George Russell subdued as Lando Norris and Max Verstappen feud brings fireworks at Singapore GP

George Russell may have put his Mercedes on pole but it was Max Verstappen and Lando Norris who produced the fireworks in Singapore on Saturday. Because the Dutchman felt he could have beaten Russell had dirty air from Norris' slow-moving McLaren not caused him to make a mistake in the dying seconds of qualifying.

He swore over the radio and issued a threat to the Brit after getting out of his car, quipping: "That's noted, it will be remembered as well." Verstappen resisted the urge to say anything more on the matter when pressed later, but Norris was not so restrained when he was told of the Red Bull racer's frustration.

"They always complain. They complain about everything – that's Red Bull," was his combative retort. But instead of Norris, who managed to go only fifth fastest, Verstappen will face off with another Brit at the first corner today.

And he has previous with Russell, too, most notably in Abu Dhabi last December when Verstappen responded to the Mercedes driver saying he had "lost all respect" for the Dutchman by calling him a "loser".

He praised Russell on this occasion and said: "George did a very good lap. I'm a little bit disappointed to not be first, but this weekend so far for us has been really good. The car has been very competitive, so for us to be second again is good."

Russell crashed in practice and was as surprised as anyone to find himself quicker than everyone else in qualifying. He said: "It's been a very strange weekend, I've been struggling and not confident with myself and the car. I know there's a lot of pace in the car. I felt good come Q3."

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But he was subdued despite the result and explained: "This place hasn't been my friend in years gone by. Being on pole position is an amazing result, but this has been a track that has bitten me on numerous occasions in the past, so I'm not getting carried away."

McLaren need just 13 points today to be crowned constructors' champions and are well placed with Oscar Piastri third, two starting spots ahead of Norris. The Aussie was pleased with that outcome and said: "I think there was a little bit left, but not enough to get pole. We seemed to be good through practice and in Q1, and then we found a little bit of time while others found a lot of time.

"A little bit surprising that we didn't find more than that but, ultimately, I don't think the car had enough in it for pole. I'm happy with the job I've done. It wasn't perfect but I feel like it's been a good weekend and I've been close to what the car has been able to do." Norris has felt unwell in recent days and said: "If there's anywhere you don't want to be poorly, it's here. I'm better today... probably not optimal, but no excuses."

Lewis Hamilton was sixth and outqualified team-mate Charles Leclerc, but was downbeat after another underwhelming Ferrari show. He said: "Everyone is trying so hard, but it's definitely disappointing to finish where we are, when there was potential to be higher."