Advantage has been gained by Lando Norris, though his lead over Max Verstappen is slight. The Singapore Grand Prix will see the Formula 1 title contenders sharing the front row, with Norris narrowly surpassing Verstappen during qualifying on Saturday. The final session encountered a halt due to Carlos Sainz Jr.’s crash, causing a challenging day for Ferrari.
Norris expressed his difficulty in improving his lap time amidst his competitors getting faster. Despite the pressure, he secured pole position, with a mere .203-second lead over Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton starting third, .316 seconds behind Norris.
Norris’ pole position contrasts with his 15th-place start in Azerbaijan last week. Verstappen, content with second place after struggling with grip, leads Norris in the standings by 59 points with seven races left, including Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Verstappen, yet to win in Singapore, aims to minimize the points loss if Norris secures a victory. Hamilton secured his best qualifying since the British Grand Prix in July, where he claimed victory. Norris’ teammate Piastri, who won in Azerbaijan, placed fifth after slowing down in the top-10 session.
Ferrari faced a disappointing day as Leclerc’s lap time was deleted for going off-track, and Sainz crashed. Despite his crash, Sainz qualified 10th. While Mercedes had a solid day with Russell in fourth, it was another letdown for Perez, who placed 13th.
Ricciardo qualified 16th, amidst speculation about his future at RB Racing. Red Bull’s reserve driver Liam Lawson might replace Ricciardo for the remaining six rounds of the championship, beginning with the United States Grand Prix in October.
