Verstappen Claims F1 Rival Norris Blocked Him in Singapore GP Qualifying While Russell Snags Pole Position

Table of Contents

1. Max Verstappen's Comments
2. Lando Norris' Response
3. Qualifying Results

MAX VERSTAPPEN criticized Formula One title rival Lando Norris for obstructing him after he missed out on securing his first pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Verstappen denied his former rival a front-row spot with a record-setting lap of 1:29.158 at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Max Verstappen criticized Lando Norris for obstructing him during Singapore GP qualifying. Lando Norris responded to the heated comment.

Verstappen, 28, is aiming for his first victory in Sunday’s race to complete the achievement of winning at every track on the 2025 calendar.

However, the flying Dutchman took a jab at McLaren’s Norris, accusing him of causing a mistake during the final sector of his lap.

During a unique three-driver post-qualifying press conference, prompted by the extreme temperatures that led to the FIA issuing its first-ever heat hazard warning on Thursday, Verstappen was asked about a mistake made in the final corners.

The furious Red Bull driver replied: “Yeah, that’s what happens when there’s a car two seconds ahead of you cruising in front.”

“So that’s noted, and it will be remembered as well.”

When asked who the “culprit” was, Verstappen replied: “Not Oscar [Piastri]. So yeah, that was a bit unfortunate. Otherwise, I think it could have been close for pole.”

“Qualifying here is very exciting. I’m a little disappointed not to be first, but the car has been really good this weekend.”

Briton Russell was thrilled with his top position, which marks his first-ever pole after a “challenging day” on Friday due to a crash in FP2.

He stated: “It’s great to bounce back and achieve a solid result today.”

“There’s a long, sweaty race tomorrow, but I knew there was potential in the car because Kimi [Antonelli] has been doing an amazing job all weekend, and I learned a lot from observing his performance.”

Regarding the challenge of keeping four-time world champion Verstappen behind him at Turn 1, Russell added: “Yeah, I mean Singapore hasn’t always been kind to me in the past.”

“That’s mostly due to my own mistakes. I’m not going to get overly excited about this pole position, but it’s the best starting point.”

“There’s a significant advantage to starting from pole here, so I hope to maintain the lead into Turn 1, but I know this guy on my left is quite adept at race starts and making moves down the inside.”

This statement seemed unusual considering Verstappen is currently 69 points behind the championship leader, who qualified third on Saturday.

However, victories in and Azerbaijan, along with a strong qualifying result, threaten to open up the drivers’ title race despite McLaren's dominance for most of the season.

Piastri remarked: “I obviously wanted more, but I don’t believe we had four-tenths in it to secure pole.”

Teammate Norris, who will start P5 in the race, responded to Verstappen’s claims after the session.

He said: “Red Bull always complains. There was no issue with Max driving behind me. Yes, he was behind me, but there was a significant gap, so there was no problem.”

There was early optimism for and in qualifying as he topped the first session, but he ultimately finished in P6, with his teammate in P7.