Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent in Singapore

Image source, Getty Images

Red Bull's Max Verstappen beat Mercedes driver George Russell to sprint pole at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Verstappen, fresh from his and Red Bull's first victory of the season in Malaysia last weekend, was 0.12 seconds quicker than the Briton, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc third.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were fourth and fifth ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who went early in final qualifying and fell down the order from initially being second behind Leclerc.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, using the Mercedes upgrade that underperformed in Malaysia while Russell is on the previous specification, could manage only seventh.

And there were further glitches with the engine settings provided by governing body the FIA five days after the formation laps in the wet in Malaysia saw cars reduced to crawling speed as a result of a software bug.

The settings issue, which was combined with a glitch in the F1 timing system that delayed the start of second qualifying, did not affect the order.

Read the full report here

Will Max Verstappen keep his sprint pole position? Or will he drop a few places down the grid after his trip to the stewards? Keep an eye on the website for updates from Singapore.

There are a few points on offer for a solid performance tomorrow in the final sprint of the year, but a few drivers are already sounding quite deflated after that qualifying session.

We'll be back to see how Singapore's sprint debut goes on Saturday. Build-up to the 21-lap race is from 09:30 BST.

Lights out is at 10:00.

See you tomorrow!

Lewis Hamilton is next up to the microphone but looks quite deflated. The Ferrari driver says while his performance was looking good in SQ1 and SQ2, he doesn't know what happened in SQ3 for him to end up qualifying P6.

"We did a slightly different run plan to the others. It was my choice, but I think we got that wrong," he adds. "But ultimately, the car was very oversteery on that lap. If the rears [tyres] are not ready or they are overheating, it's difficult to say.

"But it's was very snappy and oversteery in the lap overall."

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli looks soaked through with sweat - Max Verstappen wasn't joking when he said conditions are like a sauna. The Italian tells Sky Sports he's been struggling since first practice after qualifying seventh for Saturday's 21-lap sprint race.

"There's still a lot to understand about this package," says Antonelli about Mercedes upgrade. "The car is very difficult and very unpredictable."

He added: "It's a shame, because I was coming with high hopes, but so far it's been very difficult."

The celebrations are going on at Red Bull, but Max Verstappen is under investigation for a potential yellow flag infringement during sprint qualifying.

George Russell is in the media pen and tells Sky Sports Mercedes have seemed competitive all day, adding he's "pretty satisfied with P2". He says the drivers on the pole side of the grid had a "big advantage" last year, so the target might be to stay in second place.

Drivers still have the full 62-lap grand prix to come this weekend, and we know Singapore is the most physically demanding circuit on the calendar, so Max Verstappen was asked to gives us a bit more insight into the conditions inside the cockpit at Marina Bay.

"It's just like a sauna and trying to do some exercise in it. It's always very hot," he said.

"You just try to cool yourself as well as you can between the runs, because the whole cockpit is hot - so your feet, your upper body, your head.

"It's never comfotable, but that's also what's so unique about this track - and we love it as well."

Image source, Getty Images

Polesitter Max Verstappen is being interviewed by former driver David Coulthard after securing the 11th sprint pole position of his career. "So, it is always close in Singapore, and also, your lap itself, you're pushing as hard as you think is possible to the walls and places," says the Red Bull driver.

"But once we bolted on the soft tyre, it felt like the car was coming alive a little bit more - but I did not expect this. Very happy to be first."

He added: "I think the last few races we have been stronger, but this track still highlights a few little weaknesses in the car, but we managed to drive with them as well as possible."

11. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

12. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)

13. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)

15. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

16. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

17. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)

18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

19. Alex Albon (Williams)

20. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)

21. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)

22. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1:31.156

2. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.120

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.243

4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.298

5. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.431

6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.546

7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.693

8. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1.185

9. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) lap time deleted

10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) lap time deleted

Charles Leclerc has time for another lap and he extends his advantage over Lando Norris in second.

Max Verstappen is next to cross the line and he beats Leclerc's time! The Ferrari has to settle for second, as the Dutchman is 0.243 seconds quicker.

What can the Mercedes do now?

George Russell makes it onto the front row with Max Verstappen! Charles Leclerc slips to third, Oscar Piastri jumps above team-mate Lando Norris for fourth and Kime Antonelli cna only manage seventh.

The middle sector wasn;t quite as smooth as the first, and the seven-time world champion misses out on the front row with his flyeing lap to go third.

Max Verstappen is aiming to nudge Charles Leclerc off pole in Singapore. Purple in thie first sector for the Dutchman...

Thr Ferrari of Charles Leclerc has found a bit more pace on the soft compound than Lando Norris and his McLaren, and the Monegasque driver gos onto provisional pole by 0.019 seconds.

Lewis Hamilton is starting his opening flying lap in SQ3 - and he clocks a purple marker in the first sector.

The purple sectors are lighting up for Lando Norris and the world champion goes quickest with a 1:31.587.

It's a one-two for McLaren this time around, as Oscar Piastri slots into P2, just over a tenth off his team-mate Norris.

George Russell is third and Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli is fourth.

Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc are out early in SQ3, but Max Verstappen is stuck in the garage. Red Bull mechanics are gathering around the four-time world champion's car, so he might be a late addition to this pole position scrap.

Ferrari topped that SQ2 session; Charles Leclerc quicker than team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Soft tyres for the SQ3 pole fight.

Image source, PA Media

Ollie Bearman thinks his SQ2 performance was close. "P13" says his Haas engineer. "Ah, not that close," replies the Briton.

We've got one Alpine and one Racing Bulls in the SQ3 shootout. The rest of the pack is the usual suspects of McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Going into Turn 16, I thought that George Russell had sent too much in. That front end wasn't quite biting.

11. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

12. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)

13. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)

15. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

16. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

No need to panic for George Russell, as he's done enough after his lock-up to jump to fourth on the timesheets at the expense of Franco Colapinto.