after his moment earlier on.

Q2 eliminations

11. Nico Hülkenberg

12. Alex Albon

13. Carlos Sainz

14. Liam Lawson

15. Yuki Tsunoda

Qualifying 3

Bearman and the two Mercedes were the first cars out for the last session. Immediately, Russell put in a blistering lap, with a time of 1:29.165—nearly four tenths ahead of his teammate. After a crash in practice yesterday, he does not look to be holding back when it comes to taking risks.

As the rest of the cars set their times, none were able to beat the British driver’s lap. Piastri managed to go second, but his time was still three and a half tenths slower than Russell’s.

Verstappen then went second fastest, with a lap that put him 0.175 behind the Mercedes driver. This meant that Russell had provisional pole, and the fight looked to be between him and the Dutchman.

With three minutes to go, drivers were preparing to start their flying laps. All eyes turned to the McLarens and Verstappen to see if they could displace Russell’s time.

While both McLarens looked to be pushing, neither managed to find improvements and they remained third and fifth. Likewise, the Ferrari drivers were unable to make any gains.

Russell, on the other hand, was able to marginally improve on his previous time, further cementing his position at the top.

Verstappen looked to be the one who could properly challenge for pole, but an error through the final sector and traffic with Norris forced him to back out of his lap.

Sunday’s starting grid

George Russell
Max Verstappen
Oscar Piastri
Kimi Antonelli
Lando Norris
Lewis Hamilton
Charles Leclerc
Isack Hadjar
Ollie Bearman
Fernando Alonso
Nico Hülkenberg
Alex Albon
Carlos Sainz
Liam Lawson
Yuki Tsunoda
Gabriel Bortoleto
Lance Stroll
Franco Colapinto
Esteban Ocon
Pierre Gasly

Looking ahead

The Singapore Grand Prix will begin at 13:00 BST on Sunday. Russell will be aiming for his second victory of the season and redemption at a circuit that, in his own words, “has not been the kindest” to him in the past.

Lining up alongside him, however, is Verstappen, who is chasing his first-ever win around Marina Bay and looking to strengthen his position in the championship battle. A victory for the Dutchman would further boost his chances in the title race — just when many believed it had become a two-way fight between the McLaren drivers.