Picture Credit: Formula 1
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took a dramatic pole at the Singapore GP qualifying with Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez taking the second position. Meanwhile, reigning champion Max Verstappen struggled on the track as he was forced to abandon his final lap in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying due to a lack of fuel.
According to F1 rules, one-litre sample is required for FIA testing post-session, with a disqualification penalty if it can’t be obtained. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have earlier suffered such penalties in the past. Despite being in the run for pole position at Marina Bay, Max Verstappen was left in eighth place with Charles Leclerc grabbing a ninth pole of the season for Ferrari. Reportedly, Red Bull had fuelled Verstappen for five laps, but the lap he aborted was his sixth of the season.
Furious Dutchman vented out his anger on the radio as he was heard saying, "We ran out of fuel. It's just incredibly frustrating and shouldn't happen. When you under-fuel it or you don’t plan to do six laps, then at least you track it throughout the session that you are not going to make it," said Verstappen.
"They should have let me finish the lap before where I think we were already on a pole position lap. I can’t see how much fuel is in the car, but we have all the sensors in the world to track these things. We should have seen that way either. I am not happy at all the moments," he added.
Meanwhile, team boss Christian Horner admitted that they had no choice but to bring him in. "I think miscalculation on our side. We fueled the car for five laps and because the track was ramping up so quick, we got no extra lap, so he was perfectly placed," said Horner.