George Russell pulls a rabbit out of the hat for Pole in Singapore GP

George Russell stunned the paddock in Singapore, storming to his second pole of the 2025 Formula 1 season—and, his since the Canadian Grand Prix back in June. For a bit of context, Mercedes hadn't taken a Singapore pole since Hamilton's epic night in 2018.

Russell’s qualifying lap was a new track record. He delivered a 1:29.158 after grazing the wall at Turn 17 on his first Q3 attempt, which he then sharpened by just 0.007 seconds with his final flyer. Here’s the kicker: Max Verstappen, relentless as ever, felt hampered by Lando Norris’s slow-out lap. Verstappen said, “That’s what happens when there’s a car in front… will be remembered as well”. Meanwhile, Norris could only muster P5 after battling understeer all weekend—the Singapore circuit exposed McLaren’s Achilles’ heel: persistent front axle gremlins.

Oscar Piastri grabbed P3 with a time of 1:29.524, stoking his championship ambitions and underlining McLaren’s consistency versus Norris’s “nightmare”. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes rookie) managed P4—back-to-back top-four starts, while the Ferrari duo filled P6 (Hamilton) and P7 (Leclerc), both flummoxed by Marina Bay’s tight confines in Q2 and Q3.

Russell, by contrast, built his lap methodically, even after crashing in Friday’s practice. Mercedes’ last street circuit pole prior to Canada was Monaco 2022. Contrary to popular wisdom about Mercedes's struggles at Marina Bay, the Silver Arrows have turned the narrative on its head. The combination of Russell’s precision and Antonelli’s scrappy Q1/2 recoveries proved that street circuits don’t always play to form. McLaren, for its part, failed to translate practice pace—especially Norris, exposed once more by Piastri in a head-to-head qualifying duel.

Let’s bust a myth while we’re here: Singapore’s reputation for rewarding only the fastest car? Not this year. The technical setup mattered, yes—but so did driver adaptability and nerves under the floodlights.

Singapore on a Saturday night feels humid enough for sweat to drip from every visor. The circuit, a streak of light sliced by shadows, serves up understeer at every apex. Norris sounded concerned. "The front of the car is not strong enough, too much understeer so you have to make compromises," he said. "Today makes you feel like no matter who you are fighting, it just feels disappointing that we are not quick enough."

Russell wrestled with steering inputs, finessing the car through the hairpins and emerging unscathed, about as close as you get to a street-fighting chess player.

"I won't get carried away with pole. Of course, it's the best place to start. There's a good pole-side advantage but I like to think I can hold the lead but this guy [Verstappen] is good at race starts and sending it down the inside," said a measured Russell.

Mercedes starts on the grippy pole side with Antonelli backing up Russell, while Verstappen will be plotting a late lunge on the opening lap. McLaren must recalibrate. Ferrari, well, let’s just say the odds are stacked against a comeback surge—midfield draw doesn’t reward boldness at Marina Bay.

Overtaking is notoriously dicey in Singapore. Turns out, pole position has won 10 of the last 15 Singapore Grands Prix. It could be the key move—unless Verstappen conjures something dramatic, or rain throws a curveball.

George Russell - Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images