News Summary
- Max Verstappen claimed his first Singapore Grand Prix pole with a 1:31.373, beating Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
- Red Bull ended a 13-year wait for pole at Marina Bay, having last achieved the feat with Sebastian Vettel in 2013.
- Verstappen became only the second Red Bull driver to take Singapore GP pole, joining Vettel, who achieved the feat twice.
Max Verstappen ended Red Bull’s 13-year wait for pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday, October 10, securing his first Grand Prix pole at Marina Bay and becoming the team’s first driver to achieve the feat since Sebastian Vettel in 2013.
The Dutchman set a 1:31.373 during Q3, beating Charles Leclerc by just 0.054s and Lewis Hamilton by 0.123s. The result gave Verstappen his 50th career Formula 1 pole and his second consecutive Grand Prix pole following Sepang.
Despite Red Bull’s dominance during several periods of the past decade, the team had not started the Singapore Grand Prix from pole since Vettel’s final championship-winning season.
Verstappen joins Vettel as Red Bull’s Singapore pole-sitters
Before Saturday, Vettel was the only driver to have secured Singapore Grand Prix pole position for Red Bull.
The German first achieved the feat in 2011, setting a 1:44.381 before going on to win the race.
He returned to pole at Marina Bay in 2013 with a 1:42.841, beating Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes by 0.091s. Vettel subsequently won the Grand Prix, extending his dominance during his fourth consecutive championship-winning season.
Red Bull went through the following 12 Singapore Grands Prix without another pole position, despite regularly challenging for podiums and victories.
Verstappen finally ended that sequence in 2026, becoming the second driver to qualify on pole for the team at Marina Bay.
Red Bull’s Singapore Grand Prix pole positions
| Year | Driver | Car | Pole time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull RB7 | 1:44.381 |
| 2013 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull RB9 | 1:42.841 |
| 2026 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull RB22 | 1:31.373 |
These figures refer to Grand Prix pole positions, not sprint qualifying results. Circuit layout changes mean lap times from different years are not directly comparable.
Singapore was one of Verstappen’s remaining qualifying gaps
Verstappen arrived at Marina Bay without a Grand Prix pole or victory at the circuit, despite nine previous appearances and four podium finishes.
His previous qualifying performances included front-row starts in 2024 and 2025, but he had never secured first place.
As GRANDE PRÊMIO reported before the weekend, Singapore remained one of the few circuits where Verstappen had not taken pole.
The situation changed across the weekend.
Verstappen first secured pole for Friday’s sprint qualifying before winning Saturday’s rain-affected sprint, his first race victory of any kind at Marina Bay.
He then completed the qualifying double by taking pole for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Verstappen reaches 50 F1 poles with Singapore breakthrough
The result also marked another career milestone for the four-time world champion.
Verstappen reached 50 Grand Prix poles, joining Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Sebastian Vettel as the only five drivers to have achieved the milestone.
He remains fifth in the all-time ranking, seven poles behind Vettel’s career total of 57.
GRANDE PRÊMIO has published the complete historical ranking of drivers with 50 or more F1 poles.
The complete Singapore Grand Prix qualifying results show Verstappen ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton, with Kimi Antonelli fourth.
The updated Singapore GP schedule, including Sunday’s race time is available in GRANDE PRÊMIO, which follows the latest Formula 1 news throughout the Singapore GP weekend.
