Papaya Rules!

21 September 2024, Singapore – Lando Norris claimed his fifth pole position of 2024 and the sixth of his career and will have world champion Max Verstappen alongside him on the front row to ensure a thrilling start to the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2024.

McLaren star Norris, quickest in the final free practice session, built on that form to take pole position – so critical at Marina Bay Street Circuit – with a best lap of 1:29.525, an average speed of 198.648km/h, to be 0.203 seconds faster than Red Bull ace Verstappen, who has still not claimed pole position in Singapore.

Carlos Sainz and his Ferrari triggered a dramatic one-lap shoot-out in the final segment of qualifying, slamming  into the barriers on the outside of the final corner and bringing the session to a halt, the 30-year-old emerging unscathed.

“It was tough,” the 24-year-old Norris said of the nerve-jangling finish. “It gets your heartrate up and it’s good fun! When you have a good feeling with the car you’re confident and you can go out and push. I kept it cool and did what I had to do.”

Verstappen, 26, was pleasantly surprised to be on the front row after another challenging weekend on the only track where Red Bull failed to win in 2023. “All of qualifying went quite well,” said the Dutchman, winless for the last seven races. “I’m happy to be on the front row after where we came from yesterday. Here we are, second. In Singapore a lot can happen but at least we’ve got a shot at it.”

Behind them sit the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Four times on pole in Singapore, Hamilton complained throughout free practice about his car’s handling, but found a huge step forward when it mattered. 

“Qualifying has been a disaster for me all year,” said the 39-year-old, in his last season with Mercedes before joining Ferrari. “All of a sudden the car came alive in qualifying here. I think there was a tiny little bit left in the car, but I’m grateful. I’m hoping we can keep up with these guys tomorrow.”

Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri is on the third row, with another surprise package alongside him in the shape of German veteran Nico Hülkenberg, the Haas driver recording his personal best qualifying performance at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Two men performing minor miracles in under-performing cars will occupy the fourth row of the grid. Spanish evergreen Fernando Alonso, 43, wrung his green Aston Martin’s neck to finish seventh, while 24-year-old Yuki Tsunoda again excelled for VCARB – a performance underlined by teammate Daniel Ricciardo’s elimination in Q1, an effort that will do little to save the under-threat Australian’s career.

To rub salt into Ferrari’s wounds, Charles Leclerc had his best lap deleted, so both Maranello men – both previous pole-winners in Singapore – will start from the fifth row of the grid. Sergio Pérez, meanwhile, did little to help Red Bull’s bid to fight back against McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship when he could qualify only 13^th. “We will try everything with the strategy to try and come through and limit the damage,” said the 34-year-old Mexican who won here two seasons ago.

In earlier race action, F1 Academy made its first visit to Asia and series leader Abbi Pulling made her sixth visit to the top step of the podium. The Alpine Academy star said before the first of this weekend’s two races, “Most times when I’ve led into Turn 1 I’ve led all the way,” and once again the young Englishwoman did exactly that.

Pulling won by over two seconds from Ferrari Junior Maya Weug, with her closest title challenger, France’s Doriane Pin, in third. Mercedes protégée Pin drove a superb late-race stint after picking up a five-second penalty for a false start, posting fastest lap of all with a 2:04.454 on the last of the 11 laps – one fewer than planned after Bianca Bustamante overshot her grid box and triggered a second formation lap.

Pulling takes a comfortable 82-point into Sunday’s second race but refuses to dwell on her title hopes: “I’m not putting pressure on myself,” she said. “I’m keeping a cool head – I just get out there and do the best I can. It’s an amazing track – I just love driving on these streets!”

Dylan Pereira claimed his second race win of the season as The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia series continued its close friendship with Singapore. The Team Shanghai Yonda driver inherited pole position when fastest man in Qualifying Mathys Jaubert received a three-place penalty. 

Pereira came home 2.777 seconds of the TORO Racing Frenchman, who set fastest lap on 2:04.497 (142.846 km/h),and 7.780s ahead of third-placed series veteran Martin Ragginger in the Porsche Holding entry. Series leader Alessandro Ghiretti was fourth for Team Jebsen.