Lando Norris boosted his world championship hopes by securing an impressive pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix.
Under the thousand of bulbs that light up the Marina Bay circuit, Norris posted a dazzling lap to beat rival Max Verstappen by 0.203 seconds.
Lewis Hamilton qualified third for Mercedes, one place ahead of team-mate George Russell, with Oscar Piastri fifth for McLaren.
Q3 was red-flagged with eight minutes and four seconds remaining after Carlos Sainz crashed out in his Ferrari.
The Spaniard, who won in the city state last season, was gearing up for his quick lap, but he lost control through the final corner and ended up in the wall.
At that stage only Verstappen, Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg had set a lap time, although the former’s was deleted for failing to slow down under waved yellows following Sainz’s accident.
Unsurprisingly, Verstappen protested his innocence but the decision stood. A 16-minute suspension followed and the delay meant the leading contenders would be restricted to just one shot at glory.
But, in the pressure cauldron of fighting for the world crown, Norris kept his cool to land his fifth pole of the season and sixth in all.
When starting from the front of the pack, Norris has failed to end the opening lap in the lead. The McLaren man will be keen to rewrite history in his bid to land his third victory and reduce the championship deficit to Verstappen.
Norris trails Verstappen by 59 points but there are still 206 points to play for across the remaining seven rounds. PA
Norris on pole for Singapore Grand Prix: As it happened
04:04 PM BST
Fall-out from Verstappen’s outburst
The Dutchman got in trouble for swearing during a press conference the other day. Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton have been asked about Verstappen’s punishment in a press conference just now and believe it was a joke.
04:03 PM BST
The thoughts of George Russell
03:52 PM BST
Nico Rosberg on Sky
On a Norris-Verstappen front-row:
“Unbelievable. We all expected Lando to be first and he did a wonderful lap and really fantastic job.
“But Max really out of nowhere from yesterday, when they weren’t even in the top 10. They turned that car around, they stiffened it up a lot, both vertically and laterally, and it made the car come back alive.
“The aerodynamics started working again today and that allowed him go P2, which is huge damage limitation.”
03:47 PM BST
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella speaking to Sky
“The effect is absolutely zero.”
Andrea Stella on how the modification of the rear-wing after teams complaints will affect the rest of the races this year. pic.twitter.com/IdWGG8D45N
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 21, 2024
03:43 PM BST
Norris with The Corrs
03:34 PM BST
The thoughts of Lewis Hamilton, who will start third
“Qualifying has been a disaster for me all year long and I’ve been working, working and working trying to get myself back up there. All of a sudden the car came alive for the first time in qualifying in a long time.
”[The red flag was] a bit of a shame, as we were getting into a rhythm, but it was the same for all of us, and in that lap at the end was a little bit tricky. I think there was a tiny bit more left in the car but I’m really grateful for it.
“We’ve been moving up and down on balance, we’ve changed everything on each day, and the mechanics have just been faultless so I want to say a big thank you to them. I hope we’re in a good position to fight for the front tomorrow.”
03:33 PM BST
The bottom ten in qualifying
11. Alex Albon (Williams)
12. Franco Colapinto (Williams)
13. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
14. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
15. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
16. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
19. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)
20. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)
03:31 PM BST
Max Verstappen, who will start second tomorrow
“The whole of qualifying went quite well. We managed to improve the car run after run. I’m happy to be on the front row if you look at where we came from yesterday.
“Q3 was tough. Your lap gets of course cancelled with the double-waved yellow then everyone only has one run to do the lap, so you don’t want to overdo it. You want to stay within the limit.
“I’ll take second – I’m happy with that. Tomorrow is a bit difficult to say, in Singapore a lot of things can happen, but at least we have a shot at it like this.”
03:31 PM BST
Joy for Norris
03:28 PM BST
The thoughts of the polesitter Lando Norris
03:22 PM BST
Top ten in qualifying
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Lando Norris (McLaren)
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Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
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Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
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George Russell (Mercedes)
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Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
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Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
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Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
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Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
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Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
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Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
03:18 PM BST
Norris on pole
The Brit will start the Singapore Grand Prix from pole position. Verstappen will start alongside him on the front row with the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Russell third and fourth respectively. Piastri in fifth. Disaster for Ferrari as Leclerc, who had not set a great lap time, has his time deleted so the two Ferraris will start ninth and tenth respectively.
Norris will not have thought Verstappen would have been anywhere near as close to him as he is.
03:15 PM BST
Norris on provisional pole
He goes fourth tenths quicker than Piastri. How will Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton and Russell respond?
