Russell takes pole position for Singapore Grand Prix as McLaren struggle

AFP | Singapore

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George Russell claimed pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix in his Mercedes with a lap of 1min 29.158sec, finishing 0.182sec ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Cham pionship leader Oscar Piastri was third for McLaren, while teammate Lando Norris could only manage fifth.

Russell, who described the weekend as "challenging," said he knew there was "potential in the car" and praised teammate Kimi Antonelli, who qualified fourth to split the McLarens. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc followed in sixth and seventh, with Isack Hadjar (RB), Oliver Bearman (Haas) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) rounding out the top ten.

Verstappen, winner in Monza and Baku, has closed to within 69 points of Piastri and 44 of Norris as he pursues a fifth straight world title. A maiden Singapore victory would further dent McLaren's dominance. McLar-en, however, could still seal the construc-tors' crown this weekend with a podium finish.

Else- where, Liam Lawson qualified 14th after a crash in practice, while Nico Hulkenberg, Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda also missed out on Q3.

Sunday's race has been des-ignated Formula One's first official "Heat Hazard," with drivers preparing liq-uid-cooled vests to cope with expected 31C-plus conditions.