2026 F1 Round 17 Singapore Sprint Qualifying: Verstappen on pole, Russell second

Sprint Qualifying for Round 17 of the 2026 F1 season, the Singapore Grand Prix, concluded at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on the evening of October 9, China Standard Time (UTC+8). Max Verstappen took Sprint pole with a 1:31.156, 0.120 seconds ahead of George Russell, with Charles Leclerc third. A red flag and a timing-system failure disrupted the session, and the contest continued through the final round of timed laps in SQ3.

Final timed attempts decide pole

Norris initially set a 1:31.587 in SQ3, before Leclerc moved ahead by 0.019 seconds. Leclerc improved again on the final attempt, but Verstappen went faster on his late soft-tyre lap, while Russell also moved into second late in the session.

Piastri was fourth, Norris fifth, Hamilton sixth, Antonelli seventh, then Lawson, Hadjar and Gasly. The top four represented Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren respectively, and both drivers from all four teams reached SQ3. Hadjar's and Gasly's laps were deleted, leaving no valid SQ3 time.

Red flag and timing failure disrupt advancement

Pérez went off at Turn 4 in SQ1 and damaged the front wing. Debris fell when he returned, bringing red flags with 6:09 remaining.

Timing problems delayed SQ2, with the FIA confirming missing laps. Once restored, Bortoleto advanced and Lindblad was seventeenth, followed by Stroll, Albon, Pérez, Bottas and Sainz.

Leclerc and Hamilton led SQ2. Russell locked up and abandoned a timed lap, but ultimately recovered to fourth in the session and knocked Colapinto out of the top ten. Colapinto was eleventh, then Hülkenberg, Bearman, Bortoleto, Alonso and Ocon.

Yellow-flag breach brings no penalty

Stewards found Verstappen passed Hamilton under a single yellow at 20:35 local time, a breach. Telemetry showed lifting and slowing; Hamilton was also slowing to yield and below 60 km/h when passed. The large speed difference led to no penalty. Russell's power-unit back-grid penalty applies Sunday, not the Sprint.

The scheduled 21-lap Sprint starts October 10 at 17:00 China Standard Time (UTC+8), Grand Prix qualifying 21:00 that day and the race October 11 at 20:00. This qualifying sets the Sprint grid; separate qualifying and penalties govern Sunday.

Complete Singapore Sprint Qualifying results

Each phase lists its valid best, with total laps across SQ1–SQ3. “—” means not reaching the phase. Hadjar and Gasly's SQ3 DNF marks mean no valid time.