03:15 PM BST
Piastri improves
But his teammate is flying behind…
03:13 PM BST
McLarens begin their laps
Piastri enters his final run with Norris not far behind. Verstappen is a long way behind and needs to be a little careful that he does not come across the line too late.
03:11 PM BST
Stampede out of the garages
It is a Mexiacan stand-off between all the teams to see who will go out first. McLaren are the first out, with Piastri in front of Norris. Verstappen is still in the garage and is leaving it late.
03:09 PM BST
All quiet on the Singapore front
Everyone remains in the garage and it appears it will be one lap for all the drivers to decide who will take pole.
03:07 PM BST
Back under way
Q3 has got going again with eight minutes remaining. Nine drivers left with Sainz out. No-one is venturing out yet. Piastri and Hulkenberg are the only ones with a representative time so far.
03:04 PM BST
Restart
We will be back under way at 3.07pm BST, just a couple of minutes away. There are eight minutes and four seconds remaining in Q3.
03:02 PM BST
Verstappen unhappy
The Dutchman is unhappy over the team radio that his lap time was deleted. His team have told him they are looking into it as the red flag only came out after he came across the line but there were double yellow flags. We have now seen replays of Verstappen approaching the finish line after Sainz’s crash. Verstappen did slow down a little but will the stewards want to take another look to see if he slowed down enough as he came past Sainz’s stricken car?
02:55 PM BST
Huge crash
Just moments after Piastri set the fastest lap, the red flags are out as Sainz crashes at the final corner. He was just about to start his lap and lost the back of the car. Verstappen did then go top of the timesheets after the crash but that lap time has been deleted as he came through after the crash. You have to wonder whether Verstappen will be penalised as he could not have slowed down sufficiently to then go quickest.
Norris was going quickly on his lap but with the red flag he was not able to finish that lap.
02:50 PM BST
First runs in Q3
Piastri will be the first of the big hitters to set a lap, with Verstappen and then Norris behind him. The two Ferraris will be the last two cars across the line for these first runs.
02:48 PM BST
Q3
The green light is on at the end of the pitlane and we are under way in the final part of qualifying. Who will put it on pole?
02:43 PM BST
Five out in Q2
11. Albon (Williams)
12. Colapinto (Williams)
13. Perez (Red Bull)
14. Magnussen (Haas)
15. Ocon (Alpine)
02:41 PM BST
Perez out
The Mexican’s miserable season continues as he is out in Q2. He ends up in 13th and, despite being under contract next season, rumours surrounding his future at Red Bull will continue to swirl around.
Piastri was fastest in that session ahead of Verstappen and Leclerc.
02:39 PM BST
Bottom five with one minute remaining
11. Magnussen (Haas)
12. Alonso (Aston Martin)
13. Albon (Williams)
14. Colapinto (Williams)
15. Ocon (Alpine)
02:38 PM BST
Verstappen top of the timesheets
The Dutchman was under some pressure going into that lap but he goes fastest with a 1:29.680, which should see him safely through to Q3, although he will be wary of the track evolution. Everyone is now out on track.
02:34 PM BST
Hamilton fastest
Mercedes head out later than everyone else and they both pull off good laps. Hamilton goes top of the timeseheets and Russell goes third fastest. Where did that come from?
Verstappen, having had his first lap time deleted, is heading back out earlier than everyone else. He does not want to risk going out late and being affected by a yellow or red flag.
02:31 PM BST
Norris fastest
As he has been all weekend. He sets a 1:30.007. Leclerc goes into second, just under three tenths behind. Norris’ teammate Piastri is third and Haa’s Hulkenberg has set a great lap to go into fourth.
The Mercedes duo are yet to set their first lap times in Q2.
02:30 PM BST
Verstappen lap deleted
The Dutchman goes fastest but that lap time will be deleted as he went off the track at the final corner. In some ways he did quite well to keep hold of it and not end up in the wall. That is a big blow for Verstappen as this may force him into an additional set of softs he did not want to do.
Norris is flying behind with a fastest opening and middle sector.
02:25 PM BST
Green light
Q2 is under way with the two Red Bulls out promptly.
The two McLarens were the only cars to get through Q1 using just the one set of tyres, which could prove to be a huge advantage for the rest of qualifying and the race tomorrow.
02:25 PM BST
Q1 exits
16. Ricciardo (RB)
17. Stroll (Aston Martin)
18. Gasly (Alpine)
19. Bottas (Sauber)
20. Zhou (Sauber)
02:20 PM BST
Ricciardo out
The pressure is so high on the Australian and this will not be helping his cause. He finishes 16th in Q1 and he is out of qualifying. Is that the final time we see Ricciardo in F1 qualifying?
