Lewis Hamilton put on a dazzling display under the floodlights, pulling out a lap that even he couldn't repeat, to take pole position for today's Singapore Grand Prix. The Briton lit up the timing screens with a one minute 36.015 second effort on his first attempt, setting the fastest time ever recorded around the city track in the process, even if the layout has been shortened by two meters this year.

That put him 0.319 seconds clear of Red Bull's Max Verstappen who, suffering from engine problems, was just as surprised as anyone to qualify on the front row and beat Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. The German had been favourite for pole going into the hour-long session, having led a Ferrari one-two in final practice. But ultimately, he could manage no better than third with a time that was 0.613 seconds off his title rival's pace.