Pole position for Lando Norris, heavy crash for Carlos Sainz

Lando Norris hunts for Max VerstappenThe Brit is only 59 points behind the three-time world champion in the World Championship standings. Can the Dutchman defend his lead until the World Championship final in Abu Dhabi on December 8th? Or will the McLaren driver overtake him at the last moment?

The pendulum is currently swinging in Norris’s direction. The Briton took pole position on Saturday for the Grand Prix in Singapore on Sunday (14:00 CEST/live ORF1, Sky). Verstappen got the most out of his Red Bull and finished second in qualifying. Behind him were the two Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

Not Ferrari’s day

Ferrari has taken the last three poles in Singapore. Last year, for example, it was Carlos Sainz who also won the race afterwards. It was the only non-Red Bull victory in the 2023 season. But this time, nothing went right for the red racers. Charles Leclerc’s fastest lap was deleted. And the day of Carlos Sainz ended in the guardrail. The Spaniard lost control of his Ferrari and crashed hard – starting position 10, assuming the car is not too badly damaged. Fortunately, the 30-year-old was uninjured.

After his strong performance in Baku (with a late exit due to a crash), Sergio Perez back down to earth. The Mexican was eliminated in Q2 and only came in 13th.

Farewell to beaming Ricciardo

The probably last qualifying in the career of Daniel Ricciardo was already over after Q1. The Australian finished in 16th place. It can be assumed that the Grand Prix in Singapore will be the 257th and last in the 35-year-old’s career. “That was a bit puzzling. Yesterday I still had confidence and the car felt good. But today I wasn’t able to get more out of the car.”

The New Zealander Liam Lawson is expected to take over the cockpit of the Racing Bull from October 20th (GP in Austin). Last year, the 22-year-old Lawson drove five races for Alpha Tauri. At that time, he replaced Ricciardo, who had broken his hand at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The final practice session before qualifying featured an animal protagonist. A few minutes after the track was opened, a large lizard crawled across the asphalt of the street circuit. The red flags were waved and marshals then chased the animal off the track.

In the past, free-roaming reptiles on the route in Southeast Asia have caused delays in the process.