The Formula 1 championship moves to its first race in Asia and lands in Singapore for the 10th year of the SingaporeGP. For the Formula 1 drivers, it is a physically demanding circuit. As well as the heat and humidity which can feel like a weight pressing on your chest, there is the challenge of a tight street circuit to contend with.
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes took the lead of the championship from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel for the first time in Monza, Italy, but that may not last long as Ferrari comes to this track as the favored car.
Qualifying was expected to be tussle for the front row between Ferrari and Red Bull, and the first two sessions were dominated by teammates Ricciardo and Verstappen who swapped the top spot between themselves - often separated by only 5/100ths of a second. While Hamilton managed to get the car into P3, the other Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas struggled badly and languished as low as P7. Ferrari seemed to be blowing hot & cold as they would threaten the front row but fail to get that little bit extra to beat the Red Bulls.
That all changed in Q3, however. With Max Verstappen leading the way early and Daniel Ricciardo taking P2, it looked to be sewn up by the Red Bull pairing. Sebastian Vettel then pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat to piece together 2 sizzling laps - making contact with the wall on his second run - to snatch pole position in dramatic fashion.
Vettel could hardly contain his elation after getting out of the car. He knows how crucial this is in the title race as Hamilton starts in P5 on a long and challenging race that offers next to no overtaking opportunities. Unless there are safety cars and strategy calamities, it doesn't appear that there's much to stop Vettel retaking the lead of the WDC with a win in tomorrow's race. The 2 Red Bulls should take the other 2 podium spots if the Renault engines are able to survive the stifling conditions to the end of the race.