Lewis Hamilton had Singapore in the bag through qualifying. The Ferrari driver was fastest in both Q1 and Q2, looking sharp and in control. But when it came to the final shootout for pole position, things went pear-shaped. A mistake at turn three on his first run in Q3 was bad enough, but drifting through that same chicane on his final attempt proved costly. Just like that, Max Verstappen swooped in to claim his best chance yet of winning the Marina Bay Grand Prix for the first time in his career.

More F1 news: Verstappen Finally Nails Singapore Pole Position with Sprint Win in Tow

Verstappen's pole position is massive for Sunday's race. History shows that winning from pole at Singapore happens nearly seven times out of ten, so the Red Bull driver's got a serious advantage. He looked solid all weekend and seemed relatively unchallenged for the top spot once Hamilton stumbled. The defending champion even sounded chuffed about it in his post-session reaction, saying the car had been strong throughout and that he was delighted to have the position he wanted.

More F1 news: Verstappen Completes Singapore Sweep with Grand Prix Pole as Russell Faces Grid Penalty

Ferrari's weekend wasn't a total disaster though. Charles Leclerc managed to find second on the grid after Hamilton's mishaps, meaning the Scuderia locked out a front-row start. Hamilton's struggle with the Ferrari was clear to see, despite his blistering pace in the earlier parts of qualifying. The car just didn't seem to give him the same confidence when he really needed to push it to the limit, a far cry from his legendary 2018 performance in Singapore when he was with Mercedes.

More F1 news: Verstappen Chasing First Singapore Win as Qualifying Gets Underway at Marina Bay

The qualification session delivered some drama elsewhere too. George Russell was sixth quickest but faces a back-of-grid penalty after needing fresh engine components following his power unit failure last weekend in Malaysia. He'll line up at the rear alongside Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, who suffered an engine problem that knocked him out of Q1. That's a massive blow for Mercedes' hopes of picking up championship points at one of the circuit's most demanding events.

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