SINGAPORE, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Red Bull's Max Verstappen took pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix sprint race on Friday, pipping Mercedes driver George Russell who will join him on the front row under the lights at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Verstappen, who had never previously taken pole or won a race in Singapore, set the fastest time of one minute 31.156 seconds, 0.120 seconds quicker than Russell.
"It's closer in Singapore. Your lap itself, you're pushing as hard as you think is possible, close to the walls in places," Verstappen said.
"Once we bolted on the soft tyres, it felt like the car was coming alive a little bit more. But I did not expect this, so, of course, very happy to be first.
"The last few races we've been a lot stronger, but of course this track still highlights a few little weaknesses in the car. But we managed to drive with them as well as possible."
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was third fastest while Mercedes' championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who leads Russell by 84 points, was only seventh quickest.
Russell was fastest in the only practice session earlier on Friday but his power unit penalty will not affect his position on the grid for Saturday's sprint.
However, the FIA handed the Briton a 40-place grid penalty for Sunday after he incurred a 10-place penalty for each of four additional power-unit elements, effectively consigning him to the back of the grid.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Singapore; Editing by Ken Ferris and Toby Davis)
