**Title: Oscar Piastri Qualifies Third for Singapore Grand Prix**

Oscar Piastri will start third in the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, maintaining a 25-point lead over his McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the drivers' championship standings. The race is set to take place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, with Mercedes driver George Russell securing pole position and Red Bull's Max Verstappen alongside him on the front row.

During Saturday's qualifying session, Piastri finished with a best lap time of 1:29.524, which was 0.366 seconds slower than Russell's pole time of 1:29.158. Despite his strong qualifying position, Piastri acknowledged that both McLaren drivers were off the pace compared to their competitors. Norris qualified fifth, two spots behind Piastri, and has been dealing with illness, which may impact his performance in the demanding conditions of the night race.

Piastri expressed satisfaction with his qualifying result, stating, "Obviously, I would have wanted more, but I don’t think we had four-tenths in it to go and get pole. So ultimately, pretty happy. Feel like it’s been a good weekend so far, and we built up through it nicely. Ultimately, it was a pretty clean session, so that’s all I could ask for."

The Australian driver emphasized that he would not play it safe during the race. "If there’s an opportunity to finish higher than I’m starting, then I’ll try and take it. But I’m not just going to settle for the position I’m in, or any position just ahead of Lando. I want to maximize the race I can get," he said. Piastri also noted the difficulty of overtaking on the circuit, indicating that extra pace would be necessary to advance positions.

Verstappen, who was frustrated after being obstructed by Norris during his final flying lap, expressed his disappointment. "The lap itself was coming nicely but, unfortunately, I had a car like two seconds in front of me in the financial chicane. That’s not nice when it happens; it could have been avoided," he said. This incident has added tension to the relationship between Verstappen and Norris, who have previously been friends.

As the race approaches, McLaren is in a strong position to secure the Constructors' Championship, needing only one podium finish. Piastri's performance gives him a significant advantage over Norris, who is looking to recover from his recent struggles.

The Singapore Grand Prix is set to begin at 11 PM AEDT, with fans eager to see how the race unfolds under the lights of the Marina Bay circuit.

In other qualifying news, Williams drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz Jr. qualified 12th and 13th but will start at the back of the grid due to a technical infringement involving their rear wings. This adds another layer of complexity to the race strategy for the teams involved.