> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.the-race.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Winners and losers from sprint qualifying at F1's Singapore GP - URL: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/winners-and-losers-from-sprint-qualifying-at-f1s-singapore-gp/ - Published: 2026-10-09T15:45:33.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-09T15:45:33.000Z - Description: The FIA and both Mercedes are among our picks for the biggest winners and losers from sprint qualifying in Singapore - Author: Josh Suttill - Tags: Formula 1, #singapore-grand-prix, #primary_homepage_feature *Another* FIA error and a big performance split between the two different-spec Mercedes cars contribute to the winners and losers list from an exciting sprint qualifying session at Formula 1's Singapore Grand Prix. Here are our picks... ### Loser - Kimi Antonelli/Mercedes’ upgrade (7th) Sprint qualifying is ‘only one data point’, as Toto Wolff would no doubt put it, but it’s nevertheless not an encouraging one if you happen to be a Brackley-based aerodynamicist. “Already FP1, I was struggling, and there's still a lot to understand about this package,” Kimi Antonelli said after going seventh in SQ3, almost seven tenths of a second off Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in what should theoretically be the quickest version of the 2026 Mercedes given he's kept the upgraded version while George Russell [is in the 'old' car](https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/why-russell-is-ditching-mercedes-major-f1-upgrade/). “The car is very difficult, very unpredictable, and very difficult to put a lap together," Antonelli continued. “I think it's going to be a difficult weekend, unless we can pull something out tomorrow. I don't really see where we can find seven tenths.” **\- Ben Anderson** ### Winner - Max Verstappen (1st) Malaysia pole and victory followed up with [sprint pole in Singapore](https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/verstappen-beats-russells-old-spec-mercedes-to-singapore-sprint-pole/), Verstappen and the latest iteration of the Red Bull RB22 appear to be in a real sweet spot right now. What’s extra encouraging about this result, if you’re Verstappen and Red Bull, is that it was achieved over the older version of the Mercedes, driven by Russell, rather than the misfiring upgraded version both Mercedes drivers struggled with at Sepang. OK, maybe Antonelli would have found the missing tenth or so that cost Russell sprint pole in Singapore, but it’s still an important signal that Red Bull is growing into a sustained competitive force during this phase of the season, at least with Verstappen at the wheel. - **BA** ### Loser: The FIA The last thing the FIA needed after the Malaysia formation laps farce was another issue to occur during the next day of on-track F1 action, but that’s exactly what happened in SQ1\. [An FIA error](https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/fia-error-left-some-drivers-without-full-power-in-sprint-qualifying/) meant not all of the cars had full power during critical SQ1 laps, with overtake mode not activated after the red flag, then activated for 27 seconds, before being deactivated again. While drivers including Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll felt hampered by it, thankfully it didn’t appear to be the difference between a driver making it through to SQ2 and being knocked out in SQ1. So things could have been worse. Can you imagine the outrage if one of the frontrunners fell in SQ1 because of the issue? **\- Josh Suttill** ### Winner - George Russell (2nd) Russell is almost completely down and out in terms of the world championship, but the experiment with Mercedes’ outdated aero specification - which he instigated - is so far paying off handsomely. The older car is proving more stable and easier to extract laptime from, according to team boss Toto Wolff, and Russell has put it to good use so far. He was fastest in free practice, narrowly beaten to pole in SQ3, and team-mate Antonelli was almost six tenths off Russell’s pace - in what is meant to be a faster version of the Mercedes.**\- BA** ### Loser: Arvid Lindblad (17th) As a complete Singapore rookie, Arvid Lindblad knew he was facing a tough challenge with only one practice session before sprint qualifying. But given Lindblad’s performances so far have set such a high bar, he was still disappointed to be knocked out of the first part of qualifying for only the second time in his short F1 career. “The lap was OK. I don't know why I had a bit of a moment in braking for Turn 13, where I lost quite a bit there. The rest of the lap was fine,” Lindblad said. “So yeah if I hadn't done that, then I would have gone through, but I don't…I wouldn't really call it a mistake in the end. “I was forced to push because of the situation, so yeah, that's what it is.” It was made all the more painful by team-mate Lawson advancing all the way to SQ3\. **\- JS** ### Loser: Lance Stroll (18th) Despite 18th being one of Stroll’s best qualifying results of the season so far, he was still seven tenths slower than Aston Martin team-mate Fernando Alonso in SQ1\. His post-qualifying comments to F1 read simply as “it was OK”, but he was quoted in Aston Martin’s press release as saying, “On paper, Singapore should see us perform similar to Malaysia, but we couldn’t get the car in the right window for sprint qualifying. “I struggled to get a good feeling of the car here so far and didn’t have overtake mode available on my second push lap, so missed out on any chances fighting to get through to Q2.”\- **JS** ### Winner: Liam Lawson (8th) F1’s ‘Class B’ winner was Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls once again despite a tricky FP1 in the daytime. “Honestly, we weren't that strong earlier today, and we made some changes, and I think maybe as well that cooling off a little bit helped us,” Lawson said. Lawson’s clear target for the sprint race is to keep ex-team-mate Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull behind him and try to earn Racing Bull’s third sprint race points finish of 2026\. **\- JS** ### Loer: Williams (19th and 22nd) Baku - where Williams made it to Q3 and scored points - is looking more and more like the best-case scenario for the upgraded Williams that Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz feared it would be. With Singapore not punishing Aston Martin’s underpowered Honda engine as much as other circuits, Williams slumped to its worst qualifying result of the season with the Cadillacs splitting Albon and Sainz. Albon couldn’t understand why his car felt so different in sprint qualifying versus FP1 and said he wouldn’t be surprised if a pitlane start for the sprint is required as “we've got a lot of issues at the minute”. Sainz said his one SQ1 lap was “really poor”, having struggled with the brakes on his Williams throughout Friday in Singapore. **\- JS** ### Loser - Isack Hadjar (9th) Isack Hadjar couldn’t understand why he didn’t have the pace of his sprint race polesitting Red Bull team-mate Verstappen. “What seemed like a good start to the day turned into a very poor performance,” Hadjar said after qualifying. “I felt very comfortable straightaway in FP1, but on the hard compound, and that was it, really. I never got to have a good lap. I'm just fighting with the car. I had engine issues on the last run. I was just struggling. I don't know. It's just weird.” Hadjar had his fastest lap deleted due to track limits, but that would have only put him eighth rather than ninth, and still over eight tenths slower than Verstappen. **\- JS**