Max Verstappen endures a nightmare qualifying session at the Singapore Grand Prix as Red Bull fail to make the final session while Carlos Sainz claims pole position ahead of Mercedes star George Russell
- Ferrari claimed pole position for the second consecutive Grand Prix
- Carlos Sainz dominated the proceedings on the narrow street circuit
- Max Verstappen failed to qualify in the top 10 after his elimination
Max Verstappen qualified in a ‘shocking’ 11th place for the Singapore Grand Prix – a stop for his majestic procession – as Lance Stroll walked away from a shuffling 180km/h and Carlos Sainz took pole for Ferrari.
Mercedes’ Briton George Russell was second best, 0.072 seconds back, while Charles Leclerc was third.
The world champion, impregnable by an eleven-race winning streak, was out of trouble all weekend at the Yas Marina Circuit and was eliminated in Q2, as was Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who will start thirteenth on Sunday in debilitating humidity. .
One crazy evening under the lights, Verstappen seethed: ‘Not me if you saw that. ****, an absolutely shocking experience’, before stepping out of his Red Bull and angrily ripping off his balaclava on his journey back to the garage.
He was also due to meet the stewards regarding three possible cases of obstruction.
Max Verstappen qualified for the Singapore Grand Prix in a ‘shocking’ 11th place after failing the final qualifying session
Verstappen (middle) raged on the team radio after struggling with the handling of his car
George Russell (left) starts second on the grid, while Carlos Sainz (center) took pole and Charles Leclerc (right) finished third
Red Bull’s unexpected dip threatens their so far impregnable record of fourteen wins from fourteen races this season. Verstappen had problems with his machine from the moment he entered the circuit on Friday.
Lando Norris qualified fourth for McLaren and Lewis Hamilton fifth, half a second behind.
As for Stroll, he was right on the edge and got out of shape, coming into the final corner, a left-hander, of the Yas Marina Circuit with too much speed. He hit the barrier hard, the impact on his front left, and was spun back onto the track, his head shaking like a rag doll.
The Canadian’s left front wheel was torn off and drove across the track.
Sainz dominated qualifying and looked at ease throughout the evening sessions
Aston Martin star Lance Stroll ended the first qualifying session prematurely after a serious crash
British driver Lando Norris had to take evasive action by maneuvering his McLaren between Stroll’s prone car in the middle of the road and the stray wheel.
The 24-year-old Stroll declared himself ‘OK’ in response to his race engineer Ben Michell’s ((CORR)) question, but he sat in his cockpit facing the wrong way for a while until the medical car came out to save him. He walked unassisted into the vehicle to undergo checks at the local medical center.
His participation in Sunday’s race must be questionable.
Qualifying was postponed for 34 minutes while the barrier was checked and leaked fluids were cleaned up.