Max Verstappen claimed his 50th Formula 1 pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix, edging out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in a tightly contested qualifying session at Marina Bay Circuit.
Verstappen, who also won the Sprint race earlier in the weekend, described the margins throughout qualifying as extremely close. “The car has been pretty strong all weekend,” he said in the post-qualifying press conference. “Of course, there are always things that you look into that can be better, but it was enough for pole, so very happy with that.”
When asked whether the milestone of 50 poles carried special significance, Verstappen was characteristically understated. “Better than 49, not as good as 51. So we just try and keep going.”
Leclerc qualified second after a troubled session that saw him battle brake issues through Q1 and Q2. “The car was pulling a little bit under braking, which is not so nice on a track like here,” the Monegasque driver said. He recovered to post a strong final lap in Q3, though acknowledged Verstappen had the edge. “I think there was potential to be on pole today, but Max just did a better job.”
Hamilton qualified third, also fighting car instability throughout the session. The seven-time world champion said snap oversteer in Turns 1 and 3 cost him roughly two tenths on his first Q3 run, with similar issues recurring on his final lap. “There’s a real fine line with our car where it’s over the edge or under the limit, and finding that sweet spot is very, very difficult,” Hamilton said.
Despite starting from third, Hamilton pointed to Ferrari’s ability to work as a team in the race as a potential route to challenging Verstappen. “I think that’s the only way it’s going to be. I’m sure he’s going to be fast, but hopefully together as a team we can potentially, who knows?”
Verstappen acknowledged that poor starts have been a recurring issue in recent races, describing his Sprint start as “terrible” by his own admission. He said the team’s primary overnight focus would be understanding and correcting the launch problem ahead of the Grand Prix. “It cannot get worse, so it can only get better,” he said.
The Red Bull driver also noted that Singapore has historically not suited his team, attributing this weekend’s strong performance to the characteristics of the 2026 regulations. “New regulations, and I think our car now works a little bit differently compared to the previous regulations, where we’re stronger in different areas of a corner,” he said.
Track conditions were slightly slower than the previous day following earlier rain, with Verstappen noting reduced grip levels likely caused by rubber washing off the surface.