Max Verstappen dominated on Saturday in Marina Bay by winning the sprint race and taking pole for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will accompany the Dutchman at the start, while Kimi Antonelli finished fourth in the sprint and George Russell suffered a retirement.
Max Verstappen had a great day at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. The four-time Dutch world champion won the sprint race this Saturday and then took pole position for the main event, confirming Red Bull’s improvement in the final stretch of the 2026 season.
The Dutch driver set a time of 1:31.373 in Q3 of the classification held at the Marina Bay urban circuit. The Monegasque Charles Leclerc and the British Lewis Hamilton, both from Ferrari, completed the first three positions, while Kimi Antonelli, the World Championship leader, achieved the fourth best time.
Verstappen will now look for his first victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, a circuit where he has yet to reach the top of the podium in his nine previous appearances.
Russell leaves and Antonelli expands his options
The day began with a sprint race marked by rain and incidents. The start was delayed by half an hour due to monsoon rainfall, which left different grip conditions on the Marina Bay asphalt. The 22 cars started with intermediate tires.
George Russell, who started from second position, overtook Verstappen at the start. However, the Briton lost control of his Mercedes on the second lap and ended up crashing into the barriers, ending his race and complicating his title aspirations.
“It was a miscalculation,” Russell admitted to Sky Sports.
His teammate Antonelli also benefited from the incidents. The Italian, who was running sixth, took advantage of the contact between the two McLarens on the last lap to finish fourth, behind Hamilton and Leclerc.
The sprint race left numerous incidents under investigation by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), on a day complicated by weather conditions.
Verstappen confirms Red Bull’s recovery
After his victory in Malaysia, the first victory of his season, Verstappen once again showed that Red Bull is going through a positive dynamic. The Dutchman dominated the classification and surpassed the Ferraris, who are emerging as his main rivals for Sunday’s race.
“Of course, I am very happy to get pole because it was what I wanted,” declared the driver after the session.
Verstappen highlighted the performance of the car throughout the weekend, although he acknowledged that there are still aspects to improve.
The qualifying session was also delayed by 30 minutes. In Q3, Lando Norris obtained fifth position, while Russell set the sixth best time, although he will have to start from the back of the grid due to a penalty related to the change of components on his Mercedes.
Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten positions.
Alonso, eliminated in Q1
The day was especially complicated for Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard from Aston Martin was eliminated in the first round of qualifying, like his teammate Lance Stroll and the Cadillacs of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez.
Isack Hadjar, Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, was also unable to make it through Q1 due to a mechanical problem that prevented him from recording a lap.
In Q2, among others, the Argentine Franco Colapinto, the Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto and the Spanish Carlos Sainz were eliminated.
With the pole and the victory in the sprint, Verstappen will face the Singapore Grand Prix with the opportunity to prolong his recovery and conquer for the first time one of the most demanding races on the Formula 1 calendar.
