Top 3 qualifiers react to 'messy, physical' qualifying for Singapore Grand Prix

Max Verstappen and Red Bull's stranglehold on Formula 1 has momentarily been broken in qualifying for the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.

With Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez out in Q2, it opened the door for someone to not only start on pole but also put themselves in the best position to win Sunday's race.

Expectedly, the honour went to Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who secured his second pole position of the year in as many races. It was also his first time securing back-to-back poles in Ferrari colours.

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"Again, a bit like in Monza, hit the ground running from FP1 and felt really confident," Sainz said during the post-qualifying interviews.

"It was a messy session for everyone, but we kept the focus, put in the lap, and grabbed the pole position. We have a very good car on certain tracks and in certain conditions. We know our weakness is always race pace, but we are definitely making progress."

A challenging session

With Sainz's teammate Charles Leclerc momentarily holding onto P2, Mercedes' George Russell did what he needed to split the two Ferraris.

Given Sainz's dominance throughout the weekend, it was the best possible scenario he could have hoped for. Of course, Russell will be pretty downbeat, having missed out on pole by 0.072 seconds, but he will reflect on qualifying positively, having bested Leclerc by a mere 0.007sec!

"Definitely a challenging session. Being sat in that car is like being sat in a sauna," Russell said.

"I felt really confident in the car. We are on an offset strategy; we have an extra set of mediums on everyone else, so to be on the front row and have that extra set... The track is different this year, the tyre degradation on