Carlos Sainz has been comfortable on the tortuous Singaporean track since the start of the weekend and this was confirmed this Saturday, during qualifying. The Spanish driver was faster than everyone, and in particular than last year’s pole-sitter, his teammate Charles Leclerc, to claim the right to start from first place on Sunday (2 p.m.).
The prancing horse stands up
Sainz completed the 4.94km circuit in 1’30”984, and even if the gaps were tiny with his pursuers, no one else was able to go below 1’31. For Sainz, it is a fifth career pole position, and above all his second in a row after that obtained at Monza 15 days ago, on Ferrari land. For a few seconds, the Scuderia undoubtedly thought they were holding the first row, when Charles Leclerc failed 79 thousandths behind his teammate.
But that was without counting on George Russell, also very fast on this urban circuit since Friday. The Mercedes driver inserted himself between the two Ferraris and beat Charles Leclerc by barely 7 thousandths. For Ferrari, progress seems to be confirmed, especially in qualifying, with a new pace. It will also be necessary to show it in the race, but for the first time this season, the transalpine team can hope to win. Until this 15th round of the Championship, Red Bull has won everything but that could well change on Sunday.
Thunderbolt at Red Bull
Nothing went as planned among the Championship leaders, with Max Verstappen (11th) and Sergio Perez (13th) both eliminated in Q2. This is the first time this season that no Red Bull has managed to reach Q3 and in a season where the domination of the Austrian manufacturer is overwhelming, this is rare enough to be highlighted. The Austrian single-seater, which has no equivalent on the grid this year, does not seem quite up to par within the walls of this Singaporean track and the drivers have never found the right settings to be efficient. To this must be added a Sergio Perez who spun during his last attempt and you get Red Bull’s worst qualifying session in 2023.
If Verstappen only set a disappointing 11th time, eliminated by a hair by Liam Lawson (Alpha Tauri) in Q2, it is not certain that he will start from this place on Sunday. The double world champion is the target of several investigations, in particular for having remained stopped for too long at the exit lights of the pit lane, and also for having hindered other drivers on the track. The Dutchman will have to explain this to the race management and could be inflicted with penalties which would have the effect of pushing him back on the starting grid. This will at least have the merit of guaranteeing suspense for the race.
Big scare for Stroll
The session was also marked by a long interruption and a red flag caused by Lance Stroll’s huge accident. At the end of Q1, and as he was finishing his last attempt, the Aston Martin driver hit a curb before the last corner and the sanction was immediate. The Canadian’s car was unbalanced and found itself thrown into the safety barriers, where it bounced, before ending its race in the middle of the starting straight. A crash of great violence but with no other consequence than material damage since Stroll was able to extract himself from what was left of his car.
