Verstappen fastest in Singapore sprint qualifying, faces yellow-flag investigation

Max Verstappen set the fastest time in sprint qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix, beating George Russell by 0.120 seconds, but faced an investigation into an alleged yellow-flag infringement. According to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson, the Red Bull driver was under investigation for overtaking under yellows before the opening session was halted following Sergio Perez's crash.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZhXFbFCOu4

Verstappen recorded a lap of 1:31.156, with Russell second for Mercedes and Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari, 0.243 seconds off the pace. The result followed Verstappen's victory in Malaysia the previous weekend, which was both his and Red Bull's first win of the season. The BBC report did not give an outcome to the Singapore investigation.

McLaren filled fourth and fifth places through Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in sixth. Hamilton completed his final-session run early and initially sat second behind Leclerc before other drivers moved ahead. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was seventh for Mercedes, followed by Liam Lawson. Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly were listed ninth and tenth after having lap times deleted.

The session also brought another problem with engine settings supplied by the FIA, alongside a timing-system malfunction that delayed the second part of qualifying. BBC Sport reported that settings changed around the red flag for Perez's Cadillac crash, with drivers complaining about reduced power. Overtake mode, which permits an additional 0.5 megajoules of energy harvesting, was activated and then deactivated within 28 seconds.

Those issues did not alter the order, according to the BBC. They followed a software bug during wet formation laps in Malaysia five days earlier that had left cars travelling at crawling speed. The broadcaster said it had asked the FIA for comment on the Singapore problem but had not yet received an explanation, leaving its cause unconfirmed in the report.

Mercedes, meanwhile, ran different specifications as it assessed an upgrade that had disappointed in Malaysia. Antonelli used the newer package while Russell drove the previous version, finishing 0.573 seconds ahead of his team-mate. Antonelli, who entered the weekend with an 84-point championship lead, described an unpredictable car and difficulty assembling a lap. Team principal Toto Wolff said the older specification appeared more stable, while cautioning that the team had not yet established how to extract the newer package's potential.