Dark. Dry track. Air +27С, track +27…28
Formula 1 returned to Singapore after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19, most restrictions were lifted and the stands were filled even in the rain that poured onto the track on Saturday afternoon.
Qualification in Singapore determines almost everything. In the past twelve Grand Prix on the city circuit, the pole winner has won eight times, and the top three at the finish often matched the top three at the start.
On Friday the riders concentrated on preparing for qualifying – Sainz showed the best time and on Saturday afternoon Charles Leclerc was fastest on the drying track.
Due to the rain during the day, the air temperature dropped and the humidity increased. At the start of qualifying the asphalt was almost completely dry, but there were wet spots in some places.
first session riders kept on intermediate tires. Splashes appeared behind the cars in some areas, everyone worked in a series of circles, added gradually, and the track got faster every minute.
Magnussen, Leclerc, Albon and Alonso all rode in safety bags with no impact on the car.
Verstappen showed the best time with a lap time of 1:53.057, tenth for Hamilton. The rest lost more than a second. Okon’s car had problems with the brakes, he slowly returned to the pits.
Bottas, Riccardo, Ocon, Albon and Latifi dropped out.
In the second session the riders again ran a series of laps with intermediate tires, gradually putting the tires into work mode. In the first attempt, Leclerc led the scoresheet with 1:52.343.
Stroll, Vettel and Zhou were the first to switch to slicks, but did not improve. Schumacher, Stroll and Vettel drove into the safety pocket after a braking error.
Leclerc’s result was the best. Russell, Stroll, Schumacher, Vettel and Zhou dropped out.
In the final Tsunoda and Magnussen opted for intermediate tires for the first run, while the others went out on slicks. The Soft set was enough for a series of fast laps, with Hamilton leading protocol first, then Leclerc. The first three pass in five hundredths. Verstappen did not have enough fuel for the final lap – the team asked him to return to the pits.
.jpg "Charles Leclerc won qualifying in Singapore with his ninth pole of the season and 18th of his career")
Charles Leclerc won qualifying in Singapore with his ninth pole of the season and 18th of his career. Sergio Perez will share the front row with him, Hamilton and Sainz will start from the second, Alonso and Norris will start from the third. Championship leader Max Verstappen only starts eighth.
Qualification Results
| pilot | Team | 1 session | 2 session | 3 session | ||||||
| m | Time | Cr | m | Time | Cr | m | Time | Cr | ||
| 1. Sh.Lecler | Ferrari | 3 | 1:54.129 | 7 | a | 1:52.343 | 7 | a | 1:49.412 | 6 |
| 2. C.Perez | Red Bull | four | 1:54.404 | 7 | four | 1:52.818 | 5 | 2 | 1:49.434 | eight |
| 3. L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 2 | 1:53.161 | 9 | 2 | 1:52.691 | 7 | 3 | 1:49.466 | eight |
| 4. K. Sainz | Ferrari | 5 | 1:54.559 | eight | 6 | 1:53.219 | 7 | four | 1:49.583 | 7 |
| 5. F. Alonso | alpine | 9 | 1:55.360 | eight | 5 | 1:53.127 | eight | 5 | 1:49.966 | 7 |
| 6. L. Norris | McLaren | fifteen | 1:55.914 | 9 | 9 | 1:53,942 | eight | 6 | 1:50.584 | 7 |
| 7. P. Gasly | AlphaTauri | 12 | 1:55,606 | 9 | 7 | 1:53.546 | eight | 7 | 1:51.211 | 7 |
| 8. Mr Verstappen | Red Bull | a | 1:53.057 | eight | 3 | 1:52.723 | 5 | eight | 1:51.395 | 7 |
| 9. K. Magnussen | hare | 7 | 1:55.103 | eight | ten | 1:54.006 | eight | 9 | 1:51.573 | 7 |
| 10. Y. Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | eight | 1:55.314 | 9 | eight | 1:53.848 | 7 | ten | 1:51.983 | 7 |
| 11. D. Russell | Mercedes | 6 | 1:54,633 | 9 | elf | 1:54.012 | eight | |||
| 12. L. Walk | Aston Martin | 13 | 1:55.629 | 7 | 12 | 1:54.211 | eight | |||
| 13. M. Schumacher | hare | fourteen | 1:55.736 | eight | 13 | 1:54.370 | eight | |||
| 14. S. Vettel | Aston Martin | elf | 1:55.602 | eight | fourteen | 1:54.380 | 7 | |||
| 15. G. Zhou’ | Alfa Romeo | ten | 1:55.375 | 7 | fifteen | 1:55.518 | 7 | |||
| 16. V. Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 16 | 1:56.083 | 7 | ||||||
| 17. D. Riccardo | McLaren | 17 | 1:56.226 | 9 | ||||||
| 18. E. Okon | alpine | eighteen | 1:56.337 | 9 | ||||||
| 19. A. Albon | Williams | 19 | 1:56.985 | 7 | ||||||
| 20. N. Latifi | Williams | twenty | 1:57.532 | eight | ||||||
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
