George Russell kept Max Verstappen at bay to land an impressive pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix.
In his rejuvenated Mercedes machinery, Russell danced his way to top spot to see off Verstappen by 0.182 seconds at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Verstappen was unable to live with Russell, but he delivered a world title statement of intent by out-qualifying championship leader Oscar Piastri and McLaren team-mate Lando Norris. Piastri will line up from third, two places clear of a disappointed Norris, who faces losing further ground to the Australian.
Russell’s team-mate Kimi Antonelli splits the McLaren drivers and will start from fourth, nearly four tenths slower than the pole-sitter. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc qualified sixth and seventh respectively for Ferrari.
Here’s how the standings look after the Singapore GP
F1 driver standings after Singapore GP
1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 336 points
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 308 points
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 248 points
4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 219 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 169 points
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 125 points
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 76 points
8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 70 points
9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 39 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) – 37 points
11. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 34 points
12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 32 points
13. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 28 points
14. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 20 points
15. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 20 points
16. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 18 points
17. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 18 points
18. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 16 points
19. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 12 points
20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points
21. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points
F1 constructor standings after Singapore GP (TBC)
1. McLaren – 617 points
2. Ferrari – 280 points
3. Mercedes – 260 points
4. Red Bull – 239 points
5. Williams – 86 points
6. Aston Martin – 62 points
7. Racing Bulls – 61 points
8. Sauber – 55 points
9. Haas – 44 points
10. Alpine – 20 points