02:20 PM BST
Ricciardo in trouble
The Australian, who could be competing in his final qualifying session before being replaced by Liam Lawson, could be in strife.
Russell has come onto the radio to say the tyres feel completely different to FP3. Not the best lap from Russell but he should just about make it through.
02:18 PM BST
Verstappen second
The Dutchman goes between the McLaren pair. It appears that there will not be any major shocks.
02:16 PM BST
Bottom five with two minutes remaining
16. Gasly (Alpine)
17. Bottas (Sauber)
18. Zhou (Sauber)
19. Colapinto (Williams)
20. Stroll (Aston Martin)
02:15 PM BST
Norris flying
He is on a used set but has just set a stunning lap, a 1:30.002. Not only has he set a great time, but he has not had to use a second set. His teammate Piastri is into second, two and a half tenths off, also on the used set.
02:14 PM BST
McLarens head back out
Just a few drivers on the track with five minutes left, which include the two McLarens who have gone back out on a used set of softs. Even with track evolution, they should both ease through to Q2 without having to use a second set.
02:11 PM BST
Bottom five with seven minutes remaining
16. Gasly (Alpine)
17. Bottas (Sauber)
18. Zhou (Sauber)
19. Colapinto (Williams)
20. Stroll (Aston Martin)
02:10 PM BST
Leclerc goes ahead of Verstappen
He does improve his time to leapfrog Verstappen but it is not enough to usurp Norris.
02:10 PM BST
Verstappen second
He may have set the fastest first sector but he ends up a tenth down on Norris to go second. Leclerc has gone again and setting good pace.
02:09 PM BST
Mercedes and Verstappen watch
Hamilton was only just over a tenth down on Norris through two sectors but lost a significant amount of time, finishing up six tenths down. His teammate Russell is just under half a tenth behind him.
Verstappen has set the fastest first sector…
02:06 PM BST
Norris quickest
The Brit goes to the top of the timesheets, just over a tenth of a second ahead of Leclerc. Norris’ teammate Piastri goes into third place between Leclerc and Perez.
No wonder we have seen Sainz abandon his first attempt after losing it into turn one. The Mercedes duo and Verstappen have emerged slightly later than the McLarens and the Ferraris.
02:05 PM BST
Leclerc fastest
The Monegasque has gone quickest but Norris has already set the fastest first sector. Perez is seven tenths off Leclerc’s time.
02:03 PM BST
McLarens head out
Led by Norris, who has to be the favourite for pole.
02:02 PM BST
Ferraris out early
They are creeping out of the garages but Sainz and Leclerc are on the track early in this session. Leclerc was not happy with his car earlier so how will he find his car now?
02:00 PM BST
Green light
Off we go in the first part of qualifying, which is so important around a track like this. Any shocks in store? Let’s find out!
Alpine and Sauber are out nice and promptly.
01:55 PM BST
Five-minute warning
The start of qualifying is just a few moments away.
01:54 PM BST
Ferrari fined €5,000 for changing tyre pressures
“The Stewards heard from the team representative of Car 16 (Charles Leclerc) and reviewed video footage and technical data supplied by the Technical Delegate.
“The Team Representative of Ferrari, admitted that the team failed to follow the instructions laid out in Technical Directive 003N, point 2, which specifies that a tyre may be used more than once in a single session, as well as the procedures that must be followed if the team wishes to make adjustments to the tyres such as reducing tyre pressures, which is permitted, but requires that first, tyre temperatures must be obtained and all of this must be done in the presence of a FIA Representative.
“These procedures were not followed, which is a breach of Art 30.5a of the FIA F1 Sporting Regulations. The Stewards note that this was during a Free Practice session. In accordance with similar operational tyre infringements in the past, the Stewards issue a fine of €5,000.”
01:48 PM BST
Horner on Ricciardo’s future
“These things are under constant review and there is obviously a much bigger picture other than just Daniel as we continue to look at all of our options as we move forward.
“There’s a natural break coming, with effectively almost a month’s gap to the next race. It’s only natural that you’ll take stock and consider all of those options for the final part of the year.
“It’s not to the detriment of Daniel. We know how he’s performed. We’ve got a lot of data, a lot of knowledge of where Daniel is. It’s a much bigger picture within the whole driver merry-go-round of what the future looks like.
“Inevitably, we’ll sit down during this three-week period of off time and consider all of those options.”
