Lando Norris secured Pole Position at the F1 Qualifying Singapore GP 2024. Just two-tenths behind him, Max Verstappen will start P2 on the front row after missing out in the last two races. Lewis Hamilton will line up P3.
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It was a tricky session, marked by a red flag in Q3 after Carlos Sainz crashed into the wall. Meanwhile, both Checo Pérez and the two Williams failed to make it into Q3.
George Russell, who had shown great form in FP3, struggled throughout qualifying but managed to secure P4, just behind his Mercedes teammate.
The session took place under clear skies, with track temperatures of around 32°C and high humidity at 80%.
As it Happened
Q1
Esteban Ocon was first out on track, followed by his teammate Gasly. Then came the two McLarens, Saubers, Ferraris, and Checo Pérez’s Red Bull. The rest of the field waited a bit longer in the pits. All drivers were on soft tires.
Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the first sector, with a lap of 1:30.896, followed by Checo Pérez, just +0.703s behind.
Lando Norris quickly topped that with a 1:30.724 lap.
Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz posted very similar times, but both were slightly behind Norris and Leclerc, who remained the leaders.
Coming in strong, the Williams duo of Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto placed themselves fifth and seventh, respectively, about six-tenths off the lead. Colapinto had a minor brush with the wall, costing him time and almost jeopardizing his session.
With 8 minutes left, Verstappen slotted into second, just a tenth behind Norris. The two Mercedes were struggling, only managing P11 and P13 at this stage of Q1.
Several drivers had close calls with the walls, but no major incidents occurred beyond a few time losses.
With 5 minutes remaining, most drivers pitted. The McLarens opted for used tires, while others fitted fresh rubber to ensure safe passage into Q2.
As the track continued to improve, Alex Albon temporarily went fastest with a 1:30.679, but Norris quickly reclaimed the top spot, beating Albon by six-tenths.
With less than 3 minutes left, the two Ferraris were still in the pits. They managed to get out in time and improve their times.
Problems for Russell
As the session ended, Norris, Piastri, and Albon entered the pits, while Russell complained over the radio, saying he had no grip and that the tires felt completely different from FP3. His struggles were evident, but he managed to finish P13.
Norris topped Q1 with a 1:30.002, a tenth ahead of Verstappen, with Piastri two-and-a-half tenths behind. Russell scraped through in P13, while both Williams cars made it into the top 10. Ferrari had a mixed session, with Sainz in P6 and Leclerc in P12.
Eliminated in Q1 were Lance Stroll, Zhou Guanyu, Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, and Pierre Gasly.
Q2
Both Red Bulls were the first to hit the track, followed by the Williams duo.
Verstappen set the early pace with a 1:30.371, two-tenths ahead of Pérez. However, on his second lap, Verstappen nearly went off track and had to abort the lap. He struggled with the handling of his car throughout the session.
Norris narrowly avoided a crash into the wall but saved it miraculously, setting a 1:30.007 to go fastest. And Leclerc slotted into second, two-tenths behind Norris, on used tires.
By minute eight, most drivers pitted, except the Mercedes drivers, who were just starting their first flying laps. Hamilton went fastest, and Russell moved into third, benefitting from the improving track conditions. Verstappen rejoined the track on new tires but continued to report grip issues over the radio.
With 5 minutes left, Verstappen was the only driver on track. Soon after, the others started to trickle back out, and Verstappen improved his time, going fastest with a 1:29.680, beating Hamilton’s time.
With 2 minutes remaining, everyone was out for their final run. The Williams cars and Pérez were in the drop zone.
Verstappen pitted with a minute to go, and Oscar Piastri surged to the top with a 1:29.640. Leclerc took third, just a tenth behind Verstappen.
Surprisingly, Checo Pérez failed to make it into Q3, along with Kevin Magnussen, Esteban Ocon, Franco Colapinto, and Alex Albon.
Despite not advancing, Colapinto kept his teammate Albon on his toes during his first Singapore qualifying, finishing just 0.007s behind.
Q3
The first drivers on track were Hulkenberg and Piastri. Verstappen set the early benchmark with a 1:29.791, putting himself ahead of Piastri.
Then, disaster struck for Carlos Sainz, who crashed into the wall, bringing out a red flag with 8 minutes remaining. Last year’s winner in Singapore seemed distracted while adjusting settings on his steering wheel, causing him to lose control.
Only three times were set before the red flag: Verstappen, Piastri, and Hulkenberg. Verstappen’s time was deleted for passing through a double yellow flag zone.
Back From The Red Flag
With the session restarted and 8 minutes left, tension was high. All nine remaining drivers stayed in the pits until 4 minutes to go.
The first back on track were the two McLarens and Hulkenberg’s Haas. Verstappen was the last to go out, with just enough time for one flying lap. All drivers were on fresh soft tires.
The battle for clear air was intense, with drivers jockeying for position.
Norris secured Pole with a time of 1:29.525, finishing two-tenths ahead of Verstappen, who returns to the front row after two races away. Behind them, Hamilton and Russell will start P3 and P4, respectively, with a gap of three-tenths.
Oscar Piastri takes P5, while Charles Leclerc could only manage P9 after his lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. Nico Hulkenberg will start P6, ahead of Fernando Alonso in P7 and Yuki Tsunoda in P8.
Both Ferraris will line up at the back of the top ten, with Carlos Sainz starting P10 after his crash.
Norris once again demonstrated his strength by taking Pole in this F1 Qualifying Singapore GP. All eyes will be on the britton to see if he can hold off Verstappen and claim victory in what is shaping up to be an intense Singapore Grand Prix.
Feature Image Credit: McLaren F1 Team
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