Verstappen continues resurgence with pole for Singapore sprint

Singapore sprint race pole position was claimed by Max Verstappen in a thrilling qualifying session at the Marina Bay Street circuit on Friday. George Russell of Mercedes shared the front row with Verstappen, while Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and Oscar Piastri of McLaren rounded out the top four. Verstappen, who won his first race of the season in Malaysia last weekend, set a time of 1min 31.156sec under the haze caused by fires in Indonesia.

He expressed surprise at how "the car was coming alive a little bit more" after switching to the soft tyres. The McLaren of Lando Norris, followed by the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton, secured the next two spots on the grid. Verstappen was investigated for overtaking Hamilton under a yellow flag during the first sprint qualifying session, but was cleared by the stewards.

Championship leader Kimi Antolinli, with a new aerodynamic package, started seventh, while Liam Lawson of RB, Isack Hadjar of Red Bull, and Pierre Gasly of Alpine completed the top 10. Verstappen, a four-time world champion, had never won or been on pole before in Singapore, where the race is known for its extreme heat and humidity.

He was encouraged by the pace of his Red Bull, which traditionally struggles on slower speed circuits, but noted that there are still some weaknesses in the car that they need to manage.