Verstappen Dominates Sprint Qualifying; Russell Second, Leclerc Third at Marina Bay
Max Verstappen secured pole position for Singapore's first-ever Sprint with a 1:31.156, beating George Russell by 0.120s; Charles Leclerc third, Oscar Piastri fourth, Lando Norris fifth. A Sergio Perez crash caused a red flag in SQ1, and an FIA timing fault delayed results, forcing a re-run of segments.
Sprint Pole Goes to Verstappen
Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the 2026 Singapore GP Sprint after producing a stunning final lap to beat George Russell at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. [1] The Dutchman's time of 1:31.156 left Russell second, 0.120s adrift, with Charles Leclerc third and Oscar Piastri completing the second row. [2] This marks the first Sprint Qualifying session ever held in Singapore, setting the grid for Saturday's 21-lap Sprint race.
Top Ten Grid for the Sprint
[1] The full top ten for Saturday's Sprint reads: Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:31.156; Russell (Mercedes) +0.120s; Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.243s; Piastri (McLaren) +0.298s; Norris (McLaren) +0.431s; Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.546s; Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.693s; Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1.185s; Hadjar (Red Bull) no time; Gasly (Alpine) +2.163s. [2]
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli could manage only seventh for Mercedes, finishing ahead of Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls machine. [5] Fernando Alonso made it through to SQ2 by a couple of tenths of a second; Arvid Lindblad was the first driver on the wrong side of the cut line in SQ1. [2]
Session Drama: Red Flag and Timing Fault
The session did not run smoothly. Sergio Perez hit the wall at Turn 5 in SQ1; he managed to get going again but then ran over his own damaged front wing to leave debris on the track which forced Race Control to pause the session so it could be cleared. [3]
Related reading
- [1]F1 Sprint Qualifying Results Today: 2026 Singapore Grand Prix times and positions (gpfans). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- [2]F1 2026 Singapore Grand Prix - Sprint Qualifying Results (motorsport-week). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- [3]2026 Singapore GP Sprint Qualifying: Perez hits the wall and causes a red flag in SQ1 (formula1). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- [4]F1 2026 Singapore GP sprint qualifying results (the-race). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- [5]Sprint Qualifying Results Today: Singapore GP 2026 Sprint Qualifying Times (total-motorsport). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- [6]2026 F1 Singapore GP Sprint Qualifying LIVE (total-motorsport). Accessed 2026-10-09.