Carlos Sainz takes pole position, Red Bull struggles in the night: Singapore GP Qualifying

Spanish driver Carlos Sainz secured pole position in the Singapore GP Qualifying, in what was a challenging day for the Red Bull team.

The Singapore GP qualifying had a rather mixed start, with no clear dominance by any driver.

In fact, Max Verstappen, the 2023 season’s frontrunner, didn’t achieve the best time on a track where he has never won.

On the other hand, in the Singapore GP qualifying, Checo Pérez managed a respectable second-best time.

The big surprise came from Yuki Tsunoda of Alpha Tauri, who clocked the highest speed in the Singapore GP qualifying on a track with high temperatures, despite being raced at night.

However, an incident involving Lance Stroll brought the circuit to a standstill, with a nearly head-on collision that damaged his front wing, but the driver emerged unharmed.

Due to the force of the impact, the front-left tire of Stroll’s Aston Martin was dislodged without major consequences.

In the Q1 of the Singapore GP qualifying, Bottas, Piastri, Sargeant, Zhou, and Stroll were eliminated.

Singapore GP Qualifying: Red Bull struggles in the night

But it was the darkest night for Red Bull, as they couldn’t advance to the Q2 due to braking issues with their car.

Max Verstappen had been complaining about the rear-end behavior of the car since the practice sessions.

Towards the end of the Q2, Checo Pérez went off the track, and there was no time left to improve his numbers. Verstappen, too, couldn’t secure the top time and was left out.

This marks the first time in the season that both Red Bull drivers failed to progress to the Q2.

Now, the championship-winning team will have to fight for the best positions on a challenging circuit. It’s worth noting that Checo Pérez was the winner last year, but without starting at the front rows, it poses a significant challenge to win the race.

Red Bull aimed to continue their streak of victories this season.

In summary, Verstappen, Gasly, Pérez, Albon, and Tsunoda were eliminated in the Q2.

The second qualifying session was dominated by Carlos Sainz, followed by George Russell and Fernando Alonso.

In the final qualifying standings, Carlos Sainz put in a tremendous effort to secure pole position, with Lando Norris applying pressure.

Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc had a good qualifying session, finishing in second place. Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren occupied the top spots, with Fernando Alonso achieving the sixth-best time.

After the Singapore GP qualifying, Max Verstappen will start in 11th place, and Checo Pérez in 13th.

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