Max Verstappen carried his winning momentum from Malaysia into Singapore, setting the fastest lap in Sprint Qualifying to put Red Bull on the front of Saturday’s grid. George Russell and Charles Leclerc were his closest challengers as four teams contested the leading positions beneath Marina Bay’s floodlights.
What To Know?
- Verstappen fastest: A 1m 31.156s secured Sprint pole.
- Russell and Leclerc lead the pursuit: Russell finished 0.120s behind, with Leclerc another tenth back and Piastri just 0.055s short of the Ferrari.
- Antonelli starts seventh: The championship leader qualified behind both McLarens and Hamilton, with Lawson, Hadjar and Gasly completing the top 10.
- Perez crash interrupts SQ1: The Cadillac driver triggered an early red flag and finished last, alongside Sainz on the provisional back row for the 21-lap Sprint.
The latest competitive session of the 2026 F1 World Championship delivered a closely matched fight after teams had just one hour of practice to prepare. Verstappen made his final Soft-tyre run count, producing a 1m 31.156s to move beyond the reach of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. That effort secured a 0.120s advantage over Russell, with Leclerc another tenth behind in third.
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2026 Singapore Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying Results
2026 Singapore Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying, 9 October 2026
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:33.477 | 1:32.701 | 1:31.156 |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:33.573 | 1:32.614 | 1:31.276 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:33.495 | 1:32.246 | 1:31.399 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:34.277 | 1:33.106 | 1:31.454 |
| 5 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:34.257 | 1:32.572 | 1:31.587 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:33.748 | 1:32.562 | 1:31.702 |
| 7 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:34.392 | 1:32.998 | 1:31.849 |
| 8 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:34.855 | 1:33.133 | 1:32.341 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:34.182 | 1:32.947 | |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:34.673 | 1:33.155 | |
| 11 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:35.048 | 1:33.249 | |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:34.128 | 1:33.420 | |
| 13 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:34.950 | 1:33.423 | |
| 14 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:34.690 | 1:33.466 | |
| 15 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:34.960 | 1:33.734 | |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:35.004 | 1:34.368 | |
| 17 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:35.136 | ||
| 18 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:35.662 | ||
| 19 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:36.130 | ||
| 20 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:36.760 | ||
| 21 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:36.868 | ||
| 22 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:37.376 |
Having claimed his first Grand Prix victory of the season last time out, Verstappen now has the opportunity to build on that breakthrough in Saturday’s 21-lap Sprint.
Four teams feature at the sharp end
Oscar Piastri led McLaren’s challenge in fourth, missing Leclerc’s third-place time by just 0.055s. Team-mate Lando Norris followed in fifth, leaving both McLarens within the leading group but behind the fastest representatives of Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton placed the second Ferrari sixth, ahead of Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli in seventh. With Russell on the provisional front row, the two Mercedes drivers ended Sprint Qualifying five positions apart.
Liam Lawson delivered eighth for Racing Bulls, while Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly completed the top 10 for Red Bull and Alpine respectively. Both Hadjar and Gasly had lap times deleted during SQ3, adding another complication to their final-session efforts.
Russell’s late improvement denies Colapinto
Franco Colapinto narrowly missed the final segment after a late lap from Russell pushed the Alpine driver outside the top 10. The Argentine finished 11th, immediately ahead of Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg in 12th.
Haas driver Ollie Bearman took 13th, followed by Gabriel Bortoleto in the second Audi. Fernando Alonso finished 15th for Aston Martin, with Esteban Ocon’s Haas completing the SQ2 order in 16th.
Those six drivers therefore missed the chance to contest the Soft-tyre finale, leaving Colapinto closest to a place among the pole-position contenders.
Perez crash brings an early red flag
The opening segment was interrupted when Sergio Perez found the barrier in the first few minutes, triggering a red flag. The Cadillac driver finished at the bottom of the classification and is set to share the back row with Williams’ Carlos Sainz.
Further up the SQ1 order, Arvid Lindblad narrowly failed to reach SQ2 and finished 17th for Racing Bulls. He had previously suggested a cautious approach to Singapore after crashes at other street circuits. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll followed in 18th.
Lindblad and Stroll held a margin of around half a second over the Williams and Cadillac runners behind them. Alex Albon led that group in 19th for Williams, with Valtteri Bottas immediately behind in 20th, ahead of Sainz and Perez.
Race Guide
Season: 2026 F1 World Championship
Race date: Sunday, 11 October 2026
Race start time: 20:00 local time
Circuit: Marina Bay Street Circuit
Laps: 62
Circuit length: 4.94km
2025 winner: George Russell
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