Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc waves after taking pole position after qualifying before the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix night race at Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore on October 1, 2022. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)
SINGAPORE – Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday after an angry Max Verstappen was forced to drop his fastest lap for fear of running out of fuel.
Monegasque passed the 5km Marina Bay track under floodlight in one minute 49,412 seconds but was usurped by rival Red Bull.
Verstappen is lighting up the timing display behind Leclerc and, having traded his fastest lap with Ferrari driver and Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton in the final stages of qualifying, has saved his best for for the last time on the track.
But the Dutchman was forced to finish eighth on the grid after Red Bull ordered him to cancel his slam dunk in a big swing in hopes of him claiming a second straight title next year. Sunday with five backup races.
“It was a very, very difficult qualifier,” said Leclerc, who will have Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez by his side on the lead instead.
“I made a mistake on my last round so I don’t think I’ll hit the pole.”
Leclerc got the 9th pole of the season and the 18th pole of his career.
The 24-year-old also started at pole the last time Formula One visited Singapore in 2019, coming in second behind teammate Sebastian Vettel when he was one of two Ferraris.
He is in the perfect position to do better on Sunday but will face a challenge from Perez and Hamilton, who will be hunting for his first win of the season from third on the grid.
“I tried so hard, it was very close,” said Hamilton, who missed the first pole of the year by just 0.054 seconds but broke into the top three for the first time this season.
“These guys are too fast but I think with a perfect lap we can fight for first place, but I can’t afford in the last lap.”
Worry about fuel
Verstappen broke out into a fiery, energetic burst on the radio after being called into the pit.
He then explained that Red Bull was worried he might not have enough fuel to provide the required fuel sample after the trading session he was carrying.
“It’s just incredibly frustrating and shouldn’t have happened,” he said.
Carlos Sainz will start Wednesday for Ferrari ahead of his Alpine compatriot Fernando Alonso. Lando Norris placed sixth for McLaren.
AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, in seventh place, will share the grid’s fourth row with Verstappen.
Kevin Magnussen in Haas and Yuki Tsunoda in another AlphaTauri made the top 10.
Thai rider Alexander Albon, who underwent appendectomy and suffered from respiratory failure due to complications from anesthesia surgery last month, failed to make it through the opening stages of qualifying. He will share the back row of the net with Williams teammate Nicholas Latifi.
Verstappen, who turns 25 on Friday, has his first shot to claim his second title this weekend but will need to win and score at least 22 points ahead of Leclerc and 13 more than Perez to finish. success on Sunday.
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