Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel claims pole position in Singapore

SINGAPORE — The Mercedes deadlock on the front row was finally broken at the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix tonight (Sept 19), as Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel delivered a surprise at the Marina Bay street circuit by qualifying first to claim pole position for tomorrow’s race.

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo will take the other spot up front after finishing second, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull) third and fourth on the starting grid.

This is the first time in the 2015 season that a Mercedes has not qualified in pole position, with world championship leader Lewis Hamilton claiming all but one spot in the front in 12 races this year. The qualifying result here also saw Mercedes ending a 23-run pole streak, while Hamilton was unable to extend his consecutive pole position run of seven to better the all-time record set by childhood hero Ayrton Senna.

While Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) had posted the quickest time in Practice 1 yesterday, both Mercedes drivers were subsequently eclipsed in the next two practice sessions, with Vettel and Raikkonen dominating the third and final session earlier tonight.

While many in the paddock were surprised by the lack of pace from the Mercedes cars, they had expected Hamilton and Rosberg to bounce back in qualifying tonight.

But instead, it was three-time Singapore Grand Prix champion Vettel who took pole position in a thrilling Q3 battle after clocking the fastest qualifying lap of 1min 43.885sec, over half a second quicker than Ricciardo, who was second in 1:44.428sec. Raikkonen was third in 1:44.667, while Kvyat was fourth in 1:44.745.

Hamilton was well off the pace, over 1.4sec slower than Vettel in fifth spot in 1:45.300, with Rosberg sixth with his qualifying time of 1:45.415.

Letting out a delighted yelp as he crossed the finish line, four-time world champion Vettel – who is the first Ferrari driver to claim pole position since Fernando Alonso at the 2012 German Grand Prix-  will be looking to claim his fourth Singapore title and his third win this season after Malaysia and Hungary. “It’s unbelievable, I know it’s only Saturday but I’m enjoying the moment,” said Vettel after the qualifying session. “I’m surprised by the margin, but it all just came together and I had a perfect lap at the end.”

But the German is well aware of the threat from the Silver Arrows, who have been in dominating form in the past 18 months, winning  16 out of 19 races in the 2014 season, and 10 out of 12 this year.

Added Vettel: “I’m very happy I put us in a good place for tomorrow. I’m sure Mercedes will be quick tomorrow, and the Red Bulls so it’s going to be a tough job tomorrow. It’s a surprise as I thought they (Mercedes) were sandbagging yesterday, they have a good car and a very good power unit so they must have some issues.

“But I wouldn’t rule them out. It’s not the easiest to overtake here, but if they have pace it will still be possible.”

Ricciardo will also be aiming to claim his first title here in Singapore, as he added: “It’s nice to be back up here in the front row. Having no Mercedes up here is a surprise for everyone. Tomorrow is where the points are and the champagne is. We were second best today but we’ll try to get one more tomorrow.”

Queried on what went wrong in today’s qualifying, Hamilton said: “Tires. The tires aren’t working on our car. It’s very strange.”

Added teammate Rosberg: “Very frustrating to be so far back and off the pace. I am lacking a lot of grip.”

But Hamilton, who currently heads the championship race with 252 points, 53 ahead of Rosberg (199) in second, and Vettel third on 178, vowed to fight back in tomorrow’s race, as he added: “A big congratulations to the guys ahead. It’s been exciting. The goal is still to win.” LOW LIN FHOONG

Qualifying results:

1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
2. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
4. Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
7. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
8. Max Verstappen(Toro Rosso)
9. Felipe Massa (Williams)
10. Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
11. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
12. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
13. Sergio Perez (Force India)
14. Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso)
15. Jenson Button (McLaren)
16. Felipe Nasr (Sauber)
17. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
18. Pastor Maldonado (Lotus)
19. Will Stevens (Manor Marussia)
20. Alexander Rossi (Manor Marussia)