We have also just seen images of Liam Lawson, who is rumoured to be replacing Ricciardo after this race, talking to Helmut Marko. I wonder what they are talking about…
01:44 PM BST
Decisions, decisions
Red Bull not only have a lot to deal with on the track with their form slumping, but also off it with speculation rife about their drivers. Daniel Ricciardo could be out at RB and is Sergio Perez really safe at Red Bull, despite being under contract next season. Christian Horner certainly has his hands full. He has just been quizzed about Ricciardo’s future and we will have those quotes very shortly.
01:40 PM BST
Ricciardo’s final qualfiying?
There has been plenty of speculation going into this weekend that this could be Daniel Ricciardo’s last weekend at RB, with rumours suggesting Liam Lawson could be in the car when we get to Austin in just under a month. If Ricciardo does lose his seat, could this be the last time we see him in a Formula 1 car?
01:37 PM BST
Top five in constructors’ standings
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McLaren 476pts
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Red Bull 456pts
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Ferrari 425pts
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Mercedes 309pts
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Aston Martin 82pts
01:34 PM BST
Larry the Lizard
01:32 PM BST
Top five in drivers’ standings with seven race weekends left
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Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 313pts
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Lando Norris (McLaren) 254pts
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Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 235pts
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Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 222pts
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Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 184pts
01:30 PM BST
Sky’s Ted Kravitz on McLaren’s rear wing
“This is one of the stories we get at this time of year when teams try to do the championship off the track as well as on it.
“That wing we saw in Baku was not going to be seen until the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November but McLaren volunteered a change to it.
“If it was the silver bullet, they would not have offered the FIA to change that rear wing. As for what’s making the McLaren so quick around here, it’s the way it rides the kerbs and the suspension works perfectly.
“The traction is great around here as well. McLaren aren’t losing sleep any sleep with this wing change and it is not affecting how they are going in Singapore.”
01:25 PM BST
Sky’s Martin Brundle on McLaren team orders
“I admire Lando’s [Norris] position to say he doesn’t need help. It didn’t bother Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso back in the day.
“I think you have to be careful what you do to the other driver’s head and their reputation. I don’t think Rubens Barrichello or Felipe Massa every fully recovered from being told to move out of the way.
“I don’t think Oscar will do that and I don’t think the team will do that. They are measuring it race by race. Oscar will help out when he needs to but he’s not going to throw away points and certainly not victories.”
01:21 PM BST
Top five in final practice earlier today
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Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:29.646
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George Russell (Mercedes) +0.479
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Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.785
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Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.894
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Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.913
12:52 PM BST
Qualifying preview
Good afternoon and welcome to coverage of qualifying for the Singapore qualifying. McLaren overtook Red Bull in the constructors standings last time out in Baku and this weekend could be another pivotal one in the drivers standings as well as the constructors with McLaren having plenty of momentum and confidence. Despite starting down in 15th in Baku after misfortune in qualifying, Lando Norris managed to come through to finish fourth, ahead of Max Verstappen to reduce the Dutchman’s lead to 59 points. Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, drove sensationally to take his second victory in Formula 1. Norris, who was second fastest in first practice before being quickest in second practice, was happy with the pace in his car on Friday.
“Pace is good. I’m feeling good. It was a nice lap. I think we are doing what we expect, to be up at the front with Ferrari. I was hoping to have a much bigger gap than what I had, which means Ferrari are very, very fast. But things are going well so far.”
Norris then continued his good start to the weekend in Singapore as he went fastest in final practice earlier today, nearly half a second ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and Piastri. It feels like this weekend could be a huge opportunity for Norris to significantly reduce Verstappen’s lead and for McLaren to extend their 20-point advantage at the summit of the constructors standings. Red Bull had a horror weekend in Singapore last season as they struggled to ride the kerbs and this weekend could be similar. Max Verstappen, who has gone seven races without a win, had a tough Friday, way off the pace set by Norris and Charles Leclerc. However he looked more comfortable in final practice, finish fourth. Despite showing good pace yesterday, Leclerc was not so confident in his car today, claiming he had “no grip”.
Mercedes did not have the easiest of Fridays as Lewis Hamilton had a tough time and Russell crashed in second practice. Hamilton, who ended up seventh in final practice, believed yesterday that he may struggle to reach Q3.
Larry the Lizard caused a few issues during final practice (more on that to come) so the drivers will be hoping Larry is safe and not roaming around the track when qualifying gets going at 2pm BST. Can Norris secure another pole position to put himself in a brilliant position tomorrow to significantly reduce Verstappen’s lead in the race for the drivers’ title? Stay with us for all the action under the lights in Singapore.
