By: The lights are on and the engines are running at Marina Bay: here is what happened during Sprint Qualifying.
SQ1: Max leads, Lindblad struggles
The drivers quickly take to the track, with Lewis Hamilton setting the first flying lap in 1'33''748, ahead of Gasly and Alonso. Shortly afterwards, the session is halted following contact with the barriers at Turn 8, which damages the front wing; the Mexican manages to return to the pits but leaves debris on the track. A red flag is therefore shown.
The session resumes with six minutes remaining. At the chequered flag, Max Verstappen sets the pace with a 1'33''477, narrowly ahead of Leclerc and Russell by thousandths of a second. Hamilton is fourth, Antonelli ninth. The Audi and Haas pairings both make the cut, as does Fernando Alonso. Eliminated in SQ1: Lindblad, Stroll, Albon, Perez, Bottas, Sainz.
SQ2
The second part of the session resumes after several minutes of waiting due to issues with the timing screens. On returning to the track, Verstappen is the first to go out and posts a 1'32''724. After everyone has completed their first attempt, Ferrari are running one-two, with Leclerc leading; the Mercedes do not shine, with Antonelli and Russell fifth and eighth respectively. The Briton goes again to improve and moves up to fourth, behind Lando Norris. Eliminated in SQ2: Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Bortoleto, Alonso, Ocon. Gasly performs well, progressing to SQ3 in 10th place.
SQ3: Max surprises, but beware of a penalty
Everyone returns to the track except Verstappen, Hadjar, Lawson and Gasly, who will make just one attempt. Charles Leclerc leads the way with a 1'31''568, followed by Norris and Piastri. At the chequered flag, Max Verstappen takes pole position with a 1'31''156, ahead of Russell and Leclerc. Hamilton is sixth, Antonelli seventh. The Dutchman is under investigation for overtaking Hamilton under yellow flags: follow the latest updates on the matter on Formula1.it. The full classification follows below.
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Singapore GP 2026
