Verstappen takes Singapore pole by 0.054 seconds with two Ferraris right behind
Leclerc qualifies second and Hamilton third, Antonelli starts fourth, and Russell drops from sixth to 21st with his engine penalty
Max Verstappen will start the Singapore Grand Prix from pole position after a 1:31.373 in Q3, just 0.054 seconds quicker than Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton, fastest in Q1 and Q2, qualified third, so the two Ferraris line up directly behind the Red Bull on Sunday.
It completes a strong weekend so far for Verstappen: Sprint pole on Friday, then the Sprint win and Grand Prix pole on Saturday. Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth, ahead of Lando Norris, while George Russell set the sixth-fastest time but starts 21st because of his engine penalty. The full order is on our Singapore Grand Prix 2026 results page.
Hamilton led Q1 and Q2, Verstappen took Q3
Hamilton set the pace through the first two parts of qualifying, with a 1:32.429 in Q1 and a 1:31.529 in Q2. Verstappen improved in every session and saved his best for the end, a 1:31.373 in Q3. Leclerc found more than half a second between Q2 and Q3 to take second, and Hamilton fell 0.123 seconds short of pole.
Antonelli was 0.189 seconds off pole in fourth, with the McLarens split by Russell: Norris fifth, Piastri seventh. Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten. For how the knockout format works, see our F1 qualifying explainer.
Russell sixth on the timesheet, 21st on the grid
Russell’s lap was worth a third-row start, but the 40-place grid drop for his fifth engine, turbocharger and exhaust and fourth MGU-K sends him to 21st on the provisional starting grid. That moves Piastri up to sixth, and everyone from Gasly to Bottas gains one place.
Isack Hadjar set no time in qualifying and starts last, after the stewards gave him permission to start the race. Nico Hulkenberg qualified 11th and starts tenth. The stewards found that he impeded Carlos Sainz at Turn 5, but they applied no penalty because of what they called extraordinary mitigating circumstances after Audi relied on official timing data that was briefly inconsistent.
Antonelli 89 points clear before Sunday
After the Sprint, Antonelli leads the championship with 325 points, 89 ahead of Russell, with Hamilton third on 221, according to the FIA standings. With Russell starting near the back, Antonelli has a chance to stretch that lead further from fourth on the grid. Our title permutations will be updated after the race.
Verstappen has never won the Singapore Grand Prix,. Earlier on Saturday he won the Sprint ahead of Hamilton and Leclerc; read our Sprint report.
Our doubt
On one lap, Ferrari is right there: Hamilton was quickest in two of the three sessions and both cars finished within 0.123 seconds of pole. Over a race distance, the Sprint told a different story, with Verstappen pulling clear once the race settled. We doubt Ferrari can beat him on pace alone. Their best chance is the run to Turn 1, or a safety car at the right moment.
What to watch
- The start at 14:00 CEST (20:00 local), with two Ferraris behind Verstappen.
- How far Russell gets from 21st, and whether Antonelli can turn fourth into more points.
- The weather: the Sprint was run on a damp track, and Pirelli expects the soft tyre to play a bigger role on Sunday, as covered in our Singapore preview.
- Safety cars, which have shaped this race before. See our Safety Car and VSC explainer.
Can a Ferrari beat Verstappen to Turn 1, or is this finally his Singapore win? Tell us in the comments.
