Oswaldo Martinez

Vettel claims pole at Singapore!

Oswaldo Martinez
Vettel claims pole at Singapore!

'Unbelievable' Sebastian Vettel stormed to his first ever Ferrari pole with a super lap, to finish ahead of Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, and Daniil Kvyat.

It’s Scuderia Ferrari’s first pole since Germany 2012, first pole for Vettel since Brazil 2013, and first time since Austria last year without a Mercedes on front. Mercedes was more than 1.5 adrift from pole.

Sebastian Vettel: "I know it’s only Saturday and the main job is coming tomorrow but I had to enjoy the moment when I heard that we’d made it. It was looking pretty good, right from the off - and from this morning. The car was fantastic to drive. I really had a near-perfect lap at the end."

"This is exactly what the sport needs; to see Mercedes so far off the pace is good for the sport - and may even be good for Mercedes" added Jenson Button.

All three sessions featured a struggling Mercedes, strong showings from Ferrari and Red Bull up top, and the only other drama came from Carlos Sainz, as he clipped the wall during the final moments of Q2.

Both McLarens advanced from Q1 for the first time this year, and during Q1 it was Will Stevens who won the first Qualifying head-to-head with Alex Rossi. All drivers were safely inside the 107% mark.

Qualifying Top 10:

1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, +1:43.885
2. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, +0.543
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, +0.782
4. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull, +0.860
5. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, +1.415
6. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, +1.530
7. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, +1.791
8. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, +1.913
9. Felipe Massa, Williams, +2.192
10. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, no time