---
title: "Singapore GP Friday: Verstappen resurgence gathers pace as Mercedes faces upgrade question"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2026/10/09/singapore-gp-friday-verstappen-pole-mercedes-upgrade/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Gary Gowers"
section: "F1 News"
published: "2026-10-09T18:00:00Z"
modified: "2026-10-09T18:00:00Z"
---

# Singapore GP Friday: Verstappen resurgence gathers pace as Mercedes faces upgrade question

**Max Verstappen ended the opening day of the Singapore Grand Prix on Sprint pole as Red Bull provided further evidence that its recent improvement is carrying over from circuit to circuit.**

George Russell had earlier topped the only practice session of the weekend before qualifying second for Saturday’s Sprint, completing an encouraging Friday with the older specification Mercedes. His team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli had a more difficult day with the upgraded car and will start seventh.

With Verstappen building on his Malaysia victory, Mercedes gathering more evidence about its latest upgrade and Russell starting five places ahead of Antonelli, Friday at Marina Bay has set up an important Sprint.

## Verstappen backs up Malaysia breakthrough

The first hint that Red Bull could be a factor came from a practice classification that initially understated Verstappen’s pace. [George Russell topped the only practice session](https://readmotorsport.com/2026/10/09/george-russell-leads-singapore-gp-practice-leclerc-verstappen/), with Charles Leclerc second and Lando Norris third, but Verstappen’s sixth place required some context.

Russell and the other drivers at the front set their quickest laps on soft tyres. Verstappen used mediums and was comfortably quickest of those on the harder compound.

That made direct comparisons difficult, but Sprint Qualifying provided a clearer answer. Verstappen produced a 1:31.156 on his final SQ3 lap to take pole by 0.120secs from Russell, with Leclerc third.

The Red Bull driver had arrived in Singapore after taking his and the team’s first Grand Prix victory of 2026 at Sepang. Marina Bay presents a very different test, so Red Bull showing pace on both circuits strengthens the suggestion that its improvement is not confined to one favourable track.

Verstappen’s pole was confirmed after the stewards investigated him for passing Lewis Hamilton during yellow flags in SQ1 and decided no further action was required. [Verstappen’s Sprint pole and the full qualifying results](https://readmotorsport.com/2026/10/09/singapore-sprint-qualifying-results-verstappen-pole/) are available in our session report.

## Mercedes’ experiment produces an awkward first result

Russell’s Friday may prove equally significant for Mercedes. The team arrived in Singapore unsure whether the aerodynamic package introduced at Sepang had delivered the expected improvement.

Rather than running the same specification on both cars, Mercedes opted for a direct comparison. Russell reverted to the previous package, while Antonelli continued with the newer version.

The [team’s split-specification approach](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/why-splitting-car-specifications-is-a-no-brainer-for-mercedes-at-the-singapore-grand-prix.44OonD5CF8Eg4yQ2w5REwh) is intended to give Mercedes clearer data after an inconclusive first weekend with the upgrade in Malaysia.

Friday favoured the older car. Russell was fastest in practice and then qualified second for the Sprint, while Antonelli was seventh and finished more than half a second behind his team-mate in SQ3.

As we looked at in our [five things we learned from Singapore Sprint Qualifying](https://readmotorsport.com/2026/10/09/singapore-gp-sprint-qualifying-verstappen-russell-five-things/), that does not prove Mercedes’ upgrade has failed. Different set-ups, driver performance and track conditions all complicate the comparison.

After qualifying, Russell said he could confirm the old car was “not bad”, while adding that Mercedes had seen nothing in its data to prove the upgrade was not working. He also conceded that the stopwatch had yet to show the improvement the team wanted from the new package.

Saturday provides Mercedes with another chance to compare the two specifications before deciding what the results mean for the remainder of the season.

## Russell has a chance to trim Antonelli’s lead

The specification comparison also overlaps with the championship fight. Antonelli arrived in Singapore with an 84-point advantage over Russell after his team-mate retired late in Malaysia.

On Saturday, Russell starts from the front row while Antonelli is seventh. There are only eight points available for a Sprint victory, so there is no prospect of a dramatic change at the top of the standings, but Russell needs to start reducing the deficit.

It is particularly important because his prospects in Sunday’s Grand Prix are already compromised. Russell is due to start from the back of the grid following power-unit changes prompted by his engine failure at Sepang.

The Sprint therefore gives him a chance to score without that penalty affecting his starting position. Antonelli has four cars between himself and Russell: Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Norris and Hamilton.

Even a relatively small points swing would be welcome for Russell before attention switches to Grand Prix qualifying later on Saturday.

## Ferrari and McLaren remain close

Neither Ferrari nor McLaren took Sprint pole, but both teams are positioned to influence the race. Leclerc starts third alongside Piastri, with Norris and Hamilton occupying the third row.

That gives Verstappen and Russell little margin for error at the start, particularly on a circuit where overtaking has traditionally been difficult. It also leaves Antonelli needing to work through a group containing cars from both of Mercedes’ major rivals if he is to reach his team-mate.

The Sprint will provide the first opportunity to see whether Verstappen’s qualifying pace translates into race conditions and whether Russell can capitalise on Antonelli’s starting position.

## FIA error disrupts opening qualifying session

Friday also produced an issue for the FIA during SQ1. The session was red-flagged after Sergio Perez damaged his Cadillac and debris was left on the circuit.

After the restart, Overtake Mode was not initially available to drivers. The FIA subsequently admitted that human error in Race Control had caused the problem.

Once officials realised Overtake Mode had not been activated, it was made available for 27 seconds before being switched off again. The FIA acknowledged that the mistake affected the performance of some cars depending on where they were on the circuit and when they began their runs, although it said SQ2 and SQ3 were not affected.

There was also a separate timing-system issue during SQ1 which delayed the start of the second part of the session. It was an untidy opening phase of qualifying, although it did not affect the fight for Sprint pole.

By the end of Friday, that belonged to Verstappen. Red Bull now has a chance to follow its Malaysia victory with another result at the front, while Russell has put himself in position to take points from Antonelli before his Sunday penalty comes into play.

For Mercedes, the stopwatch has given it another reason to keep looking closely at its two cars.