Sainz claims pole position as Red Bull experience Singapore disaster

Carlos Sainz is on pole position for the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix as Red Bull Racing experienced a disastrous session at the Marin Bay Street Circuit. Both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were knocked out in Q2 as the RB19 struggled to work. That left the battle for pole between Ferrari and Mercedes' George Russell. Russell moved to P2, and all three drivers were within one-tenth of each other. 

Red Bull disaster

The results in FP1, FP2 and FP3 suggested this would be one of the most competitive qualifying sessions of the season, not only because of Red Bull's trouble but because four or five teams were in the mix for the front row. Red Bull's troubles only increased throughout the session. Verstappen was under investigation twice, and couldn't find grip on the circuit. It's the first weekend where they can mathematically secure the 2023 Constructors World Championship, and it all fell apart for the Red Bull team. Both Perez and Verstappen failed to reach Q3. It's the first time a Q3 session occurred without a Red Bull car since September 2018.

Lance Stroll had the heaviest crash of the season in Q1. The Aston Martin driver lost control of his car over the kerbs at the final corner and smashed into the wall. Stroll quickly reported on the radio that he was okay and climbed out unaided. His car was a complete wreck, and Aston Martin will have a lot of work to complete overnight and on Sunday morning. 

Traffic was a significant issue in Q1. Plenty of cars covered the entire track width in the final sector as others on hot laps tried to move through. Verstappen was told on the radio not to get involved in the fun and games, but he simply couldn't avoid it. It was a miracle no heavy contact was made, and brings questions as to why the minimum lap time rule wasn't implemented at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. 

The stewards will have a busy evening because various incidents are under investigation. That includes Championship leader Verstappen, who moved away slowly in the pitlane and later potentially impeded Tsunoda. 

Q1 

Around half of the field rushed out to set an early time while the other half waited for the minutes to tick down. Russell set the quickest time in the first part. Verstappen jumped to the top with seven minutes remaining as track evolution played a part. 

Both Alfa Romeo and Williams drivers joined Lance Stroll in the elimination zone with one run left. Both Haas drivers sat just above the drop zone. Meanwhile, Alonso had the pace to breach the top seven and get within two-tenths of the fastest time. The top 15 were within one second of each other, with five minutes remaining in Q1.

All 20 drivers returned to the circuit for a final lap. Tsunoda and Magnussen's early jump to the top of the leaderboard put pressure on all of the drivers as track conditions ramped up. Stroll pushed very hard to escape the drop zone but crashed heavily at the final corner. The crash ended the session and prevented anyone from improving their lap time. Oscar Piastri was the only big name in the drop zone. He was joined by Zhou, Sargeant, Bottas and Stroll himself.

Out - P20 Stroll, P19 Zhou, P18 Sargeant, P17 Piastri, P16 Bottas

Q2

Stroll's crash caused a lengthy delay to the start of Q2 as the barriers needed fixing. Verstappen was one of the first to set a lap time but was beaten by Magnussen almost immediately. The likes of Norris, Sainz and Leclerc all went quicker until Alonso went purple overall. Mercedes enjoyed some free air for their first run. Hamilton could only manage P5, whereas Russell moved to P1. 

At the halfway stage, Perez, Hulkenberg, Lawson and Albon found themselves in the drop zone. They were joined by Tsunoda, who didn't set a time because Verstappen blocked him. The Dutchman himself sat on the edge of the dropzone. Liam Lawson in the AlphaTauri pushed the two-time World Champion out of Q3. Perez spun in the first sector and lost a lot of time. He couldn't improve, meaning both Red Bull drivers were knocked out in Q2. 

Out - P15 Tsunoda, P14 Albon, P13 Perez, P12 Gasly, P11 Verstappen

Q3

The first Q3 without Red Bull for five years was wide open. Ferrari led the way through the practice sessions, and Sainz led again following the first run in Q3. A few scrub tyres were on the track during the first run of Q3, so the pressure wasn't off the Ferrari team, who led one-two. Mercedes gambled and left it until the last second before leaving the pitlane.

Leclerc improved drastically on the second run of Q3 but didn't get a place on the front row. Sainz also improved, and Russell made a late lunge to go P2. Both Sainz and Leclerc were within a tenth.