Norris’s impeding “will be remembered,” jokes Verstappen | Singapore Grand Prix Qualifying Results 2025

The Red Bull driver has, surprisingly, never started from P1 on this track, nor has he ever won this Grand Prix. Today, he put on a stunning performance throughout Qualifying, but came two tenths short of what he needed to start ahead of George Russell.

During the track-side interview immediately after the session, David Coulthard asked Verstappen if he might have made an error in the third sector of his final lap, to which the Dutchman jokingly replied, “Yeah, that’s what happens when a car in front of you is cruising two seconds ahead. 

“So that’s noted, will be remembered as well.”

When asked who specifically he was referring to, Verstappen simply said, “Not Oscar.”

Verstappen was referring to Oscar Piastri’s teammate, Lando Norris, who was on a cooldown lap just ahead as Verstappen was going through turns 16 and 17 of his final flying lap, causing him to back off in the third sector.

Whether Norris was close enough to genuinely be impeding remains to be seen, but at the time of writing, no investigation into the incident by the FIA has been launched, suggesting that it is a non-issue.

When asked about the comment, Norris himself laughed it off, saying, “They complain about everything. That’s Red Bull.”

Norris was unable to extract enough pace from his car to repeat his pole position here from 2024, qualifying in P5. Piastri likewise had an underwhelming Saturday, and finished P3. This marks just the third time so far this season that there will be no McLaren driver on the front row at the start of a grand prix. 

Indeed, nobody could match the speed of Russell’s Mercedes, who set a new track record with his Qualifying lap time of 1.29:158. This will be Russell’s second time starting at the front of the grid, after securing pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix earlier this year.

The face-off between Russell and Verstappen at lights out tomorrow promises to be an intense one. The two have had several high-tension battles so far this year, the most notable of which was at the Spanish Grand Prix. After going off-track to defend from an attack by Russell, Verstappen seemed to intentionally collide with the Brit in Barcelona when he was told to let him pass. 

Undoubtedly, this too “will be remembered” by both Verstappen and Russell as they both aim to take their first win at Singapore tomorrow night.

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Singapore Grand Prix Qualifying Results

Note: Both Williams cars were disqualified after the rear wings failed FIA scrutineering following the session. James Vowles, Williams Team Principal, said the following in an official statement: "At no point were we seeking a performance advantage and the rear wings had passed our own checks earlier in the day, but there is only one measurement that matters and we fully accept the FIA ruling. We have a car capable of scoring points here this weekend and will do everything we can to fight from the back of the grid tomorrow, and will immediately review our processes to make sure this doesn’t happen again."

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Cover photo via Red Bull Content Pool.