Piastri third, pips Norris in Singapore GP qualifying
Ian Chadband |
Oscar Piastri has struck a blow over nearest F1 Championship challenger Lando Norris by outqualifying his teammate at the Singapore Grand Prix.
But both McLarens were surprisingly off the pace as Piastri could only finish third and Norris fifth in qualifying on Saturday evening (Sunday AEST) at the Marina Bay Street Circuit behind George Russell, who grabbed pole for Mercedes.
Champion Max Verstappen will be on the front row alongside his big rival Russell, but Red Bull’s reigning world champion wasn’t happy about his final lap being compromised by Norris being in his way.
McLaren need only one of their drivers to finish on the podium on Sunday to wrap up the Constructors title, and it’s advantage Piastri after the Australian finished two places clear of Norris, who revealed afterwards how he had been struggling over the weekend with illness.
Being under the weather certainly won’t help the English contender in the demanding, sweltering conditions under the lights in Singapore, with Piastri having the chance to extend his 25-point lead in the championship.
“Obviously, I would have wanted more, but I don’t think we had four-tenths in it to go and get pole,” said Piastri, whose best lap of 1:29.524 was 0.366sec slower than Russell’s 1:29.158.
“So ultimately, pretty happy. Feel like it’s been a good weekend so far, and we built up through it nicely. Ultimately it was a pretty clean session, so that’s all I could ask for.”
It’s the second pole of the year for Russell following the Canadian Grand Prix in June, which he went on to win.
“We certainly didn’t anticipate to be fighting for a pole position here,” Russell said, adding that he was also surprised that McLaren were slower than expected.
Grid position is a big advantage in Singapore, where overtaking is difficult, while Piastri’s advantage over Norris at the start could prove just as crucial for the Australian.
Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth, one place ahead of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, after escaping a potential grid penalty for an incident in practice.
AAP
