Sainz snatches Singapore Pole as Verstappen is out in Q2

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz clinched pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix, leading George Russell and teammate Charles Leclerc.

Meanwhile, Red Bull's title hopes took a hit as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez shockingly crashed out in Q2, leaving them stranded down the grid.

In the final shootout for pole, Sainz set the pace early with a 1:31.170, edging out Leclerc by 0.25s.

The Spaniard dug deep on his final lap, dropping his time to 1:30.984 to secure pole position.

Leclerc closed the gap but couldn't match Sainz, settling for P2 and a Ferrari front row.

Mercedes' George Russell briefly threatened the top spot after strong middle sectors, but lost time in the final sector to qualify P3.

Lando Norris split the Ferraris early on but was relegated to P4, still leading an impressive showing for McLaren.

Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top 5 ahead of a stunning P6 for Kevin Magnussen's Haas.

Alpine's Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, and AlphaTauri rookie Liam Lawson all crashed out at different stages of qualifying.

In the shock of the session, both Red Bull cars stunningly dropped out in Q2, leaving Verstappen and Perez mired in P11 and P13 respectively.

Verstappen, on an off-pace lap early on, made a mistake in Turn 3 on his final flyer.

Meanwhile, Perez spun on his last attempt, ending his session then and there. Both were outpaced by Lawson, who marked an incredible debut by making Q3.

The Q2 eliminations marked a disaster for Red Bull's title hopes, with Ferrari now primed to dominate and extend their Constructors' lead.

For Verstappen, his drivers' title quest faces a major setback, requiring damage limitation on Sunday to prevent substantial gains for Leclerc.

In Q1, Stroll caused a late red flag after crashing heavily on an ambitious lap, destroying his Aston Martin.

The stoppage scuttled Oscar Piastri's chances of progressing, as he had to abort his lap to avoid Stroll's wreck.

Piastri was knocked out in P17 alongside Bottas, Sargeant, Zhou, and Stroll himself.

With their shock Singapore struggle, Red Bull face a tall order to salvage their title campaigns on Sunday.

But with changeable conditions forecast, Ferrari cannot afford to take their front-row advantage for granted in what is shaping up to be a challenging and unpredictable race.

Top 10 in Singapore GP Qualifying

1 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari
2 George RUSSELL Mercedes
3 Charles LECLERC Ferrari
4 Lando NORRIS McLaren
5 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes
6 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas F1 Team
7 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin
8 Esteban OCON Alpine
9 Nico HULKENBERG Haas F1 Team
10 Liam LAWSON AlphaTauri