An accident involving last year’s winner Carlos Sainz in Singapore brought the tension in qualifying to a head. Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen was unlucky. Rival Lando Norris raced to pole position.
In a thrilling finish, McLaren driver Lando Norris secured pole position for the Formula 1 race in Singapore ahead of his title rival Max Verstappen. The World Championship runner-up from England kept his cool in the heated qualifying and can now try to further reduce his deficit to the Red Bull star in the night Grand Prix on Sunday (2 p.m./Sky). Verstappen is still 59 points ahead of Norris before the 18th race of the season, but he has been waiting for a win for seven Grand Prix.
“The whole qualifying went quite well, we were able to improve the car from lap to lap. I’m happy to be on the front row considering where we were yesterday,” said Verstappen, who only finished 15th in the second practice session after many problems. “I’ll take second place, I’m happy with that. A lot can still happen here in Singapore.”
Verstappen turns it around
In the final training session, albeit still at dusk, Verstappen was almost 0.9 seconds behind Norris. “That’s a strong statement,” admitted Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko on the TV channel Sky. “If our car drives as aggressively to the curbs as McLaren does, then it’ll bounce around quite a bit.”
However, the setup for the qualification at Red Bull was successful – even if Verstappen was unlucky. An accident involving last year’s winner Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari after less than four minutes in the last knockout round put additional pressure on the other drivers.
The Spaniard was able to get out of his car himself after the rear of his car hit the guardrail. But because a double yellow flag was shown at that point, the stewards cancelled Verstappen’s fastest lap. The drivers must significantly reduce their speed during this signal.
Fiasco for Ferrari
“We are a little unhappy because his fastest lap was cancelled,” admitted Marko. However, his team has made a “significant step forward.” “We are very satisfied, especially after the disaster in yesterday’s training.”
Ferrari experienced a fiasco. Charles Leclerc had to settle for ninth place, just ahead of Sainz. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton, who finished third, and Nico Hülkenberg, on the other hand, had reason to celebrate. The only regular German driver raced to an outstanding sixth place in the Haas. “That was good,” said Hülkenberg, beaming under the glaring floodlights. “It was fun.”
Norris wants to increase his fun factor even further after his sixth career pole. With the fastest car in the field, he wants to increase the pressure on Verstappen. “I’m happy about the pole, especially here in Singapore. We did our job,” said Norris, who, like his opponents, hardly had time for an optimal lap after the Sainz accident. “I like it, it makes my heart beat even faster, it was fun. There’s even more in the car, which gives a good feeling.”
But this season Norris has regularly lost his pole position before the first corner. Red Bull knows that too. It’s just 178 meters to the first braking point. “The distance to the first corner is short, so far his starts have not been impressive,” said Marko, adding sharply: “It’s really a strain on his nerves.”
Source: Stern
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