Qualifying report: fifth row for Ferrari at Marina Bay | 2024 F1 Singapore GP. Results and report from qualifying at Marina Bay.

A shocking turn of events in Singapore saw both Ferraris finish ninth and tenth, with Charles Leclerc unable to set a time and Carlos Sainz crashing into the wall early in Q3, ending his qualifying session prematurely. Lando Norris ultimately secured pole position ahead of Max Verstappen.

At the start of the final qualifying session, Sainz crashed his Ferrari, damaging the rear of the car. A red flag was displayed, and drivers were left with just one opportunity to set a fast lap for pole.

As everyone returned to the track, they pushed hard to secure the top spot. Norris and Verstappen were flying, with Hamilton close behind them. Leclerc’s lap was invalidated due to track limits, resulting in a highly disappointing qualifying for Ferrari.

In Q1, the Ferraris faced elimination. Lando Norris started strong, taking the lead after his first attempt, closely followed by Leclerc. Albon in the Williams was also performing well, trying to keep up with the front runners. Verstappen appeared to struggle slightly but remained near the top of the time sheets.

In the second half of Q1, both Ferraris seemed to be in trouble but managed to advance to Q2 without too many issues. Sainz secured sixth place, while Leclerc settled for twelfth, failing to complete his final lap. Eliminated from Q1 were Ricciardo, Stroll, Gasly, Bottas, and Zhou, with a struggling Kick continuing to face challenges.

In Q2, Max Verstappen and Sainz faced difficulties, and Perez was eliminated. Verstappen’s first attempt was cancelled due to track limits, while Charles Leclerc immediately set his sights on Norris, who was once again the fastest. Sainz, slightly behind, ended up with the sixth fastest time after his first run, even slower than Haas’s Hulkenberg. Both Mercedes also appeared to be in good form.

In the second attempts, Max Verstappen soared into Q3 behind Oscar Piastri, with Charles Leclerc securing the third fastest time. Norris cruised into Q3 without pushing hard, while Carlos Sainz had to settle for sixth. At the end of Q2, the two Williams, Perez, Magnussen, and Ocon were eliminated, marking another shocking exit for the Red Bull driver.

In Q3, Lando Norris delivered, achieving his sixth career pole position in Singapore. This sets him up perfectly for a potential victory and the chance to close the gap on Max Verstappen. Lando Norris secured pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, edging out Max Verstappen in a Q3 that was interrupted by a crash from last year’s winner, Carlos Sainz.

Sainz lost control of his Ferrari as he exited Turn 17 while preparing for a fast lap, backing it into the wall and prompting a red flag.

Verstappen initially clocked a time of 1m29.791s to take the top spot, but this lap was subsequently invalidated due to the double-waved yellow flags following Sainz’s incident. The crash also disrupted Norris’s momentum, as he was on track for a fast lap with two purple sectors before the session was halted.

After a 15-minute delay, when the session resumed, drivers without a completed lap opted to wait for a final push with fresh soft tires instead of going out on used ones.

Oscar Piastri, who was temporarily leading with a time of 1m29.953s, soon found himself overshadowed by Norris, who set a blistering 1m29.525s. Verstappen managed to get close, posting a 1m29.728s to secure a spot on the front row.

Both Mercedes drivers secured the second row, with Lewis Hamilton finishing third just 0.026s ahead of George Russell, indicating a more competitive showing from the Brackley team on Saturday.

Ferrari faced a challenging session, as Charles Leclerc’s lap was canceled, leaving him in seventh place, only four thousandths of a second slower than Nico Hulkenberg. Consequently, Leclerc and Sainz will start from ninth and tenth positions, trailing Fernando Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda, who occupy the fourth row.