Max Verstappen has been cleared of a potential penalty after stewards investigated his overtake on Lewis Hamilton during Singapore Grand Prix sprint qualifying. The Red Bull driver secured sprint pole position despite Hamilton’s complaint that the manoeuvre took place under yellow flags, allowing the four-time world champion to retain his place at the front of the grid.
Verstappen attempted to pass Hamilton during Q1, prompting the Ferrari driver to report the incident over team radio. Hamilton claimed Verstappen had overtaken him under yellow flags, raising the possibility of a penalty that could have compromised the Dutchman’s qualifying result.
Verstappen quickly defended himself over the radio, insisting that no yellow flags had been displayed when he began the manoeuvre.
Following a lengthy discussion, the stewards decided against imposing a penalty. The verdict means Verstappen keeps the sprint pole position he secured at the end of a chaotic qualifying session.
The decision will come as a relief to Red Bull, with Verstappen having delivered a strong performance against the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers despite acknowledging that the Singapore circuit continues to expose weaknesses in his car.
Verstappen surprised by sprint pole
Verstappen admitted that he had not expected to finish qualifying at the top of the order, particularly given the challenges Red Bull has faced at different circuits this season.
“I didn’t expect that,” Verstappen said after qualifying. “I’m happy to be first.”
The Dutchman believes Red Bull has made progress in recent races, although Singapore presents a different challenge for the team.
“We’ve been significantly stronger in recent races,” Verstappen explained, before acknowledging that “this track still exposes some weaknesses in the car.”
His pole position puts him in a strong position for the sprint, but the stewards’ investigation had threatened to overshadow an otherwise impressive qualifying performance.
Antonelli struggles as Russell takes second
While Verstappen celebrated, championship leader Kimi Antonelli endured a frustrating session in Singapore.
The Mercedes youngster arrived with high hopes but managed only seventh place, finishing behind his team-mate George Russell, who secured second, as well as both McLarens and Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari.
Antonelli was using Mercedes’ updated car configuration, unlike Russell, who continued with the older specification. The contrast in their performances will raise further questions about how effectively the latest upgrades are working.
“There’s still a lot I need to understand about this package,” Antonelli admitted afterwards. “The car is difficult to drive.”
The Italian described the result as “a real shame”, explaining that he had arrived in Singapore with high expectations.
Russell, meanwhile, was encouraged by his performance with the older configuration, describing his car as “quite competitive” throughout the day. He was consequently “quite satisfied” with second place.
Mercedes faces questions over its upgrades
The contrasting fortunes of the two Mercedes drivers provide another talking point heading into the Singapore sprint. Russell demonstrated that the previous specification remains competitive, while Antonelli struggled to extract the same performance from the updated package.
For Antonelli, the immediate priority will be understanding the new configuration and finding a more consistent balance. With the championship fight continuing, Mercedes will need to assess whether the upgrades are delivering the expected benefits.
Verstappen, meanwhile, can focus on converting sprint pole into a strong result after avoiding a penalty. The stewards’ decision settles the immediate controversy, leaving the Red Bull driver free to start from the position he earned on track.
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