Following the day’s FP3 session, George Russell stunned in Qualifying at the 2025 Singapore GP with a blistering lap to claim pole, leading a shock Mercedes showcase that shook up the order under the Marina Bay lights. What other surprises came from this session?
Q1: Hamilton Top, Alpine Causes Chaos
Traffic was always going to be a headache, and Oscar Piastri felt it first. His first push lap was ruined by a questionable yellow after Alex Albon went wide to get out of his way. Piastri wasn’t able to log a proper time until inside the final ten minutes.
The big drama came when Pierre Gasly’s Alpine lost power at Turn 13. A yellow flag flew, yet several drivers still improved their laps. The situation attracted the attention of race control and stewards, but was deemed to be reviewed after the session.
Hamilton had the last word, going quickest with a 1:29.765 ahead of Russell and Norris. Aston Martin looked stuck in place after a strong Friday showing. Alonso was only P14, and Stroll was knocked out in P17. The Ferrari camp was shaky too, with Leclerc scraping through in P8. Mercedes’ Russell and rookie Antonelli were notably efficient, needing fewer laps than most drivers to set their times.
Knocked out: Bortoleto, Stroll, Colapinto, Ocon, Gasly.
Q2: Mercedes Surprises, Leclerc Struggles
Max Verstappen went fastest early, and briefly had company from rookies Hadjar and Bearman before the usual suspects reset the order. Alonso even popped up into P3, just 0.38s off Verstappen, showing signs of a fight.
With five minutes left, it was Verstappen, Piastri, Hamilton, Norris, and Hadjar at the top. Leclerc was stranded in the drop zone after brushing the wall and stopping for a new front wing. Then came the Mercedes declaration: Antonelli to P1 with a 1:29.649, then immediately beaten by Russell by 0.087 seconds. Verstappen quietly slotted in between them, only 0.010 seconds behind Russell.
Leclerc clung on with a last-gasp lap (again), climbing to P6 and pushing Hamilton to P7. Hadjar and Bearman kept their 2025 Singapore GP rookie fairytales alive by making Q3.
Knocked out: Hülkenberg, Albon, Sainz, Lawson, Tsunoda.
Q3: Russell Backs up Mercedes’ Statement
Russell wasted no time, banging in a 1:29.165 on his first run. Behind him it was Verstappen, Piastri, Antonelli, Norris, Hamilton, Leclerc, Hadjar, Bearman, and Alonso. The final runs saw the track evolve even further, but it did not seem to help many drivers. Norris couldn’t improve with his final attempt. Leclerc blew his chance with a late mistake. Verstappen was the only driver close, but he backed out in the final corners. Verstappen later made it known that Norris’ trundling around the final few corners caused the issue.
That left Russell alone at the front. His impressive 1:29.158 secured a shock pole for Mercedes. Verstappen fell short by 0.182 seconds, with Piastri and Antonelli locking in behind. Alonso’s late effort deserves mention, too. P10 in Q3 was his fastest lap of the weekend. The veteran is still fighting hard despite those recent retirement comments.
With qualifying done, tune in for the 2025 Singapore GP tomorrow at 08:00 p.m. track time.
Feature Image Credit: EverythingF1