NORRIS DELIVERS 1ST BLOW

McLaren ace in pole position after beating Verstappen in Q3 as title battle heats up

- Deepanraj Ganesan

A quick jab to the gut - in 1min 29.525 sec - was what Lando Norris delivered to Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix on Sept 21, when the McLaren speedster edged out the Dutchman to secure pole position at the Marina Bay circuit.

It was also a psychological blow from Norris, who is locked in a fierce battle with three-time world champion Verstappen for supremacy in the driver's championship.

The Briton is a man on a mission here, as he aims to cut the 59-point deficit to his rival (313 points) with seven races - including the Singapore Grand Prix - remaining this season.

Securing pole position is crucial on a tight, twisty 4.94km street circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult, with nine out of 14 races in Singapore won by pole sitters.

Norris said after the race: "It was tough, especially through qualifying. I was finding it a little difficult to progress much and gain a lot of lap time. And all of the guys around seemed to get quicker and quicker, so it put me under a bit more pressure, especially with just one lap at the end.