Lewis Hamilton secured third for Singapore Grand Prix qualifying after a front‑wing tweak left him 0.069 seconds off the grid‑setting pole of Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen retains pole with a 0.054‑second edge
Verstappen’s lap established Singapore’s fastest time in 2026, narrowly beating Charles Leclerc by 0.054 seconds. The Dutch driver set the benchmark for the session, demonstrating the pace that Ferrari could not match.
Front‑wing adjustment disrupts Hamilton’s trajectory
Hamilton led Q1 by 0.345 seconds over Leclerc and broke the 1m32s mark in Q2, beating Verstappen by 0.110 seconds. The Mercedes engine then saw a change to the right‑hand flap, increasing its angle. Hamilton described the modification as “just one hole of adjustment” that tipped the balance over the edge.
He later noted that the front‑wing change created oversteer at Turn 3 in the final Q3 laps, requiring him to “saw” through the steering wheel at the closing chicane. The altered aerodynamics left the car “snappy” but prevented him from extracting typical lap times.
Track evolution forces setup re‑assessment
Singapore’s street circuit offers more grip as the race weekend progresses. Teams can mistake the accumulation of rubber for setup improvements, making the fine line between optimum and over‑steer harder to gauge. Hamilton said the “real fine line … is very, very difficult” after the front‑wing change, while Leclerc admitted a lack of clean laps until the session’s end.
Both Ferraris feel missed opportunities
Leclerc qualified second after a single lap that left him 0.054 seconds short of pole. He acknowledged “mistakes” were made and that performance “could be on pole” if not for Verstappen’s better run. Hamilton, after finishing third, highlighted the team’s technical effort: “The team, the engineers, did a fantastic job… the car felt amazing in Q1 and Q2.”
Ferrari’s front row hopes now rest on refining the front‑wing angle and mitigating oversteer on the grippy Singapore tarmac.
"