Motorsports
Singapore GP: Unbeaten Saint took pole position in Singapore, shocking exclusion of Verstappen from the top ten
Carlos Sainz won his second pole position in a row in Singapore – after the Italian GP – ahead of Russell and Leclerc. Both Red Bulls are out in the second quarter, Lance Stroll crashes out in the first quarter.
In the qualifying tests for the Singapore GP – this year’s 15th round of Formula 1 – exclusion from the top ten was reserved on equal terms for the two cars that have won all 14 GPs this year, the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez . for the second time in a row, many positions for Carlos Sainz and Ferrari and a serious crash for Lance Stroll, from which the Canadian emerged unscathed.
Today Saint once again demonstrated the excellent form he had been in over the two days in the Ferrari SF-23, outpacing the equally efficient George Russell of Mercedes and his Ferrari colleague Charles Leclerc by 72 and 79 mm respectively.
Meanwhile, Verstappen and Perez struggled with the rear grip of the revised Red Bull RB19 on all three days, and at the end of the second period they were unable to improve their times to move into the top ten. It was the first deviation from perfection for this year’s F1 season’s absolutely dominant team.
The first qualifying was marked by Lance Stroll’s accident. Canada’s AMR23 was destabilized by a jump exiting the penultimate corner and Stroll lost control of her rear in the finale. He locked the car in reverse to try to fix the problem, but it wasn’t enough and he crashed hard into the outside guardrail.
The Canadian then went to the circuit’s medical center for tests, where it was crucial that he took his hands off the steering wheel a split second before the impact, which, given the force of the impact of the wheels, could have resulted in a corresponding hand injury with his Daniel Ricciardo in Zandvoort.
The Aston driver is expected to start tomorrow’s race as the track’s medical center confirmed he has not suffered any injuries. Behind him at the time of the accident was McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who cleverly avoided the wreckage of the Aston, but thereby lost his chance of qualifying for Q2.
Along with them, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Guanyin Chow and Williams’ Logan Sargeant also retired. Yuki Tsunoda wrote the first year in Q1 in the extensively revised Alpha Tauri AT04, as most drivers did not improve their times due to Stroll’s accident.
After a lengthy delay in clearing debris and repairing barriers, Q2 saw the big surprise of the year: Max Verstappen finished 10th on his first fast lap and Sergio Perez 11th.
The Dutchman visibly slipped on his second attempt, lost a lot of time and was unable to improve on his first performance. So he hoped no one else would go faster – but then Alpha Tauri rookie Liam Lawson came along with a stunning lap to move into the top ten and eliminate the champion.
Perez, meanwhile, had a foursome on his second lap that doomed him to fall out of the top ten. This completed the exclusion of both cars from the team, which won all 14 Formula 1 GPs this season, from the top ten. Along with them, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda were also excluded from Q2.
On the first lap of the third quarter, Carlos Sainz shone when his first time was two and a half tenths faster than Leclerc in the Ferrari one-two and four tenths faster than Norris in third – while Russell was six tenths behind.
With the fresh soft rubber in all cars, the front runners improved their times, but neither Norris nor Leclerc and Russell managed to take pole position away from the Spaniard. Lewis Hamilton took 5th place, ahead of his young Mercedes colleague, along with the impressive Kevin Magnussen of Haas, who managed to pass Fernando Alonso in 7th place.
Source: sport 24
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Carlos Sainz Sr., father of Carlos Sainz and two-time world rally champion, has commented on Ferrari’s decision to replace his son with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Sainz was left without a seat at Ferrari last year and later joined Williams. In 2025, the Spaniard outperformed Hamilton and achieved two podiums, while the Briton had none.
Carlos Sainz Sr. emphasized that neither he nor his son criticized Hamilton:
“It’s not our problem, it’s not Carlos’ problem. Ferrari was close to winning the constructors’ championship in 2024, but this year the team has faced difficulties. My advice, and Carlos agrees, is to focus on your work. The world is already too complex to worry about everyone. Let people draw their own conclusions,” he said.
At the same time, Sainz Sr. believes that his son can become a world champion:
“I have a lot of confidence in him and I want to believe that it is possible. I am his father and I have seen how talented he is. If he is in the right place at the right time, he can really achieve this. Everything has to match perfectly. He works and fights for it,” he added.
The rally champion also noted that success depends on the car and the team:
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a crystal ball to know how teams are preparing for radical changes in F1. It all depends on the engine and the chassis. It would be good for Williams to produce a competitive car and fight for the podium. Now they can be at the bottom, middle or top of the table and under the new rules the stronger teams have more resources.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Formula 1 pilots’ salaries have long been record-breaking, and the championship’s leading stars regularly appear on the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
The current F1 squad is one of the richest in the history of the series, which is directly linked to the sharp increase in the championship’s global popularity in recent years.
But large contracts account for only a fraction of total revenue. Advertising deals, bonuses, business ventures and investments have allowed individual pilots to amass fortunes that far exceed the earnings of most of their peers. According to Racing News 365, it was these Formula 1 drivers who managed to build the largest financial empires in the history of the championship, leaving others far behind.
The richest F1 drivers in history
1) Michael Schumacher – $790 million
2) Lewis Hamilton – $304 million
3) Fernando Alonso – $264 million
4) Kimi Raikkonen – $254 million
5) Niki Lauda – $203 million
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Mercedes driver George Russell says he is ready to prove his ability to challenge for the Formula 1 championship and is not afraid to confront Max Verstappen directly.
The Briton had been driving for Mercedes for four seasons but joined the Brackley team just as it lost its leading position. During this time, Russell achieved five Grand Prix victories but had to watch Verstappen and Lando Norris win the titles.
On the eve of major regulatory changes in 2026, many experts see Mercedes as one of the favorites of the new technical cycle. Russell hopes this will be his chance to consistently compete at the top.
“I’m confident I can compete with the best. Max is the gold standard right now,” said Russell.
I would like to fight him head on. “This is the only pilot next to whom you can really test your level.”
After Lewis Hamilton moved to Ferrari, Russell established himself as the leader of Mercedes. The 27-year-old compares his situation to the career of Michael Schumacher, who won his first championship after working for Ferrari for five years.
“You either fight for the championship or you don’t. Nobody dreams of fighting for second place. I’m ready to take my chances and I understand that patience is required,” concluded Russell.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
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