SINGAPORE (AP) 鈥� Advantage , but not by much.
two main title contenders will start together on the front row at the Singapore Grand Prix as Norris edged ahead of his title rival in qualifying on Saturday.
The session turned into a one-lap shootout for the top positions when a crash for Carlos Sainz Jr. interrupted the final session on a troubled day for Ferrari.
鈥淚 was finding it a little difficult to progress much and to get a lot of lap time and more of the guys around seemed to get quicker and quicker,鈥� Norris said.
鈥淪o it put me under a little bit more pressure, especially with just one lap at the end, but it was good enough for pole and I鈥檓 happy with that.鈥�
The McLaren driver was .203 of a second ahead of Verstappen to start on pole, with Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes, .316 off Norris' time.
Montreal's Lance Stroll will start 17th on the grid for Aston Martin.
Pole position for Norris was a contrast to qualifying in Azerbaijan last week, when he was 15th on the grid after a yellow flag warning ruined his lap, but , ahead of Verstappen.
Verstappen, who said he was happy with second after struggling for grip in practice in his Red Bull, leads Norris in the standings by 59 points. There are seven rounds of the championship remaining, including Sunday's race. A front-row start means Verstappen could limit the damage to his lead even if Norris wins.
Verstappen has never won in Singapore, which was also the only track where the all-conquering Red Bull team didn't win last season.
Hamilton had his best qualifying result since the British Grand Prix in July 鈥� which he went on to win 鈥� in a season where the seven-time champion has struggled for single-lap pace.
鈥淨ualifying has been a disaster for me all year long and I鈥檝e just been working and working and working, trying to get myself back up there,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll of a sudden the car came alive in qualifying for the first time in a long time.鈥�
Norris鈥� teammate Oscar Piastri, the winner in Azerbaijan last week, was only fifth after going slower in the top-10 session than he had earlier in qualifying.
After Hamilton, Mercedes also had George Russell fourth in one of its better qualifying sessions this year, but it was a day to forget for Ferrari as Charles Leclerc had his lap time deleted in the final session for going off track and Sainz crashed.
Sainz, the in 2023, spun into the wall in what he called a 鈥渂ig snap鈥� of the steering, possibly caused by cold tires. The car was left with damage to the rear end and Sainz, who seemed unhurt, qualified 10th.
Verstappen鈥檚 teammate Sergio Perez was only 13th in another disappointing result this season.
Daniel Ricciardo qualified 16th, eight places behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda, as the Australian鈥檚 place with RB comes under threat. Red Bull鈥檚 second team could replace Ricciardo with reserve driver Liam Lawson for the last six rounds of the championship, starting from the United States Grand Prix next month.
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