Much of the talk before qualifying for the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix had focused on Max Verstappen’s potential world title coronation, though that was put on hold as championship rival Charles Leclerc claimed his ninth pole position of the season on Saturday.
The Monegasque driver stole the show again in qualifying as his Ferrari came alive when it mattered most in the damp conditions around the tight Marina Bay Circuit.
Verstappen eventually finished eighth after being told to abort his final lap in qualifying despite him looking likely to snatch top spot at the death. That decision was due to his car’s lack of fuel.
There won’t be any panic in the Red Bull garage though, as the Dutchman has already won from way down the grid in recent weeks, so his potential second successive world title could still be realised this weekend.
LECLERC TAKES POLE!
It’s back-to-back P1 starts in Singapore for @Charles_Leclerc, after the qualifying session of the year!#SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ixWwy6pOo8
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 1, 2022
As well as Verstappen’s poor performance, there were also a few other surprises as the ever-consistent George Russell could only manage P11 on the grid, whilst Alpine’s Esteban Ocon didn’t even make it out of Q1.
Russell will subsequently start from the pit lane after he and his Mercedes team decided to take the opportunity to switch his power unit overnight.
F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2022 live updates, highlights from Marina Bay circuit
Lap 5: Perez and Leclerc have already pulled out a huge lead in this race with Sainz in P3 already sitting over 5 seconds back from his teammate in P2. In fact, all the way down the order, the field has already broken up substantially.
Lap 3: Verstappen gets past Magnussen and then he slides down the inside of Stroll with perfect precision to move up to P10. All the same at the front with Perez leading from Leclerc, Sainz and Hamilton.
Vettel – who has won here five times before – has already moved up five spots to P8.
LIGHTS OUT: We’re underway here at the Marina Bay Circuit as Perez gets past Leclerc to lead the Singapore Grand Prix!!! Sainz also jumps Hamilton into P3 whilst Verstappen got bogged down from the off and is down to P12.
⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️
⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️LIGHTS OUT AT MARINA BAY!!! 🇸🇬
Perez gets a good start and leads! #SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/niq9VN6dlg
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 2, 2022
2 mins to lights out: We’re finally off for the formation lap ahead of the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix!
Get ready for plenty of drama in this one given the conditions. Remember as well that this event has seen at least one safety car per race as more here could seriously shake up the result.
15 minutes to lights out: The drivers are heading to the front of the grid for the national anthem. Not long left now until we go racing in Singapore.
Some parts of the track are less wet than others 👀#SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/b7VxRXjDDN
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 2, 2022
30 minutes to lights out: Verstappen switches from the wet tyres to intermediates but on this next warm up lap, he locks up and carries straight on down the escape road. These conditions are still very, very tricky despite the rain stopping.
35 minutes to lights out: The pit lane is open and the cars make their way to the grid. Half the drivers have opted for full wet tyres and half have intermediates strapped on. Interesting stuff..
45 minutes to lights out: To clear up some confusion, the three hour time period in which a race has to be finished will begin when this race actually starts and not an hour before which was the original start time.
Because the FIA moved the original start time later, the racing period will therefore now begin when we get off the start line for the start of this race. Don’t worry, we should still get a full race here in Singapore.
RACE DELAYED: The 2022 Singapore Grand Prix will get underway at 23:05 local time (14:05 GMT). That’s a long delay given the track is already seemingly improving.
🚨 UPDATE 🚨
Start procedure to begin at 20:05
Pit lane opens at 20:25
Formation lap to start at 21:05#SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/9PjmSRp4ev— Formula 1 (@F1) October 2, 2022
15 minutes to lights out: We’re still awaiting an official decision on when this race will start but it definitely won’t be when it was originally scheduled at 8pm local time.
The safety car is currently wading through the puddles on the track as the FIA look to make the right decision on when we’ll get underway.
30 minutes to lights out: A delay is now imminent given the language that the FIA are using to talk about the situation. Updates to come when that happens.
🚨 The pit lane open and start procedure have been delayed
The race was due to start at 20:00 (local time)#SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/MYgWv2KeJH
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 2, 2022
35 minutes to lights out: The FIA have delayed the start point for mechanics and teams to head to the start grid as the rain continues to fall, although it seems to now be easing slightly.
That doesn’t mean that the start of the race is delayed – although that remains likely – it in essence means that the FIA want to give themselves a little more time to see how the conditions unfold before making a decision.
Remember the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this season? That proved to be absolute chaos due to heavy rain and poor decision making from those in charge, it seems the FIA don’t want a repeat of that situation here.
45 minutes until lights out: Well the heavens have well and truly opened here in Singapore which means that there’s likely to be a delay to the start of this race.
These conditions also make it very interesting in terms of strategy. If the rain stops now and the track begins to dry out before the race begins, is it a risky move onto the slicks or a safe choice of intermediates? I guess we’ll see in less than an hours time..
🌧️🌧️😮🌧️🌧️#SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/fR0ncRmBwm
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 2, 2022
1 hour until lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix.
With the threat of heavy thunderstorms looming, which driver will come out on top in what should be another enthralling race around the Marina Bay Circuit?
What must Max Verstappen do to be crowned F1 world champion this weekend?
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen can claim a second successive world championship title at the Singapore Grand Prix despite there still being five races left of the 2022 season after this weekend’s race at the Marina Bay Circuit.
In order to claim the trophy in Singapore, Verstappen must outscore Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 22 points, teammate Sergio Perez by 13 and Mercedes’s George Russell by six.
But the Dutchman continues to underplay his chances of securing his second world title this weekend. Speaking to the official F1 website, Verstappen claimed that his chance of securing the result he needed was “a bit unrealistic”. He added: “I don’t really think about it. It’s quite a long shot. I just want to enjoy the weekend and, of course, try to win it.”
All eyes on @Max33Verstappen 👀
Here’s how the Dutchman can take the title in Singapore this weekend 👇#SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/OUkgjIFw9B
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 28, 2022
Singapore Grand Prix 2022 provisional starting grid
Position | Driver |
1 | Charles Leclerc |
2 | Sergio Perez |
3 | Lewis Hamilton |
4 | Carlos Sainz |
5 | Fernando Alonso |
6 | Lando Norris |
7 | Pierre Gasly |
8 | Max Verstappen |
9 | Kevin Magnussen |
10 | Yuki Tsunoda |
11 | George Russel |
12 | Lance Stroll |
13 | Mick Schumacher |
14 | Sebastian Vettel |
15 | Zhou Guanyu |
16 | Valterri Bottas |
17 | Daniel Ricciardo |
18 | Esteban Ocon |
19 | Alex Albon |
20 | Nicholas Latifi |
How to watch F1 in the United States
- Race: Singapore Grand Prix
- Date: Sunday, Oct 2.
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: fuboTV
The ESPN family of networks will broadcast all 2022 F1 races in the United States using Sky Sports’ feed, with select races airing on ABC. You can also stream Formula 1 races live in the U.S. with fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
ESPN Deportes serves as the exclusive Spanish-language home for all 2022 F1 races in the U.S.
How to watch Formula 1 in Canada
- TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
- Live stream: TSN Direct
For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French-language broadcast, RDS will have you covered.
Races can also be streamed via TSN’s streaming service, TSN Direct.
How to watch Formula 1 in the UK
- TV channel: Sky Sports F1
- Live stream: NOW TV
Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2022, you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.
How to watch Formula 1 in Australia
- TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
- Live stream: Kayo
Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia, with Channel 10 broadcasting the Australian GP.
Hits: 0