Max Verstappen claimed the 50th pole position of his Formula 1 career on Saturday, October 10, beating Charles Leclerc in a tight qualifying session for the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver set a time of 1:31.373 at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, just 0.054 seconds faster than Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton completed the top three after leading the way in both Q1 and Q2 but failing to improve enough on his final attempt.
Verstappen’s pole comes a day after he secured the fastest time in Sprint Qualifying and went on to win Saturday morning’s 100-kilometer Sprint.
After taking his first victory of the season at Sepang last weekend, the Dutchman now has another opportunity to claim his second Grand Prix win of the year.
Ferrari placed both cars in the top three, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth for Mercedes. McLaren’s Lando Norris took fifth, ahead of George Russell, who qualified sixth but is set to drop down the grid after an engine change. Oscar Piastri, who collided with Norris during the Sprint, qualified seventh.
Further down the field, Pierre Gasly took eighth for Alpine, followed by Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar endured another difficult session after retiring from the Sprint with a mechanical problem and failed to set a representative lap, leaving him last on the timesheets.
Verstappen will start Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix from pole as he looks to convert his qualifying advantage into another victory. The race begins at 12:00 Moroccan time.
