Mercedes driver George Russell drives an outstanding qualifying session in hot and humid Singapore. He takes his second pole position of the year ahead of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.
04.10.2025, 16:44
04.10.2025, 17:01
SDA
Briton George Russell secured pole position for the Formula 1 night race in Singapore with a track record. He drove the best laps of the day at the start and towards the end of Q3. World champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull lost just under two tenths.
Among the losers were the McLaren drivers and, above all, the Ferrari team. World championship leader Oscar Piastri in the favored McLaren started from third position, his teammate Lando Norris from 5th on the grid. 6th (Lewis Hamilton) and 7th (Charles Leclerc) were the result for Ferrari, who had impressed in the practice sessions and raised hopes for more.
The Sauber team was not lucky by a hundredth of a second. Gabriel Bortoleto failed as early as Q1, finishing sixteenth by 45 hundredths. A few minutes later, Nico Hülkenberg suffered the same fate in Q2. In eleventh place, he missed his first Q1 of the season by 65 hundredths.
New heat rule on Sunday
On Sunday evening local time (14:00 Swiss time), the drivers will once again have to prepare for a real endurance test. As the air temperature is forecast to exceed 31 degrees for the race, the FIA has activated its new heat rule for the first time. The drivers are allowed to wear cooling vests and all cars must be equipped with appropriate technical devices. The required minimum weight of the cars is therefore increased by five kilos to 805 kg.
Verstappen described the rule as "ridiculous" and announced that he would not be wearing the cooling vest in the race. "Sweating a little is okay for me. And the vest gets really hot after 15 to 20 minutes, so it doesn't help at all," the Dutchman told the Viaplay broadcaster. Verstappen is annoyed that the cooling vest is to become mandatory in the coming season in extreme heat. Every driver should take responsibility for their own health, explained the 28-year-old.
