Verstappen keeps Singapore Sprint pole after no penalty

Max Verstappen will keep pole position for Saturday’s Singapore Grand Prix Sprint after Formula 1 stewards found he overtook Lewis Hamilton in a yellow-flag sector but decided not to impose a penalty. The ruling followed an investigation into an incident during Sprint Qualifying on Friday. Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, passed Hamilton’s Ferrari before Turn 8 while both cars were still in the sector where a single yellow flag was displayed. The stewards determined the overtake breached the yellow-flag regulation, but said the circumstances did not warrant a sporting sanction. According to the stewards’ decision, telemetry showed Verstappen lifted fully off the throttle within about 40 metres of entering the sector and also began braking. His speed at the point of the pass was about 70 km/h below his speed at the same point on another push lap during the session. The decision said Hamilton had slowed to less than 60 km/h and moved to the right to clear the racing line. The stewards accepted that the substantial speed difference contributed to the overtake.