That is career pole number 50 for Max Verstappen, and let me tell you, this machine was hooked up when it mattered most. Fresh off a win in the Sprint race, the Dutchman charged straight to the top spot during Saturday night's main Qualifying session at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. It is a stunning piece of driving, and as the man himself put it straight after climbing out of the cockpit, "this is the one that I wanted."
Let's talk about the weight of that statistic, because Singapore is one of only two venues—alongside the new-for-2026 Madring track—where Verstappen has never stood on the top step for a Grand Prix. He has been racing in F1 since his debut back in 2015 without a victory here, but Sunday offers a golden chance to finally erase that gap. The Red Bull has been strong throughout the entire weekend, and even with the razor-thin margins at the sharp end of the field during Qualifying, it was enough to get the job done.
It cannot get worse. It can only get better, right? We'll see how it goes tomorrow.
So, what has changed for Red Bull at this notoriously tricky circuit? According to Verstappen, the new regulations play a major part in how the car behaves compared to previous eras. The machine simply works differently now, shifting their strengths away from the old areas and creating a very positive trend that makes securing this specific pole feel, in his words, "very special."
That said, danger is never far away on a street circuit, and Sunday's start brings a very real headache. Verstappen was completely honest about his getaway in the Sprint, where he lost out to Mercedes' George Russell on the run down to Turn 1 and described the launch as "awful," echoing similar struggles last time out at Sepang. But looking ahead to race day, he is keeping a philosophical mindset about the start.
"Well, you have to look at it positively," Verstappen noted when asked if those launch issues are still weighing on his mind. "It cannot get worse. It can only get better, right? We'll see how it goes tomorrow."
