Charles Leclerc will start today's Singapore Grand Prix for pole position after Red Bull rival Max Verstappen was forced to abort his fastest attempt.
The Monegasque set a time of one minute 49.412 seconds around the 5-km long Marina Bay track. Verstappen was on course to beat Leclerc's effort but was called into the pits as he was running low on fuel.
"It has been a very, very tricky qualifying," said Leclerc, who will have Verstappen's team mate Sergio Perez alongside him on the front row, after a session that started in damp conditions but ended on a dry track.&nbsp;
"I did a mistake on my last lap so I didn't think I'd get pole."
Like Leclerc and Verstappen, Hamilton was also in contention for pole.&nbsp;
The Mercedes driver looked like the driver to beat, especially during the final phase of qualifying, but at the end a first pole of the season slipped away by just 0.054 seconds.
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"I was pushing so hard, it was so, so close," said Hamilton, starting amid the top three for the first time this year. &nbsp;
"These guys are so quick, but I thought with a perfect lap we could fight for first place, but I just didn't have the grip in the last lap."
Saturday's pole was Leclerc's ninth this season and the 18th of his career.&nbsp;
He was on pole the last time Formula One was in Singapore in 2019 and finished second behind Sebastian Vettel in a Ferrari one-two.
Verstappen, who turned 25 on Friday, has his first shot at clinching a second title this weekend. But he needs to win and score at least 22 points more than Leclerc and 13 more than Perez to get the job done on Sunday.
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“It has been a very, very tricky qualifying," says Leclerc

Low-fuelled Verstappen suffers blow as Leclerc takes pole position in Singapore GP

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Home / Sports / Other Sports / Article / Low-fuelled Verstappen suffers blow as Leclerc takes pole position in Singapore GP

Low-fuelled Verstappen suffers blow as Leclerc takes pole position in Singapore GP

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