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MARINA BAY, Singapore – October 4, 2025 – Lewis Hamilton swept through the opening two rounds of Singapore Grand Prix qualifying as the fastest man on track, only to see his pole bid unravel in Q3 after a late setup change spoiled the balance of his Ferrari. The seven-time world champion will start Sunday's 62-lap race third, behind Max Verstappen and teammate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton was quickest in both Q1 and Q2, and the final segment began with real promise. Between the second and third phases of qualifying, he asked for an extra notch of front-wing angle in search of more lap time. The change was tiny but decisive: the car's handling flipped from settled to "snappy," and none of his three runs in Q3 were strong enough to threaten the front row.
The Ferrari driver made no attempt to hide his frustration, though he kept his perspective. "When I finished those laps in Q1 and Q2, I thought she had more in her," he said. "The only way to try to extract that was to add wing. It just tipped it over the edge," he explained, adding that the setup was left sitting on the sharpest of margins from then on.
He was just as quick to shield his crew. Hamilton stressed that his engineers and mechanics had done "a fantastic job" between Saturday's sprint and qualifying, and that the gamble was his own. Given the way the session unraveled, he added, third was about as much as anyone could have expected — and he sounded genuinely relieved to have kept a place on the second row.
The qualifying stumble followed an encouraging sprint showing earlier in the day. Starting sixth, Hamilton gained three spots at the start of that short race, which began on a damp circuit, and finished third. That result, combined with Leclerc lining up right beside Verstappen, gives Ferrari two cars at the front end of the field for the main event.
Hamilton sees that as a genuine weapon. With two scarlet machines running in close company, he believes they can work together to keep the Red Bull honest. "There are two Ferraris there," he said. "Hopefully there might be opportunities for us to work together and apply some pressure." He also liked the look of his starting slot, suggesting the right-hand side of the grid should offer a better launch, and he expects Sunday to be dry after the damp start to the sprint.
Overtaking is notoriously difficult around Marina Bay, which makes the start and the opening lap everything. That is why a single notch of front-wing angle — sometimes no more than a fraction of a degree — stings more here than it would elsewhere. In the heavy, humid evening air, any imbalance is magnified, and a car that snaps off line over a 62-lap race is the kind of liability no driver wants. Hamilton will need a clean getaway and a disciplined opening lap from both Ferraris to turn that front-row presence into a serious attack.
Sunday also carries extra meaning for Hamilton, who has four Singapore victories already. A fifth would be his first Singapore win in Ferrari red, and his history at this circuit gives him reason to believe a podium, or better, is still within reach.
His expectations, though, remained measured. "It will be very hard for us to beat Max tomorrow," he said. "They're very, very quick, but I think we have the car in a good place, and hopefully we can at least hold on."
