Verstappen wins the battle for first place
Max Verstappen ended Singapore Sprint Qualifying on Friday, 9 October 2026, with the fastest lap: 1:31.156. George Russell was second, 0.120 seconds behind, and Charles Leclerc third, 0.243 seconds off the pace. The official Formula 1 report confirms the top three positions and Verstappen's advantage over Russell.
McLaren behind Leclerc; Antonelli seventh
Oscar Piastri took fourth ahead of team-mate Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton was sixth and Kimi Antonelli seventh. Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly complete the top ten. Hadjar has no valid SQ3 time in the reported results.
Full Sprint Qualifying results
The table shows the first 19 positions, which agree between the Formula 1 report and the media tables. SQ3 gaps are relative to Verstappen, according to The Race and Total Motorsport. The dash for eliminated drivers means no participation in SQ3, rather than no SQ1 or SQ2 time. Positions 20–22 remain under verification, as explained below.
| Position | Driver | Team | Segment | SQ3 time / gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | SQ3 | 1:31.156 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | SQ3 | +0.120s |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SQ3 | +0.243s |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | SQ3 | +0.298s |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | SQ3 | +0.431s |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SQ3 | +0.546s |
| 7 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | SQ3 | +0.693s |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | SQ3 | +1.185s |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | SQ3 | No valid time |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | SQ3 | +2.163s |
| 11 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | SQ2 | — |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | SQ2 | — |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | SQ2 | — |
| 14 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | SQ2 | — |
| 15 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | SQ2 | — |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | SQ2 | — |
| 17 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | SQ1 | — |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | SQ1 | — |
| 19 | Alexander Albon | Williams | SQ1 | — |
Positions 20–22: order requires confirmation
The Formula1.com report mentions Bottas, Sainz and Pérez after Albon. The Race, Motorsport Week and Total Motorsport tables list them differently: Pérez, Bottas, Sainz. The official results page did not yet display its table when consulted. APEX is therefore not assigning individual positions to these three drivers; all were eliminated in SQ1. This discrepancy is separate from the FIA yellow-flag review.
FIA reviews the yellow-flag incident
FIA documents 21 and 22 summon Verstappen and Hamilton, together with team representatives, for 22:15 local time. The incident concerns Verstappen allegedly overtaking Hamilton's car under yellow flags at 20:35. A summons is not a penalty. Qualifying results must be read separately from any decision that could change the grid.
Saturday's Sprint starts at 12:00 in Romania
The official Formula 1 schedule places the Sprint on Saturday, 10 October, at 09:00 UTC: 12:00 in Romania and 17:00 in Singapore. Grand Prix qualifying follows at 13:00 UTC, or 16:00 in Romania. That session sets the separate grid for Sunday's main race; Sprint Qualifying positions do not carry over to it.
