Singapore GP: Lando Norris takes pole from Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in dramatic qualifying

In a thrilling qualifying session for the Singapore Grand Prix, Lando Norris secured the top spot, outpacing both championship leader Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Norris, currently 59 points behind Verstappen in the championship standings, outpaced his competitor by 0.203 seconds. The final session of qualifying, Q3, ultimately hinged on a single lap after a crash involving Ferrari's Carlos Sainz at the last corner.

The McLaren driver was set to secure pole position until a red flag brought out by Sainz interrupted the session. He finished with an impressive lap, and Verstappen managed to place alongside him on the front row, ahead of Hamilton.

Hamilton faced challenges during practice but managed to outpace his teammate George Russell to secure third place. This positioning means Mercedes could influence the competition between the title contenders.

Oscar Piastri will begin the Singapore Grand Prix from the fifth position, with Nico Hulkenberg from Haas and Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin starting behind him.

Charles Leclerc from Ferrari originally qualified in seventh place, but his lap time was disqualified because he went over the track limits. As a result, he will be starting the race from ninth position, right next to his teammate Sainz, who will be in tenth.

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Singapore GP Qualifying: Best 10 Performers

Lando Norris, a driver for McLaren.

2) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

3) Lewis Hamilton, driving for Mercedes

4) George Russell, driving for Mercedes

5) Oscar Piastri, McLaren Oscar Piastri is a driver for McLaren.

6) Nico Hulkenberg, representing Haas

7) Fernando Alonso, driving for Aston Martin

8) Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing

9) Charles Leclerc, representing Ferrari

10) Carlos Sainz, representing Ferrari

Norris Shines In Q3 Showdown

Just four minutes into Q3, as Sainz was gearing up for a fast lap, he crashed at the final corner, leaving only two drivers with recorded lap times.

Piastri set the fastest time at 1:30.037, but it was anticipated that someone would surpass it as the track conditions improved. This created an exciting final moments during qualifying.

The McLaren team chose to exit the pit lane ahead of everyone else to steer clear of any potential yellow or red flags. Norris then delivered an impressive performance in the middle sector, clocking a time of 1:29.525, which secured him pole position.

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"It was challenging, particularly during the qualifying rounds. I struggled a bit to make significant progress and improve my lap times," Norris remarked.

"All the other guys around me appeared to be speeding up, which increased the pressure on me, particularly with only a single lap remaining."

"I’m really pleased with how I performed in qualifying, especially in Singapore. It’s a great feeling. Overall, I’ve been feeling good all weekend; I had a lot of confidence, although maybe not as much during qualifying. But in the end, we accomplished what we needed to."

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Verstappen finished just two tenths of a second behind, on a circuit where Red Bull wasn't anticipated to perform well. Therefore, the defending world champion was very pleased to secure a spot on the front row.

Hamilton clocked the quickest time in the final sector after discovering the perfect tire conditions. This earned him his best qualifying result since the summer break, edging out Russell by just 0.026 seconds.

"Qualifying has been a struggle for me throughout the year, and I've been putting in a lot of effort to turn things around. But unexpectedly, the car finally performed well during qualifying like it hasn't in a long time," Hamilton shared.

"It was unfortunate to see the red flag come up when we were starting to find our groove. Everyone faced the same challenge, and that last lap turned out to be quite tricky. I believe there was a little more speed we could have tapped into, but I'm really thankful for how things turned out."

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Many drivers expressed dissatisfaction with how their tires performed during qualifying, including the Mercedes team, who managed to improve their times toward the end of Q3.

Piastri likely aimed to race alongside Norris at the front, but instead found himself pushed down to fifth place, as Ferrari struggled during qualifying.

Sainz and Leclerc were anticipated to fight for the pole position, but neither of them managed to keep up with the speed throughout Saturday. Their situation worsened when both drivers failed to record a lap in Q3. Sainz crashed, while Leclerc had his time invalidated for cutting Turn Two.

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Perez And Ricciardo Eliminated Early

Sergio Perez will start the race from 13th position after a disappointing performance in Q2. The Mexican driver found himself among the bottom five before his final attempt and did manage to improve his lap time, but it wasn’t enough to advance. He fell short of reaching the final qualifying session by just 0.180 seconds.

Red Bull is currently trailing McLaren by 20 points in the Constructors' Championship, and with six races remaining after Sunday, they risk falling even further behind.

"We experimented with various aspects of the car throughout the weekend. I’m somewhat taken aback by the issues we encountered in the second quarter," Perez remarked.

"In the first qualifying session, I messed up my lap, but I ended up being even slower in the second session. The issue was with the tires; I just couldn’t get them to the right temperature."

"It's been a tough weekend, and tomorrow is likely to be a lengthy afternoon, so let's aim to keep any negative impact to a minimum."

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Daniel Ricciardo's future is uncertain, and there's a chance he may not continue racing for Red Bull Racing after the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.

The Australian was in dire need of a solid qualifying performance, but he was knocked out in Q1 and will begin the race in 16th place.

Singapore GP Qualifying Results Summary

Live Schedule For Singapore GP On Sky Sports F1

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Sunday, September 2nd 8:30 AM: F1 Academy Race Two 11:30 AM: Grand Prix Sunday: Pre-race coverage for the Singapore GP 1:00 PM: The SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 3:00 PM: Chequered Flag: Post-race analysis of the Singapore GP 4:00 PM: Ted's Notebook

The exciting 2024 Formula 1 season is set to continue with the Singapore Grand Prix, happening live on Sky Sports F1 this Sunday at 2 PM. You can catch every F1 race and additional content by subscribing to a NOW Sports Month Membership, which offers flexibility with no contract and the option to cancel whenever you like.