Lando Norris has qualified on pole for Sunday’s Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, while world championship leader Max Verstappen will start alongside his British challenger.
The McLaren driver, who enters the race 59 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, produced a blistering 1:29.525 at the end of qualifying to snatch pole.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton will start third alongside his teammate George Russell, while Australian Oscar Piastri will start from fifth.
Norris has been slowly reducing the deficit to Verstappen over the past 10 races as McLaren continues to prove it is the fastest car in F1 currently.
“It was tough, especially through qualifying I was finding it a little difficult to progress much and find lap time,” Norris said.
“It got the heart rate going, it was good fun. There was more in it but the car is feeling good, which makes you confident to go out and push.”
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After a horrid day in practice on Friday, Verstappen produced a champion’s driver to make it onto the front row.
Despite holding a 59-point lead in the championship with seven grands prix left in the year, Verstappen has been on the backfoot for several months.
“I think the whole of qualifying went quite well, we managed to improve the car run after run. I’m happy to be on the front row when you look at where we were yesterday. I’ll take second, I’m happy with that,” Verstappen said.
“In Singapore a lot of things can happen but at least we have a shot at it starting like this.”
Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez struggled again, qualifying 13th as the team’s grip on the constructors’ championship continues to weaken.
McLaren heads into the Singapore Grand Prix with a 20-point lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ championship, with Ferrari a further 31 points adrift.
Ferrari will be on the backfoot on Sunday, with Carlos Sainz crashing out of Q3, finishing qualifying 10th fastest while teammate Charles Leclerc was ninth fastest as he time in Q3 was deleted.
Ricciardo knocked out in Q1 as rumours about future swirl
Australian Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo qualified 16th for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix as speculation mounts that his future in the sport in in jeopardy.
Pressure is mounting on Daniel Ricciardo after qualifying 16th fastest in Singapore. (Reuters: Hannah Mckay)
The RB driver was knocked out in Q1 during Saturday’s qualifying session, while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda was able to be ninth fastest.
“Every soft [tyre] I used today I was not competitive at all — not much to say,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports F1.
There have been rumours around the F1 paddock that this weekend could be Ricciardo’s last for RB as the team considers Kiwi Liam Lawson, who filled in for Ricciardo last season when the Australian broke his wrist.
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The rumours have been strong enough for Ricciardo to openly talk about his future during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, telling reporters he could not say with confidence if he would drive in F1 next season or at the next race in Austin, Texas.
“I obviously don’t say it with confidence because nothing’s signed on the dotted line yet and I know until it is, I’m not going to say ‘yay I’ve got one’ because that could be silly,” he said on Thursday
“I know my season, I hoped for more from myself but I also think that around Montreal when the pressure was definitely building and ramping up, I think since then it’s actually been certainly more positive than not.
“That’s what I’ll keep trying to do, and if it’s enough it is. If not then that’s obviously up to Red Bull.”
