Singapore Grand Prix starting grid: George Russell on pole position as McLaren in trouble

George Russell will start on pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix after Mercedes turned up the heat at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The Brit was nearly two-tenths faster than rival Max Verstappen, who will join him on the front row.

World Championship leader Oscar Piastri will line up third on the grid, two places ahead of team-mate and title rival Lando Norris. However, McLaren's pace was concerning, with the Constructors' Championship leaders nearly four-tenths off the pace relative to Mercedes.

Kimi Antonelli starts fourth with his team-mate on pole position, while, further down the order, Lewis Hamilton out-qualified Ferrari colleague Charles Leclerc. The Brit avoided a grid penalty for Sunday's race in Singapore after a trip to see the stewards. The seven-time world champion was investigated for a potential red flag infringement in the wake of Liam Lawson's FP3 crash, but it was ruled that he had the car under control on his entry into the pit lane

Singapore Grand Prix starting grid

1. George Russell (Mercedes)

2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

4. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

5. Lando Norris (McLaren)

6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

7. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)

9. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

11. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)

12. Alexander Albon (Williams)

13. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

15. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)

16. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

18. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

19. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

20. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

"Amazing to be on pole position," Russell told David Coulthard in the post-qualifying interview. "Yesterday was a very challenging day for many different reasons, but good to come back and get a result. A long, sweaty race tomorrow, but I knew there was potential in the car. Kimi was doing an amazing job all weekend. I gained quite a lot to see what he was capable of doing yesterday. Very happy to be on pole."

Looking ahead to the race start and a battle with long-time rival Verstappen, Russell added: "Singapore hasn't been the kindest to me in the past; that's been through my own doing the majority of the time. I won't get carried away with pole. Of course, it's the best place to start. There's a good pole-side advantage, but I like to think I can hold the lead, but this guy [Verstappen] is good at race starts and sending it down the inside."