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Who takes F1 Sprint pole at the Singapore Grand Prix?
Confirmed
In Short: Max Verstappen secured pole position for the sprint race at the Singapore Grand Prix, with George Russell joining him on the front row.
Max Verstappen secured pole position for the sprint race at the Singapore Grand Prix, with George Russell joining him on the front row. Verstappen's time of 1m31.156s was 0.120s faster than Russell's.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will start Saturday’s sprint race from seventh, having been outpaced by the Ferraris and McLarens. Antonelli missed the cut by one tenth, despite confusion caused by an FIA software glitch.
The FIA acknowledged that a software glitch had an impact on the performance of certain cars based on the timing of their run and their position around the lap. The glitch caused chaos last weekend, with cars slowing to a crawl on two formation laps held after heavy rain at Sepang had forced the original start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia to be aborted.
Valtteri Bottas, who is unable to take part due to his Formula 1 commitments with Cadillac in Singapore, took the opportunity to cycle the 260 miles from the previous round in Sepang down to the Marina Bay Street Circuit between races. Bottas completed the 350-kilometer (217-mile) journey entirely under human power, combining his preparation for the Singapore Grand Prix with a long-distance cycling adventure.
The session was marked by close gaps between the top three, highlighting the competitiveness of the race. Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase told him, “you’re in yellows” then reiterated, “single yellows.”
Background
Max Verstappen secured pole position for the sprint race at the Singapore Grand Prix, with George Russell joining him on the front row.
What's confirmed
- Wolff responds to latest claims Hyundai engine builder off the grid for BTCC 2027 "It should be banned" - F1 drivers still divided over cooling vests F1 Singapore GP: Russell tops FP1 with Verstappen also impressing F1 Singapore GP live commentary and updates - Verstappen takes sprint pole Max Verstappen topped sprint qualifying for Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix, where he will be joined on the front row by George Russell.
- "The second and third periods of sprint qualifying were not affected." The FIA system automatically disables overtake mode when there is a red flag.
- Full results from sprint qualifying at the 2026 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix Max Verstappen has secured pole position for the sprint race at the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday, as he overcame car issues to grab his first pole at the circuit.
- "It's closer in Singapore. Your lap itself, you're pushing as hard as you think is possible, close to the walls in places," Verstappen said.
- Charles Leclerc begins the sprint third for McLaren.
- Verstappen, who had never previously taken pole or won a race in Singapore, set the fastest time of one minute 31.156 seconds, 0.120 seconds quicker than Russell.
- "It's going to be very challenging. The grip left to right here is a big difference. The drivers on the pole side last year had a big advantage, so it's probably going to be trying to maintain P2. I know Max is under investigation for the yellow, so let's see."
- "current timings are considered correct."
- Russell was fastest in the only practice session earlier on Friday but his power unit penalty will not affect his position on the grid for Saturday's sprint.
- Red Bull's Max Verstappen has taken pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix sprint race on Friday, pipping Mercedes driver George Russell, who will join him on the front row under the lights at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
- A software bug had also caused chaos last weekend, with cars slowing to a crawl on two formation laps held after heavy rain at Sepang had forced the original start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia to be aborted.
- Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain adjust his cap at the paddock ahead of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, Thursday, Oct.
What's still developing
- Why Verstappen’s unusual run plan highlights F1 teams’ biggest challenge in Malaysia Why Verstappen and Hadjar urge Red Bull to "make all the mistakes now" for 2027 Hidden F1 performance differentiator nobody is talking about in 2026 FIA reveals "human error" caused latest software glitch in Singapore sprint qualifying Where Pajari can improve after WRC title near miss F1 Singapore GP: Verstappen storms to sprint pole with Antonelli only seventh F1 Singapore GP live commentary and updates - Verstappen takes sprint pole From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you.
- Racing Bulls ’ rookie was missing one tenth to make the cut, albeit after confusion caused by an FIA software glitch Verstappen went 0.75s quicker than the SQ1 fastest time as early as his first attempt in the second segment of sprint qualifying, setting a 1m32.724s.
- The settings issue in Singapore, which was combined with a glitch in the F1 timing system that delayed the start of second qualifying, affected all cars but had a bigger impact on some drivers than others, depending on the timing of their runs.
- "Still I feel there is potential in the car and maybe tomorrow we can be there or thereabouts in fighting for pole."
- Leclerc was 0.243secs off pole, and ruing what he said was Ferrari "losing a little bit of our raw performance" in the past three or four races.
- "I did not expect this but you take it, I'm happy for sure. Qualifying tomorrow is still the main goal and for us the start is always a critical point but at least a positive end to our day."
- “I did not expect this, very happy to be first,” Verstappen said.
- The Cadillac F1 driver, a keen and competitive cyclist, opted to take on the challenge of travelling more than 200 miles by bike after F1 rearranged its calendar to put the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia the week before the usual Singapore race.
- The formation laps at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia saw several drivers slowing to a crawl or stopping completely; watch the Singapore GP Sprint weekend from this Friday, live on Sky Sports F1 Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The FIA revealed an “unprecedented” glitch caused several cars to stop in the chaotic start to the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
- Rather than making the quick leap south from Malaysia to Singapore by air, the Cadillac driver hopped onto his Canyon gravel bike to cover the 350-kilometer (217-mile) journey entirely under human power.
- This past weekend, he competed in the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit – won by Max Verstappen – and immediately after crossing (or rather, failing to cross) the finish line, Bottas hopped onto his bike to set course for the Singapore Grand Prix, where racing action resumes this coming Friday.
- FP1 marks the only practice session in Singapore, which is hosting the sixth and final sprint event of the F1 2026 season this weekend.