Winners and losers from the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying

The grid is set for Formula 1’s original night race, but qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix wasn’t quite a straightforward one for many of the drivers. 

Let’s run through our winners and losers for qualifying at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

Winners and losers from 2024 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying

Winner: Lando Norris

It’s another pole position for McLaren’s Lando Norris, and it was an impressive one at that.

After a crash by Carlos Sainz (that we’ll discuss below), the drivers remaining in Q3 were effectively left with just one flying lap to attempt to secure pole position, and Norris was the driver that got the job done with an impressive time of a 1:29.525. That was good enough to keep him a couple of tenths ahead of the competition.

That makes for Norris’ sixth career pole position, setting him up for an impressive Singapore Grand Prix… if he can manage a clean, quick start.

Loser: Carlos Sainz

Poor Carlos Sainz — as he hit the track in his pursuit of pole position, the Spanish racer lost control of his car and spun into the barriers. Citing either cold tires or a big snap to his race team, Sainz brought out a red flag and ended his own qualifying session prematurely.

And if that crash alone wasn’t enough, well, Sainz crossed an active race track in order to head back into the pits and was summoned to the stewards after qualifying courtesy of that dangerous behavior, picking up a €25,000 fine, half of that suspended for the rest of F1 2024.

Sainz’s Ferrari teammate also had a poor Q3. Charles Leclerc ran wide on his flying lap, which saw his time — good enough for P5 — deleted. He’ll line up in ninth place, with Sainz just behind him.

While it’s better to start a race from the tail end of the top 10 than it is further back, the narrow confines of Singapore will make for a frustrating race, particularly in a weekend where Ferrari looked to be setting a comfortably quick pace.

Winner: Mercedes

While George Russell and Lewis Hamilton both raised concerns about the grip afforded by their Pirelli tires in qualifying, it was a good day for Mercedes in what has been something of a hit-or-miss season.

Lewis Hamilton secured a third-place start, while teammate Russell will line up beside him in fourth. It’ll leave both Silver Arrows drivers in a comfortable position at the start of the race, especially if Lando Norris has another challenging start.

Loser: Sergio Perez

After a brilliant performance in Baku, Sergio Perez has fallen back into the poor form that saw his job with Red Bull become threatened earlier this year.

Perez just didn’t have the pace to push him through to Q3, which means the Mexican racer will be starting from a disappointing 13th. Perez — and Red Bull — would have been hoping for far more.

While Daniel Ricciardo’s name has been more closely tied to rumors of a mid-season axing this weekend, there has also been ample debate about whether or not Perez should retain his seat at Red Bull. Perhaps the race will be a different story, but Perez will be starting from the back foot.

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Winner: Nico Hulkenberg

If Haas wasn’t already prematurely mourning the loss of Nico Hulkenberg ahead of the F1 2025 season, the team may very well be now. While the German driver was knocked a bit further down the grid in the final moments of Q3, he still managed to qualify sixth for the Singapore Grand Prix — ahead of both Ferraris.

Hulkenberg has scored 22 points this year, which is leagues ahead of his teammate Kevin Magnussen’s six points. Something has clicked for the German driver, and it has once again paid off in qualifying.

Loser: Daniel Ricciardo

The headlines heading into the Singapore Grand Prix have been dominated by questions about Daniel Ricciardo’s future. There are plenty of suggestions that the Australian racer may be dropped by VCARB after the conclusion of this race weekend — and that he could be replaced by Liam Lawson ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

This isn’t the first time this year that Ricciardo’s future has been up in the air, but after qualifying, Ricciardo sounded somewhat dejected about the “pessimistic” day that saw him knocked out of the very first qualifying session.

It’ll be a challenge for Ricciardo to put together a stunning race from back in P16 — and it could be the first step toward a second retirement.

Winner: Franco Colapinto

No, Franco Colapinto didn’t manage to out-qualify his teammate Alex Albon, but the Argentine racer deserves kudos nevertheless. In just his third race with Williams, he had consistently impressed by remaining almost evenly matched with his far more experienced teammate — and in Singapore, Colapinto qualified ever so barely just behind Albon.

That’s impressive because of Colapinto’s relative lack of experience compared to Albon. It’s impressive because Albon’s car was the one outfitted with a slate of upgrades designed with Singapore in mind. But perhaps more than anything, it’s impressive because it’s far more than what Logan Sargeant was doing in the same machinery.

It’s likely fair to say that expectations for Colapinto within the team were not sky-high, but the Argentine racer has already exceeded them. Carlos Sainz is going to have some big shoes to fill for 2025.

Loser: Pirelli

One uniting feature among multiple drivers during qualifying in Singapore was the simple fact that their Pirelli tires just didn’t feel like they came in properly. George Russell came on the radio to say, “I’ve got no *** grip, mate! It’s totally different to FP3. Totally different. These tires are so different.”

Alex Albon was another driver on the radio during qualifying, saying, “What are we doing with the tires?! Nothing, absolutely nothing.”

After the session Russell reiterated to media that “it’s actually pretty infuriating that it changes this much. […] I think even the people who make the tires don’t understand the tires.”

Even Daniel Ricciardo noted that all three sets of soft tires he used on Saturday struggled, noting that Pirelli’s tires are “definitely a bit more fragile in hotter climates.”

Drivers need to have confidence in their tires, and Singapore qualifying proved that they simply do not.

Read next: Singapore GP: Lando Norris secures pole as Sainz crash triggers Verstappen drama