It’s a lot drier at the start of qualifying for the Singapore GP in 2022 than free practice earlier today, but it’s not dry enough for the slicks. The drivers come out on intermediate tires and keep them under the cars for all of Q1. The drivers of Williams, Ocon, Bottas, and Ricciardo are not allowed to continue to Q2.
Q2
When the cars come out of the garage again, one Ferrari almost crashes into another. Hopefully for the team this is the last blunder. The drivers are now going out again on the intermediates. Halfway through Q2, something crazy happens. Leclerc indicates that he does want slick tires, he is called in but is still sent out on inters.
Very shortly afterwards Stroll comes in and he does get a set of slick tires, as does his team-mate Vettel. Zhou also gets a set of tires with the red cheek. Given the lap times, the choice for slicks seems to have been taken just a little too early. All drivers who switch to the slicks are thrown out. Russel and Schumacher also do not advance to Q3.
Q3
In the period between Q2 and Q3, Leclerc clearly indicates that he would like to go out on the slicks. That is possible this time. Only Tsunoda and Magnussen remain on the inters and the rest of the drivers switch to the soft tyre. On the slicks, the drivers have to take a good look at what they can take a little easier, because not all parts of the circuit are dry.
Tsunoda shoots for first place on inters, but it doesn’t take long for the soft-squad to take over the top 7. Here, too, it seems simple: follow the crowd when it comes to tires. A daring gamble won’t pay off in Singapore this year.
Hamilton is setting very good lap times on the slicks and he has been in first place for a long time. Shortly afterwards Verstappen takes a lot of purple sectors, but does not manage to put down a clear round. With just over a minute to go, most drivers shave a little off their lap times.
Verstappen keeps it exciting until the last moment. He scores two purple sectors in his round, but drops out at the last minute to make one more attempt. This round is not flawless, but seems to be fast enough. But at the last minute he also breaks off this lap and shoots into the pits. There is no time left to improve his lap time.
Why did Max Verstappen qualify so poorly?
You can hear Max Verstappen’s frustration over the on-board radio when he asks why he had to stop. Horner doesn’t want to reveal over the radio what’s wrong, but it probably has to do with fuel. The FIA wants to have one liter of fuel from each driver after qualifying to analyze. Looks like Max wouldn’t have enough fuel left.
If so, Max had to go inside to avoid a penalty. Because if you give up too little fuel, you will be punished and the team has to choose between two evils. Albon received a penalty in Australia earlier this year for too little fuel. The aborted lap means that Verstappen is stuck in eighth place.
Teammate Perez starts in second with Hamilton right behind him. Leclerc takes pole. Although it is a shame for the Dutch fans, it is an interesting starting grid and it does offer a great opportunity for a catch-up race from Verstappen tomorrow.
Singapore GP 2022 qualifying results
- Leclerc
- perez
- Hamilton
- Sainz
- Alonso
- norris
- gasly
- Verstappen
- Magnussen
- Tsunoda
- Russell
- Stroll
- Schumacher
- Vettel
- Zhou
- bottas
- Ricciardo
- Ocon
- Albon
- Latina
What time does F1 start in Singapore?
Sunday
Race: 2:00 p.m.
#Max #Verstappen #abort #fast #lap #qualified #eighth