Norris Claims Pole for 2024 Singapore GP

(Image credit:@F1)

McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed pole position for 2024 Singapore Grand Prix ahead of title rival, Max Verstappen.

Norris topped FP3 then two of the three Qualifying segments as McLaren dominated Saturday’s running, but the Brit is joined on the front row by his title rival, Verstappen.

Now here is a roundup of all the action across FP3 and Qualifying for 2024 Singapore GP.

 

FP3

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were first out on track in the third minute, but the red flags were out six minutes later due to a lizard on track.

The session resumed in the 14th minute with Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou plus Williams’ Franco Colapinto opting for the soft tyres, whilst everyone else ran the medium tyre in their opening stints.

Bottas set an initial benchmark time of 1m 34.504 but several drivers swiftly usurped his lap time, as Verstappen set the pace on 1m 32.044, which he lowered to 1m 31.630 on his next lap.

Leclerc however ended the opening runs fastest with 1m 31.525 set just past the half-hour mark.

Attention soon switched to the soft-tyre qualifying simulations with Mercedes’ George Russell initially quickest on 1m 30.125 from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Piastri’s teammate, Norris however topped the session with a scintillating 1m 29.646 set with just 14 minutes left.

Position Driver Team Time
1 Lando Norris McLaren 1m 29.646
2 George Russell Mercedes + 0.479
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren + 0.785
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull + 0.894
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari + 0.913
6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari + 1.161
7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes + 1.218
8 Alex Albon Williams + 1.303
9 Franco Colapinto Williams + 1.343
10 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin + 1.436
11 Yuki Tsunoda RB + 1.468
12 Nico Hulkenberg Haas + 1.541
13 Kevin Magnussen Haas + 1.619
14 Pierre Gasly Alpine + 1.721
15 Sergio Perez Red Bull + 1.794
16 Esteban Ocon Alpine + 1.913
17 Daniel Ricciardo RB + 1.915
18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin + 2.073
19 Valtteri Bottas Sauber + 2.452
20 Guanyu Zhou Sauber + 3.006

 

Qualifying

Q1

Ocon was first out on track and set 1m 32.365 but his time was quickly usurped, as Norris set 1m 30.724 to head the order once everyone set a lap time.

The bottom five meanwhile comprised of; Stroll, Ocon, Bottas, Gasly and Zhou, but Gasly soon put himself 16th whilst Ocon put himself into a safe position at the expense of Colapinto.

Track conditions eventually ramped up with more grip and as the checkered flag fell, Sauber’s Zhou and Bottas were slowest behind Gasly in 18th position, whilst Ricciardo beat Stroll to 16th by 0.009 seconds.

 

Q2

Perez was first out of the pits and proceeded to set 1m 30.653 on used softs but Norris quickly set the pace with 1m 30.007, whilst Verstappen’s lap time was deleted after he exceeded track limits at the final corner.

Mercedes meanwhile decided to do their first Q2 laps later than everyone else which paid dividends, as Hamilton posted 1m 29.929 as the benchmark.

At the halfway mark, Alonso headed those in the elimination zone ahead of; Albon, Colapinto, Ocon and Verstappen.

Verstappen however went early for his final run and posted 1m 29.680 to go top, and in-turn dropped Magnussen into the bottom five.

At the checkered flag, Alonso also survived at the expense of Albon who qualified 11th and just 0.007s ahead of Colapinto, whilst Perez, Magnussen and Ocon were also eliminated.

Piastri topped the segment with 1m 29.640 from Verstappen by 0.040s.

 

Q3

Piastri led the ten-strong queue of cars out as the pit exit went green and set 1m 30.037 as the benchmark time, just moments before the red flags came out after Sainz spun out at the final corner at the end of his warmup lap.

Verstappen however went quickest with 1m 29.791 but his lap time was deleted due to being set in a double yellow-flag zone, which left him bemused whilst Hulkenberg kept his 1m 30.848 due to backing off at the last corner.

The session resumed 15 minutes later with eight minutes and four seconds left on the clock, but nobody was in a hurry to venture straight out until McLaren sent Piastri and Norris out in the ninth minute with everyone else following suit.

At the checkered flag, Norris snatched pole with 1m 29.525 and 0.203s clear of his title rival, Verstappen, whilst Hamilton headed Russell in a Mercedes second-row lockout.

Piastri, Hulkenberg, Alonso and Tsunoda rounded out the top eight as Leclerc qualified ninth, after his lap time was deleted.

Position Driver Team Time
1 Lando Norris McLaren 1m 29.525
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull + 0.203
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes + 0.316
4 George Russell Mercedes + 0.342
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren + 0.428
6 Nico Hulkenberg Haas + 0.590
7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin + 0.689
8 Yuki Tsunoda RB + 0.829
9 Charles Leclerc Ferrari No Time
10 Carlos Sainz Ferrari No Time
11 Alex Albon Williams 1m 30.474
12 Franco Colapinto Williams + 0.007
13 Sergio Perez Red Bull + 0.105
14 Kevin Magnussen Haas + 0.179
15 Esteban Ocon Alpine + 0.295
16 Daniel Ricciardo RB 1m 31.085
17 Lance Stroll Aston Martin + 0.009
18 Pierre Gasly Alpine + 0.227
19 Valtteri Bottas Sauber + 0.487
20 Guanyu Zhou Sauber + 0.969

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