During the qualifying session for the Singapore Grand Prix, Lando Norris secured pole position, narrowly beating out his title rival Max Verstappen. The session was marked by a one-lap shootout for the top spots following a crash by Carlos Sainz Jr. that disrupted the final session.
Norris expressed his challenges in finding pace during the session but managed to deliver a strong performance when it mattered most. He finished .203 seconds ahead of Verstappen, with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes securing the third spot, .316 seconds behind Norris.
Verstappen, despite struggling with grip in practice, was content with his second-place starting position. He currently leads Norris by 59 points in the championship standings, with seven rounds remaining, including the upcoming race on Sunday.
Notably, Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri, the recent winner in Azerbaijan, could only manage fifth place after a slower performance in the top-10 session compared to earlier in qualifying. Mercedes also saw George Russell secure the fourth spot, marking one of their stronger qualifying sessions this season.
However, it was a challenging day for Ferrari as Charles Leclerc had his lap time deleted in the final session for going off track, while Sainz suffered a crash into the wall due to a sudden steering issue, qualifying in 10th place.
Red Bull's Sergio Perez faced disappointment with a 13th place finish, while Daniel Ricciardo qualified in 16th position, eight places behind his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Ricciardo's future with Red Bull is uncertain, as there are talks of reserve driver Liam Lawson potentially replacing him for the remaining rounds of the championship, starting from the United States Grand Prix next month.
Overall, Norris' pole position sets the stage for an exciting race in Singapore, with Verstappen and Hamilton poised to challenge him for victory.
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