VERSTAPPEN TAKES SINGAPORE SPRINT POLE, FACES YELLOW FLAG PROBE
Max Verstappen claimed sprint pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, finishing 0.12 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell, according to the BBC. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc placed third, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris fourth and fifth. Lewis Hamilton, who had briefly run second behind Leclerc after going out early in the final session, slipped to sixth. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, driving a Mercedes car fitted with an upgrade that the team says underperformed at the previous race in Malaysia, could only manage seventh. Sky Sports reported that Verstappen faces an investigation for overtaking under yellow flags that were shown before the session was stopped following a crash involving Sergio Perez's Cadillac.
The session was also affected by technical issues with engine settings supplied by the FIA, the sport's governing body, five days after a software fault slowed cars during formation laps in wet conditions in Malaysia, the BBC reported. A separate fault in the timing system delayed the start of final qualifying, though organisers said neither issue affected the final grid order. Drivers reported reduced power after the settings governing "overtake mode", which allows extra energy harvesting, were switched on and off within 28 seconds following the red flag. The FIA has not yet responded to a request for comment, according to the report.
Verstappen's performance follows his and Red Bull's first race win of the season in Malaysia the previous weekend. Mercedes split its two cars between different specifications in Singapore in an attempt to understand the upgrade's performance, with Antonelli finishing 0.573 seconds slower than Russell, who used the previous specification. Antonelli, who leads the championship by 84 points heading into the weekend, said he had struggled with the new package from the first practice session onwards, according to the BBC. The outcome of the yellow flag investigation into Verstappen had not been confirmed at the time of reporting.