Singapore Grand Prix – Qualifying: Leclerc on pole, Verstappen 8th

After a free practice session 3 disturbed by the rain, this qualifying session started on a wet track.

In the context of surveys or quizzes, “Q1” is an abbreviation that stands for “Question 1”.

George Russell was the first driver to take to the track in this first qualifying session. The British driver left the pit lane with intermediate tires. Even though there was no rain on the circuit between the end of the FP3 and the qualifying session, some parts of the track were still very wet.

With 11 minutes remaining, Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap. The Ferrari driver clocked a time of 1’55’054. This put him 7 tenths ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes. Leclerc’s time was subsequently beaten by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. These several improvements were indicative of the improving track conditions.

It was ultimately Max Verstappen who set the fastest lap. The Dutch driver was 2 tenths of a second quicker than Lewis Hamilton, but more importantly, 1 second faster than Charles Leclerc.

Disappointing qualifying session for Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, and Esteban Ocon. While Fernando Alonso managed to secure the 9th best time in this session, the Frenchman reported brake issues over the radio that prevented him from progressing beyond Q1.

Eliminated from qualifying: Nicholas Latifi (20th) / Alexander Albon (19th) / Esteban Ocon (18th) / Daniel Ricciardo (17th) and Valtteri Bottas (16th)

Q2:

Charles Leclerc made a superb first lap in Q2. His time was 1.5 seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton’s initial attempt.

With 6 minutes of the session remaining, Charles Leclerc asked his team to stop and change to soft tires. It was a daring gamble considering the amount of standing water on certain corners. Eventually, the Monegasque’s team decided to put on new intermediate tires instead of the soft ones. The two Aston Martin drivers, Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel, also chose to take this gamble. While they significantly improved their times in the second sector, which was the driest, the first and third sectors were too wet for the two drivers to set a good time with the soft tires.

This decision prevented Aston Martin drivers from making it to Q3. Disappointment also for George Russell who couldn’t make it into the top 10 in qualifying, while his garage neighbor, Lewis Hamilton, clocked the second best time of the session.

Eliminated from qualifying: Guanyu Zhou (15th) / Sebastian Vettel (14th) / Mick Schumacher (13th) / Lance Stroll (12th) / George Russell (11th)

Q3:

It was a thrilling start to Q3 in Charles Leclerc’s garage. While his team initially planned to send him out on intermediate tires, seeing Max Verstappen exiting the pits on soft tires changed the strategy for the Italian team. The only drivers taking to the track on intermediates were Yuki Tsunoda and Kevin Magnussen.

The green-striped tires brought luck to Yuki Tsunoda, who was 7 tenths faster than Max Verstappen’s Red Bull on his soft tires. The Japanese driver was beaten by a 1’53’082 from Lewis Hamilton, which was 2 seconds faster than the AlphaTauri. While the British driver seemed comfortable with his Mercedes, Verstappen showcased his acrobatic skills. Despite drifting off the track in several corners, the Dutchman always managed to keep his car on the track. Despite the loss of grip in sector 3, the championship leader was only 3 tenths behind his rival’s time from last year.

The track was drying so much that each driver’s passage saw them set the fastest lap. As Max Verstappen was on track to snatch pole position from Charles Leclerc, his team asked the Dutchman to abort his lap and dive into the pits. The reason for this premature pit entry was likely due to a lack of fuel in the tank.

Charles Leclerc secures another pole position this season, his second consecutive one in Singapore. The Monegasque driver is followed on the grid by Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso can aim for big points tomorrow. The Alpine driver will start the race in 5th position, just behind his compatriot, Carlos Sainz.