WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM SPRINT QUALIFYING AT F1'S SINGAPORE GP

Mercedes rolled out an upgrade package for Singapore and promptly discovered it's slower than the car it replaced. Kimi Antonelli, running the new spec, qualified seventh for the sprint — nearly seven tenths off Max Verstappen's pole and six tenths behind teammate George Russell, who's still on the old aero. "The car is very difficult, very unpredictable," Antonelli said after struggling through SQ3. Russell, meanwhile, extracted everything from the outdated kit and came within a tenth of sprint pole, vindicating his call to revert. Verstappen's pole continues Red Bull's recent surge; after sweeping Malaysia, the RB22 looks locked in.

The FIA stumbled again, failing to activate overtake mode properly after an SQ1 red flag. Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll felt the pinch, though no one was eliminated because of it. Still, after the Malaysia formation lap mess, the governing body can't afford unforced errors. Williams posted its worst qualifying of the year — nineteenth and twenty-second, split by both Cadillacs — while Liam Lawson dragged Racing Bulls to eighth. If Mercedes can't sort the upgrade overnight, Sunday qualifying could get ugly.