Verstappen takes pole for Singapore’s first F1 sprint
George Russell qualified second, while Mercedes boss Toto Wolff rejected claims that the team favours championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the fastest time in sprint qualifying at Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit on Oct 9, securing pole for the Oct 10 race. His lap of 1min 31.156sec put him 0.120sec ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took third, followed by Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris for McLaren. Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth for Ferrari, with Mercedes’ championship leader Kimi Antonelli seventh. Stewards investigated Verstappen for passing Hamilton under yellow flags during the opening qualifying phase but took no action.
At a press conference before qualifying, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff rejected online accusations that the team was giving Antonelli preferential treatment. The claims followed a power-unit failure for Russell while he was running third with five laps remaining in the previous race. Russell is 84 points behind Antonelli and faces a back-of-grid start for the Oct 11 Grand Prix after exhausting his allocation of four engines.
Wolff said both drivers would continue to receive equal equipment and racing opportunities, even though Antonelli had the more realistic championship prospects. Mercedes lead the constructors’ standings.
Singapore’s first sprint is scheduled for 5pm on Oct 10, with qualifying for the main Grand Prix at 9pm. The weekend is the season’s sixth and final sprint meeting. Sprint races cover 100km, approximately one-third of a regular Formula 1 race distance.
