F1 results: Timings from Singapore Grand Prix qualifying

Thomas Maher 16 Sep 2023 2:31 PM

Alpine's Esteban Ocon under the lights at the Singapore Grand Prix.

With qualifying underway at the Marina Bay Street Circuit ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, keep up to speed with all the F1 results from each session.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz has taken pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, in what proved to be an enthralling session in which both Red Bulls shocked by being eliminated from Q2 on absolute merit.

Sainz had the measure of Mercedes’ George Russell to pip the British driver by 0.072 seconds, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc having to settle for third with a time a further 0.007 behind.

McLaren’s Lando Norris finished fourth, ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, and a hugely impressive showing from Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.

Amazingly, it was Liam Lawson who was the highest qualifying Red Bull driver as the AlphaTauri rookie slotted into 10th – even ahead of both Red Bull Racing drivers as they were knocked out in Q2.

With Max Verstappen struggling for outright pace, the Dutch driver was a spectator for the final part of qualifying as Sainz put in a 1:31.439 to go quickest in Q2.

Verstappen’s best time was three-quarters of a second slower than Sainz, and worse is likely to follow for Verstappen as the Dutch driver copped two separate stewards’ investigations as he will be looked at for alleged impeding in the pitlane in Q1, as well as blocking Yuki Tsunoda in Q2.

Tsunoda was also knocked out in Q2, having topped the times in the first segment of qualifying at Marina Bay.

With Verstappen, Perez, and Tsunoda all eliminated in Q2, they were joined on the sidelines by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Williams’ Alex Albon.

Heading into the closing seconds of Q1, the Japanese driver made the most of the rapidly improving track conditions to cross the line with a 1:31.991 to go quickest by a tenth over Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.

But the session was red-flagged before some of the expected frontrunners could complete their final flying laps, due to a huge crash for Lance Stroll. The Aston Martin was attempting to escape the drop zone from 20th place when he lost control of the rear going through the final corner, spearing into the barriers in a monstrous head-on impact.

Stroll appears to have escaped injury, radioing in to say he was unhurt before being brought off to the Medical Centre, but his AMR23 was destroyed in the impact – Q2 beginning will be delayed until the barriers are repaired and various fluids are cleared up from the circuit surface.

With Stroll eliminated from qualifying, the two Alfa Romeos were knocked out in 16th and 19th with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, respectively. Logan Sargeant was 18th in his Williams, while Oscar Piastri was the big scalp to get knocked out as the Australian driver couldn’t put in his final run due to the red flags being shown.

Singapore Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz on pole as Red Bull implode