Lando Norris Seizes Pole Position in Dramatic Singapore GP Qualifying

Lando Norris put McLaren on pole for the Singapore Grand Prix, edging out championship leader Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell of Mercedes, and McLaren's Oscar Piastri also performed well. Carlos Sainz's crash disrupted the session, leading to mixed results for top drivers.

Lando Norris put McLaren on pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday, edging out Red Bull's championship leader Max Verstappen in a dramatic qualifying session under the floodlights.

Lewis Hamilton qualified third, with Mercedes team mate George Russell fourth, and McLaren's Oscar Piastri fifth in a top-10 shootout that saw Carlos Sainz crash his Ferrari, briefly halting the session.

The pole was Norris's fifth of the season and sixth of his career. 'The car's been feeling good, and you can push and get the lap time,' said Norris. Verstappen, leading by 59 points, will start from the front row.

The final phase of qualifying saw Sainz crash, leading to Verstappen's lap being deleted under yellow flags, leaving seven drivers without a time. With under four minutes left, Norris clocked the fastest lap, with Hamilton and Verstappen following.

Eight drivers will start behind the leading trio, including Fernando Alonso in seventh and Yuki Tsunoda in eighth. McLarn's main rivals Ferrari had a poor session, with Charles Leclerc dropping to ninth and Sainz tenth.

Williams' Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto will start 11th and 12th, respectively. Daniel Ricciardo failed to make it beyond the first phase, making it possibly his last qualifying session as he may be replaced by Liam Lawson at Red Bull next year.

(Writing by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Andrew Heavens and Hugh Lawson)

(With inputs from agencies.)