'It’s not a fluke' – Block preparing to pounce to seize big points haul after standout Qualifying

Lia Block excelled around the streets of Singapore, earning her best Qualifying result of the 2024 campaign in fourth.

Not only that, but the Williams driver matched it across both her fastest and second-fastest efforts, securing two second row starts for Races 1 and 2 — her highest grid position since she lined up fourth for Barcelona Race 2.

Speaking after the session, the American was delighted to show that her rapid pace was not a one-off and that she could manage adapting to the unfamiliar circuit quickly.

“It feels really good to know that I keep progressing every weekend and keep climbing up the grid,” Block reflected. “Just to have those two laps, both in fourth place, it shows that I actually belong there. It’s not a fluke that one lap was super-fast and I couldn’t do it again.

“I had a good feeling coming into this weekend with the amount of seat time I’ve been having, and I’ve been looking forward to Singapore all year as it’s such an amazing track. Having Jeddah as the first race of the season and that also being a street circuit, I think it prepared me pretty well for this. I was pretty confident there and had had a lot of testing, so it was kind of a gamble coming here only having 30 minutes of Practice.”

She added: “I really loved Qualifying in Jeddah under the lights and I really loved it here. I don’t know, something about under the lights on a Formula 1 track just really speaks to me.”

Moving forward with every second of track time in her rookie single-seater season, Block believes self-belief was vital in her ability to push on up the timing sheets lap by lap.

“My perspective going into the weekend was knowing that I need to trust my simulator practice because that’s the only thing I have to go off of,” she explained. “So, I was taking all the braking points from that, knowing the track and telling myself that I know how to do it.

READ MORE: QUALIFYING: Pulling fends off Weug and Pin to snatch both Singapore pole positions

“The main things I’ve been having to learn over the weekend were where the traction is and where are the bumps because it’s much rougher than Jeddah was. You can go into the wall pretty easily by hitting a bump wrong or not expecting something. Even in those last two laps, I was pushing some braking zones, still learning where the limit is and how the track works.”

However, Block knows her job is far from done as it’s one thing to qualify in the top four, but it’s another thing to finish there.

With the trio of Standings leader Abbi Pulling, Maya Weug and Doriane Pin lining up ahead of her and with Hamda Al Qubaisi and Chloe Chambers close behind, Block’s going to have a fight on her hands.

Digging deep and utilising all the experience she’s gained so far, Block is adamant that patience is the name of the game. By waiting for chances to come to her rather than wanting too much too soon, she’s confident she can add to her 12-point tally and push herself into the top 10 battle in the Drivers’ Standings.

“Coming off Zandvoort after stalling in the second race, I’m just super stressed about the start,” she admitted. “If I can just get an okay start, it’s a hard track to overtake on. So, if I can just stay in the position, do consistent laps like I did in Qualifying and just wait for an opportunity.

“I want to come away with a lot of points and I have a big opportunity to do it. So, I’m just playing it a bit on the safe side, just waiting for someone to make a mistake in front of me.”