Max Verstappen took his first Singapore Grand Prix pole position with a lap of 1:31.373, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.054s as Lewis Hamilton finished third after setting the pace in the opening two segments of Qualifying.

Verstappen’s first Q3 attempt proved decisive at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, where several leading drivers failed to improve on their final runs. Leclerc found time to move ahead of Hamilton, but fell narrowly short of denying the Red Bull driver a second pole of the weekend following his top spot in Sprint Qualifying.

Conditions remained humid throughout the session. The opening segment began with several drivers encountering difficulties. Haas’ Esteban Ocon locked up at Turn 13 and reported a braking problem before reversing back onto the circuit, while Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll also ran into trouble at Turn 7.

Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who had retired from the Sprint earlier in the day, suffered further mechanical problems. After running deep and reporting that his engine had switched off, the Frenchman restarted and returned to the pits. However, another issue prevented him from recording a representative lap.

Norris initially headed the timesheet with a lap of 1:33.047, just 0.029s ahead of Piastri. Verstappen and Hamilton followed as the leading teams began to establish their pace. Russell reported a smell of burning and asked Mercedes to monitor his brakes. Hülkenberg and Bearman, meanwhile, showed competitive pace after scoring points in the Sprint.

Hamilton subsequently moved to the front and lowered his benchmark to 1:32.429. Leclerc joined him at the top to give Ferrari the first two positions, while Antonelli had a lap deleted for exceeding track limits.

Further down the order, late improvements changed the battle for progression. Lindblad and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto moved clear of danger, while both Aston Martin drivers were eliminated. Fernando Alonso finished 17th, ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and Stroll. Cadillac’s Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas were 20th and 21st respectively, with Hadjar last without a time.

Antonelli set the early Q2 benchmark at 1:32.165, but Hamilton quickly displaced him with a lap of 1:31.766, almost four tenths faster. Verstappen was initially more than half a second behind the Ferrari driver and reported problems with his gear shifts.

Hamilton improved again on his second run, posting 1:31.529 to remain fastest. Verstappen closed the gap with a lap of 1:31.639, while Norris and Leclerc also progressed comfortably to the final segment.

The contest for the remaining Q3 places was closer. Lawson, Lindblad and Audi’s Nico Hülkenberg occupied the final three places in the top 10 after the initial runs, leaving Gasly outside the cut. The Frenchman was two tenths behind Hülkenberg before finding six tenths on his final run.

The Alpine driver improved substantially on his final attempt to secure progression alongside both Racing Bulls drivers. Hülkenberg also found time, but his improvement was insufficient and he was eliminated in 11th.

Haas drivers Oliver Bearman and Ocon finished 12th and 13th, ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Bortoleto. Franco Colapinto was 16th in the second Alpine after clipping the barrier at Turn 17 on his final lap.

Verstappen then seized the initiative in Q3, setting the eventual pole time on his opening attempt. Hamilton produced a strong middle sector but crossed the line in 1:31.496, leaving him 0.123s behind, while Antonelli recorded 1:31.562.

The final runs brought little change among the front runners. Neither Verstappen nor Hamilton improved, but Leclerc lowered his time to 1:31.427 to secure a place on the front row.

Antonelli remained fourth, 0.189s from pole, with Norris fifth on 1:31.712 and Russell sixth on 1:31.747. Russell faces a grid penalty following an engine change. Piastri improved by more than three tenths on his final attempt, but his 1:31.860 left him seventh. Piastri’s result followed his recovery from the Sprint, in which he and team mate Norris had been involved in a collision.

Gasly also gained ground late in the session, moving ahead of Lawson to finish eighth with 1:32.225. Lawson’s best lap was 1:32.369, while Lindblad completed the shootout with 1:32.781. At the front, Verstappen’s opening effort had withstood Ferrari’s challenge, securing his first Grand Prix pole at Marina Bay after Hamilton had led both Q1 and Q2.

2026 FIA Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix – Qualifying 
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1'31.373 - -
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1'31.427 0.054 
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1'31.496 0.123 
4 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1'31.562 0.189 
5 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1'31.712 0.339 
6 George Russell Mercedes 1'31.747 0.374 
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1'31.860 0.487 
8 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1'32.225 0.852 
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1'32.369 0.996 
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1'32.781 1.408 
11 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1'32.784 1.411 
12 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1'32.908 1.535 
13 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1'33.323 1.950 
14 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1'33.526 2.153 
15 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1'33.658 2.285 
16 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1'33.787 2.414 
17 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1'34.223 2.850 
18 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1'34.289 2.916 
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1'34.946 3.573 
20 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1'35.123 3.750 
21 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1'35.984 4.611 
22 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford - - -