Singapore Grand Prix: Max Verstappen beats Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to pole
Max Verstappen claimed pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix, beating Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. The session saw mixed results for other teams, with George Russell facing a grid penalty.
Why it matters
This result reinforces Verstappen's lead in the F1 championship and highlights the ongoing technical struggles of teams like Mercedes and McLaren.
Image source, PA Media Image caption, Max Verstappen won the sprint race earlier on Saturday
F1 Correspondent in Singapore Published 10 October 2026 Red Bull's Max Verstappen took his second pole position in a week by beating the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Verstappen's first lap in final qualifying was enough to take pole, his time fending off a second lap from Leclerc that was 0.054 seconds off pole.
Hamilton was closest to Verstappen after the first runs but was unable to improve on his second run.
In fact, most of the front runners struggled to improve on their second runs, as Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli took fourth on the grid, from McLaren's Lando Norris.
Antonelli's team-mate George Russell was sixth fastest but will drop to the back of the grid with a penalty for using too many engine parts.
Also covering this story
13 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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