Max Verstappen claimed pole position in qualifying for the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, but Ferrari came extraordinarily close to denying the Red Bull driver at Marina Bay. Charles Leclerc qualified second, just 0.054 seconds away from pole, while Lewis Hamilton completed a strong Ferrari P2-P3 with third place, only 0.069 seconds behind Max Verstappen.
Mercedes also began to see some encouraging signs regarding its upgrade situation as Kimi Antonelli secured fourth place. Lando Norris followed in fifth, ahead of George Russell, who is set to start from the back of the grid because of a penalty for changing his power unit. Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten.
Ferrari pushes Max Verstappen close in Singapore GP qualifying
Every driver headed onto the Marina Bay Street Circuit for Q1 on the softest available compound. During his first preparation lap, Esteban Ocon brushed the barriers but was able to reverse away and continue, with only limited damage around the front-wing area.
After the opening flying laps, Max Verstappen held first place ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and George Russell, with the Mercedes driver already facing a start from the back of the grid because of his power-unit change. Isack Hadjar encountered gearbox problems and was unable to set a lap time.
The two McLaren drivers then improved, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri moving into first and second respectively. Charles Leclerc completed his first valid attempt and moved into seventh place, five tenths away from the fastest time.
Lewis Hamilton then climbed to the top of the timesheets with a one-tenth advantage over Lando Norris. A few seconds later, Charles Leclerc moved into second place, sitting only one tenth ahead of George Russell. On his final attempt, Lewis Hamilton improved by another two tenths.
Q1 ended with Lewis Hamilton fastest ahead of Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Liam Lawson and Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen was only eighth, while Kimi Antonelli and George Russell finished 12th and 13th respectively. Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Isack Hadjar were eliminated, with the gearbox problem preventing Isack Hadjar from setting a time.
Lewis Hamilton stays on top through Q2
Q2 once again began with Lewis Hamilton in first place, four tenths ahead of Kimi Antonelli and five tenths clear of Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc was only seventh at that stage, six tenths behind his Ferrari teammate.
Lando Norris improved to take second place, around a tenth and a half behind Lewis Hamilton. On his following attempt, Charles Leclerc climbed to fourth but remained six tenths away from Lewis Hamilton, who in turn found another two tenths and retained first place.
Max Verstappen then made a significant step forward to take second, just one tenth behind Lewis Hamilton. The session ended with Lewis Hamilton fastest, one tenth ahead of Max Verstappen and almost four tenths clear of Lando Norris. Charles Leclerc followed around four tenths behind, with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell next.
The Audi and Haas drivers were eliminated alongside Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto. Franco Colapinto touched the barriers at the final corner on his last attempt, although without suffering any significant damage.
Charles Leclerc misses Singapore pole by just 0.054 seconds
After the first Q3 runs, Max Verstappen held provisional pole with a one-tenth advantage over Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli. Charles Leclerc was fourth at that stage, ahead of Lando Norris, George Russell and Oscar Piastri.
The decisive final runs produced an exceptionally close fight for pole. Max Verstappen remained fastest, but Charles Leclerc surged into second place and finished only 0.054 seconds behind the Red Bull driver. Lewis Hamilton secured third, just 0.069 seconds away from pole, giving Ferrari two cars inside the top three.
The narrow margins at the front can also be examined through the F1 Qualifying Pace & Sector Comparison, which allows the qualifying laps and individual sector performances to be compared in greater detail.
Kimi Antonelli completed the second row in fourth place, followed by Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.
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