With Red Bull out of the running for Formula 1 pole in Singapore, it became a showdown between Ferrari and Mercedes, with temporary track changes giving Carlos Sainz the edge.
following his 1m36.015s romp to pole in 2018. That huge improvement is on account of a new layout for this year, with construction work around the final sector dictating that the fiddly Turns 16-19 chicanes have been replaced with a back straight. But had the track gone unchanged, the record would have likely gone again to Mercedes.GPS data from Sainz and Russell’s final Q3 laps show that it’s the Ferrari racer who starts the showdown stronger.
Russell’s delta then suffers two quick spikes. He falls nigh on 0.3s behind through the 90-degree Turn 7 left, makes up 0.15s with a quick burst of throttle along the small connecting straight and then falls 0.35s away with a run through the similarly sharp Turn 8. As the W14 crosses into the second sector, it hasn’t equalled the Ferrari in the corners.But Russell soon cuts the delta down to 0.12s with another surge of acceleration on the short sprint to Turn 9.
For the first time, Russell is then able to edge ahead. He pulls 0.06s on Sainz as he slingshots out of the left-hander and charges towards the Turns 11-12 kinks. Again, the SF-23 sets the standard through the apex, but the delta is in Russell’s favour out of Turn 12 and into Turn 13. As per the first half of the lap, the W14 is the more responsive under initial throttle to give Russell a 0.2s lead down the back straight as he reaches the final sector.
Instead, the replacement longer back straight plays to Sainz. He finds an extra 3mph over his rival to hit 181mph before Russell can respond through the final chicane. The Briton is a whisker in front, but his 0.04s lead doesn’t last long. Had four turns not been ditched, his cushion at this stage might have been more substantial to hold onto first place. Instead, the Ferrari is quicker into and out of the relatively high-speed final corner to settle the pole shootout.
Top three Qualifiers George Russell, Mercedes-AMG, pole man Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari
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