How Verstappen found the edge over Leclerc for Singapore pole

Max Verstappen took his first Singapore Grand Prix pole with a 1:31.373 on his opening Q3 attempt. Charles Leclerc improved on his final run to 1:31.427, 0.054 seconds behind; Lewis Hamilton finished third in 1:31.496.

Hamilton had set the pace in Q1 and Q2, then added front wing because he believed there was more pace available. He felt the change made his Ferrari worse; Autosport says it left the car with oversteer snaps through the opening corners and again at the final chicane.

Where the lap swung

Autosport’s comparison of the fastest Q3 laps shows a trade-off between Leclerc’s corner speed and Verstappen’s acceleration. Verstappen began with around 6 km/h more top speed but lifted and braked earlier for Turn 1. Leclerc gained about a tenth by Turn 2 and two tenths by the exit of Turn 3. On the run to Turn 5, the Red Bull was up to 18 km/h faster; by the corner, its advantage had shrunk to about 4 km/h as Leclerc committed later and stayed on the throttle longer.

The speed difference does not establish its cause. Autosport raises greater engine power and less drag or downforce as possibilities, but does not settle on an explanation. Its comparison is clearer on the driving: Verstappen traded some entry speed for getting the car straight and accelerating sooner.

At the final chicane, Leclerc was fractionally ahead on entry, but his half-throttle between the corners brought a brief understeer moment. Verstappen lifted almost completely, found a cleaner line to full throttle and reversed the lap-time delta; he held the advantage to the line.