ART Grand Prix have locked out the front row of the grid for Race 1 in Singapore. Williams backed Lia Block took reverse grid pole, while Puma backed Aurelia Nobels had to settle for reverse grid P2. With Singapore being the penultimate round of the 2025 season, the points available are crucial.
Block’s “mixed emotions”
Reflecting on her Qualifying session, Block admitted to having “mixed emotions”. While she would ideally have liked a higher Qualifying position, reverse grid pole gives her a strong chance at a podium. She stated: “Obviously, I would love to be higher up in the field, but it is what it is,”.
The American continued on to acknowledge the step up made from Free Practice. While she struggled greatly with balance during Practice, the tyres ended up being her main challenge in Qualifying. Despite the challenges, Block is glad to be starting on reverse grid pole. Singapore is known to be a difficult track to overtake on, making her job a touch easier.
“We had to make a big step from Free Practice. We were struggling a bit with the car balance, but once we made that step in Qualifying, honestly the tyres just weren’t there at the end so I was struggling a bit with the rears.
“All of the excuses aside, we still start on pole for Race 1, which I’m pretty happy about especially at a track that it’s very rare to see a lot of passing on. The focus for tomorrow is to get a good getaway, have a clean rest of the race and keep it in front.”
Block added that her Qualifying position was almost handed to her. When no one else improved their times, it was clear that reverse pole was hers. Block has a high chance of winning in Race 1, though her focus remains on continuous work and improvement.
“It fell into my lap in a way. We were thankful that nobody else improved on that last lap. I think it’s a very high chance that we do get a win tomorrow, but the results aside, we just need to keep working and work as hard as we did in Zandvoort going forward.”
Nobels searches for her first podium
Aurelia Nobels secured one of her higher Qualifying finishes, stating: “It was a solid Qualifying,”. The Brazilian driver noted that while a few errors cost her a bit of time, she is in a solid position to fight for her maiden podium in Race 1.
“I made some mistakes on the last few laps which cost me a bit, but I think we’re in a good position to fight for the podium and good points. I’ll give it my best.”
Nobels acknowledged that the start will be crucial, as the Marina Bay Circuit offers limited overtaking opportunities. Many opportunities only becoming available when the driver ahead makes a mistake. This means she will need to maximise all pace and every opportunity.
“The start will be super important because it’s very hard to overtake here. There are some places, but the car in front has to do a mistake. I’ll focus on the start and I think we have good pace, so I’ll try to maximise everything.”
When asked how she will handle racing Block, she state: “Hopefully, there’ll be respect between each other.” She continued on to admit that while they are both in search of a podium, they will race respectfully. Nobels claimed: “We both want a podium and we’ll try to be respectful but of course, racing each other.”
