Verstappen takes first Singapore GP pole, earns 50th Formula 1 pole
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 10, 2026
Verstappen pole
Verstappen set the pace at Marina Bay with a lap of 1:31.373 on his first Q3 run, and that effort stood as the benchmark through the rest of qualifying. The lap gave Verstappen the one spot on the grid he had not yet claimed in Singapore, and it added another line to a qualifying record that already ranks among the strongest in Formula 1.
The pole came after a strong day across the board for Verstappen. He had already won the Sprint earlier Saturday, then carried that momentum into the main qualifying session and delivered when it mattered most. His first Q3 attempt produced the fastest lap, and no one behind him managed to beat it. That put Verstappen in control of the front row battle and left the rest of the field chasing his number.
Leclerc Hamilton chase
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton kept Verstappen honest, but neither driver could match the final Q3 pace from the Dutchman. Leclerc qualified second, just 0.054 seconds behind Verstappen, while Hamilton took third and finished 0.123 seconds back. Those gaps were small enough to keep the session tense, but they still left Verstappen clear at the front. The margin from first to third fit the tone of the entire session, with the top drivers trading quick laps and the pole coming down to a few hundredths.
Hamilton’s path to third made his result stand out even more. He led Q1 and Q2 before slipping to third in Q3, a shift that left him behind both Verstappen and Leclerc when the final runs counted. Leclerc held second place after the final sequence of laps and stayed close enough to threaten, but Verstappen’s opening Q3 effort held up. That meant the front of the grid settled into a familiar order, with Verstappen on top, Leclerc next and Hamilton just behind them. The numbers made the separation plain, and the session rewarded the driver who nailed his first shot in the last phase of qualifying.
Antonelli, Norris, Russell
Kimi Antonelli claimed fourth, Lando Norris took fifth, George Russell finished sixth and Oscar Piastri ended seventh, filling out the next group behind the top three. Their places reinforced how competitive the session stayed through the front half of the grid, with each driver landing within striking distance of the pole time but still needing a little more to move higher. The order behind Verstappen also showed how little room there was between the leading drivers and the pack just behind them.
That spread gave the Singapore Grand Prix a clear front-running picture before the race even began. Verstappen led the field after turning the fastest lap of the session on his first Q3 run, Leclerc sat close enough to keep the pressure on and Hamilton stayed in the mix after controlling the earlier stages. Antonelli, Norris, Russell and Piastri followed in that order, giving the top seven a clean shape heading into race day. With Verstappen already carrying the Sprint win from earlier Saturday, his pole position put him in the strongest possible place for the Grand Prix.
