Russell: I knew I had the car beneath me

Russell showed his intent after topping Q2 and went on to deliver in Q3 to take his second pole in the 2025 Formula 1 season, his first being back in Canada.

And it was even sweeter, as the Briton has struggled early on, crashing in practice on Friday, losing running time, but brushing that off impressively to take pole, denying Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, on a day where Mercedes were in decent form as Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth.

Reflecting on his Saturday night around the Marina Bay Circuit, Russell said: "It's been a challenging weekend so far, and I've had to build my confidence with the car.

"Come the end of Q2 though, I felt that I was in a good place and had more lap time in my pocket. I knew I had the car beneath me, and I was able to deliver with both efforts in Q3. It's a good reminder that a setback on Friday doesn't need to impact the rest of the weekend.

"Tomorrow won't be easy, but we're starting from the best possible position," the Briton said of Sunday's upcoming race. "I will be focusing on my race, and hopefully we can fight for a good result.

"We've not had a good look at our long run pace, and in recent races Max (Verstappen) has been the man to beat, plus we know that the McLarens are strong in races where tyre management is key.

"Let's see what we can do," Russell, who is yet to sign a new contract with Mercedes, concluded.

As for Antonelli, he lamented errors in his final laps, which meant fourth was the best he could achieve, and said: "I am slightly disappointed to end our day in P4.

"I had a good FP3 and put together strong laps in both Q1 and Q2. It didn't quite come together in Q3 sadly, as I pushed a little too hard on both laps. I left a good chunk of lap time on the table, and that is frustrating.

"It is a shame, as I think we had a real shot at pole position but at least the front row. I'm pleased that I've managed to get up to speed quickly at a track that I've never driven before, but there was definitely more there than our final result.

"There are some unknowns heading into the race," the Mercedes rookie went on. "Not many cars have managed to get a representative long run completed, and we know how critical that pace, and tyre management, will be for tomorrow's Grand Prix.

"Starting P4, we have the opportunity to fight for the podium if we do have good race pace, and hopefully we can bring home a good result," Antonelli concluded.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hailed his team's result in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix; he said: "The improvements we made to the car overnight certainly helped both drivers today.

"Both George and Kimi were more comfortable in FP3 and showed solid pace to be amongst the top five. They carried that speed into qualifying and converted it into strong positions for Sunday's race.

"After his accident in FP2, George spent FP3 and Q1 building his confidence with the car," he said of the polesitter. "He always had more margin to push and used that when it mattered to produce two stunning laps in Q3. He has been incredibly strong all year, and this was yet another great performance.

"For Kimi, he has been on George's pace all weekend, and that is very encouraging for him following on from a good weekend in Baku.

"Whilst he couldn't quite put his ultimate lap together in Q3, he still has a good opportunity to fight for the podium tomorrow from P4," the Austrian maintained.

However, the Grand Prix on Sunday may be a totally different story, and Wolff is wary of that; he continued: "We have only managed one long run so far this weekend, so there are plenty of unknowns heading into the race.

"Looking after the rear tyres is critical for a good result, and hopefully we have taken a step forward with that with recent upgrades.

"If we can do so, and given our starting positions, then we can look forward to a competitive showing," Wolff concluded.

This qualifying should serve as a boost for Mercedes who are fighting with Ferrari for second place in the 2025 F1 Constructors' Championship as Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth and Charles Leclerc seventh.