Singapore GP 2025 qualifying: George P1, Williams disqualified and Max complains against Lando!

The 2025 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying had a lot of post-session drama! Mercedes' George Russell secured pole position, delivering a stunning lap despite having crashed in practice the day before. It was a big turn-around for Russell at a track where he had historically struggled. He beat Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and championship leader Oscar Piastri (McLaren).

Red Bull's Max Verstappen (qualified 2nd) was visibly frustrated and accused Lando Norris (McLaren, qualified 5th) of obstructing him during his final flying lap in Q3. Verstappen claimed Norris was "just cruising" around the track and disrupted his lap, costing him a chance at pole position. The complaint did not result in a penalty for Norris, but it added significant friction and drama between the two rivals leading into the race.

Lando seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time quite a lot this weekend and it has surely cost his rivals! While not after qualifying, the weekend had earlier drama during Free Practice 2 (FP2) when Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was leaving his pit box and collided with Lando Norris, who was being pushed back into his garage. Leclerc was fined €10,000 as the stewards found a team member responsible for his safe release had misjudged the situation, leading to the collision that pushed Norris into the wall. Norris's car sustained minor damage.

Williams disqualification

Both Williams drivers, Alex Albon (qualified 12th) and Carlos Sainz (qualified 13th), were disqualified from qualifying. Post-session scrutineering found that the rear wings on both cars violated the technical regulations, specifically concerning the Drag Reduction System (DRS) slot gap. The gap exceeded the maximum allowed limit of 85mm. Both drivers had to start the race from the back of the grid. Williams accepted the Lanruling.

Notable performances from the session has put Kimi Antonelli on P4, Lewis Hamilton on P6, 7th sits Charles Leclerc, followed by Isack Hadjar, Oliver Bearman and Fernando Alonso on P8, P9 and P10 respectively.

Norris in a non-winnable car?

Lando Norris finished qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix in fifth place, which was considered an underwhelming result after he won the race from pole position the previous year. Norris and the team pointed to a core weakness of the McLaren car on the weekend, which was struggling with the front tyres and having too much understeer (lack of front grip).

Norris admitted that other teams, particularly Mercedes and Red Bull, had improved their performance and were simply faster. Norris revealed he had been battling an illness earlier in the weekend, though he was feeling better on Saturday and refused to use it as an excuse for his qualifying performance. While his chances of winning the Drivers Championship might be dwindeling at this point, McLaren stands a serious chance of retaining their constructors' crown on Sunday in Singapore if they simply score 13 points combined.

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