Verstappen needed just one lap in SQ3 to claim his first sprint pole of the season in Singapore, a 1m31.156s that put him 0.120s clear of George Russell's old-specification Mercedes. Russell starts the sprint from the front row despite an engine penalty looming for Sunday's grand prix, while teammate Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh in the upgraded car — seven tenths off pole and raising questions about Mercedes' development path.
Leclerc took third for Ferrari ahead of the McLaren duo. Williams endured their worst qualifying of 2026, with Albon 19th and Sainz 22nd, both drivers complaining of a car unrecognizable from practice. Sergio Perez red-flagged SQ1 after nosing his Cadillac into the Turn 5 wall, part of what he called a risk-taking weekend to salvage something from a lost season. He qualified 20th.
Timing glitches and a software issue that sapped power from several cars in SQ1 delayed SQ2, turning sprint qualifying into a technical mess. Saturday's 19-lap race will test whether Mercedes' spec gamble pays off — or whether Verstappen simply walks away.
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