Max Verstappen Assigns Blame for Incident That Cost Him Singapore GP Pole

During his final qualifying run, Max Verstappen looked set to challenge for pole until things got messy. Just ahead of him on track was Lando Norris, who appeared to be on a cool-down lap. As Verstappen pushed for a flying lap, he suddenly found the McLaren in his way, forcing him to abandon what could’ve been his best run.

The frustration was instant. As soon as the lap ended, race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase came over the radio saying, “You can thank your mate for that,” to which Max responded with a few choice words that didn’t need translation.

Later, when David Coulthard asked him about the incident, Verstappen didn’t hold back. “That’s what happens when a car is cruising two seconds in front,” he said pointedly. “It’s noted and will be remembered.” And when pressed on who he was referring to, Max clarified it wasn’t Oscar Piastri… clearly hinting at his good friend and current rival Lando Norris.

A Closer Look at the title picture for Max Verstappen

After finishing runner-up at his home race in Zandvoort, Max Verstappen has found his rhythm again, picking up back-to-back wins in Monza and Baku. The gap to Oscar Piastri still sits at 69 points, but considering how things looked just a few weeks ago, that’s real progress. Singapore now feels like the perfect place to keep that momentum going.

And it’s not just Max who’s stepping up McLaren seem to be slowing down. Piastri has only managed 15 points in the same stretch where Verstappen has bagged 50, which could make things very interesting heading into the final run of the season.

The difference might just come down to experience. Both Norris and Piastri are chasing their first world title, but Max has been through this grind before. If he keeps up the pressure and grabs another win in Singapore and maybe Austin after that the title fight could suddenly get a lot more exciting.