Singapore Grand Prix LIVE – Hamilton starts third, Leclerc on pole

F1 preview: A lap of the Singapore Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to challenge for his first Grand Prix victory of the year on the streets of Singapore this afternoon, with the Mercedes driver set to start from third on the grid after an impressive showing in yesterday’s qualifying session. The 37-year-old will line up behind pole-sitter Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez when the five red lights go out at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, which is set to play host to its first F1 race in three years.

The weekend so far has been dominated by allegations that Red Bull exceeded last year’s budget cap, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff having accused the Austrian team of breaking the rules on Friday. Max Verstappen, who can wrap up this year’s Drivers’ Championship title if everything falls into place for him later today, has since aimed a thinly-veiled dig at Mercedes and Wolff by urging them to remain quiet if they are not aware of the full facts.

“I know where it comes from so for me, it is okay,” said Verstappen. “What I hear from the team, yes, but when other teams start to talk about it, they have no information and I find that a bit silly. Just keep your mouth shut.”

Verstappen’s backlash comes after Red Bull team principal Christian Horner described the accusations against his team as ‘bang out of order’, with the 48-year-old adamant that no wrongdoing took place over the course of last season. It has even been claimed that Verstappen could technically be stripped of last year’s title if Red Bull are found to have breached the regulations by the FIA, who are expected to announce the findings of an investigation into the financial data of all teams next week.

Follow Express Sport‘s live updates from the Singapore Grand Prix below.

KEY EVENTS

  • Good afternoon12:00

    • Qualifying report

    Charles Leclerc left it late to pip Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton to pole position at the end of a wet-dry qualifying session on Saturday.

    The Ferrari man clocked a time of 1:49.412 to put himself at the front of the grid for today’s race, while Max Verstappen was forced to abort his final Q3 run to avoid running out of fuel and will line up in eighth position.

    George Russell, meanwhile, surprisingly failed to make it out of Q2 due to a reported brake problem and will start today’s race from the pit lane after taking a new power unit overnight.

    Catch up on the full story from qualifying here.

    Delays on the way?

    Torrential rain has been falling throughout the day at Singapore and it seems as though the race could be subject to delays if the weather fails to relent over the next hour…

    Good afternoon

    Hello and welcome to Express Sport‘s live coverage of the Singapore Grand Prix, which has finally returned to the F1 calendar for the first time since 2019.

    Charles Leclerc will line up on pole position at the Marina Bay Street Circuit after setting the quickest lap in yesterday’s qualifying session, with Sergio Perez joining him on the front row of the grid.

    Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, will be desperate to challenge for his first Grand Prix victory of the campaign by climbing up the order from third place.

    We could even see this year’s Drivers’ Championship winner crowned today if Max Verstappen clinches victory and other drivers fail to perform, although the Dutchman will have a difficult task in taking the chequered flag as he starts from eighth on the grid.

    We’re just an hour away from lights out in Singapore, where the rain is lashing down, and will be on hand to keep you updated with all the on-track action as it unfolds.

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