City hit Watford P23 for six SPORTS 2424 Sunday, September 17, 2017 Stunning Vettel grabs pole Singapore Singapore GP qualifying results errari’s Sebastian 1. (GER/Ferrari) 1:39.491 FVettel came from 2. (NED/Red Bull-TAG Heuer) 1:39.814 nowhere to seize 3. (AUS/Red Bull-TAG Heuer) 1:39.840 at the 4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 1:40.069 Singapore Grand Prix 5. (GBR/Mercedes) 1:40.126 yesterday, creating a 6. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:40.810 golden opportunity 7. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Renault) 1:41.013 to reclaim the world 8. (ESP/McLaren-Honda) 1:41.179 championship lead 9. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren-Honda) 1:41.398 from Lewis Hamilton. 10. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Toro Rosso-Renault) 1:42.056 Vettel, who had struggled in practice, timed a record 1min 39.491sec qualifying run-out on Saturday. at the floodlit Marina Bay street He was just 12th in Q1, the circuit ahead of Red Bull’s opening section of qualifying, Max Verstappen and Daniel before improving to fourth in Ricciardo. Q2. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen will But he is now in a great start fourth with Hamilton, who position to claim his fifth win in leads Vettel by just three points Singapore, while Hamilton will in the standings, fifth ahead of be up against it when he starts his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri from the third row of the grid. Bottas. “I knew we had it in us. It was Verstappen, 19, had looked a bit of a struggle to get there but set to become the first teenager now I’m just happy,” Vettel said. on pole but Vettel stormed Hamilton was also surprised through with two blistering laps at Vettel’s pace but he warned in the final session to clinch it by that today’s notoriously long, three-tenths of a second. hot and physical race was “a “Yesterday was difficult, marathon not a sprint”. this afternoon was difficult but Qualifying got off to a slow tonight the car just came alive,” start after a fire in a Porsche said Vettel, who looked stunned Carrera Cup race left oil on by his own performance. the track at Turn 20, making Qualifying has often been conditions treacherous. crucial in Singapore, “The oil seems everywhere where seven of the in the final sector,” nine races so far have complained Toro Rosso’s been won by the , as the early driver who started times were far slower from pole. than those seen in Vettel was 11th in practice. Friday’s second free Williams driver Felipe practice session, and Massa slid into the he took a chunk out barriers, puncturing a rear of one of the circuit’s tyre, and he was one of the walls in the five to drop out in final pre- Q1 as Verstappen and Ricciardo led the way. The Ferraris set a quick pace at the start of Q2. (AFP)

Sebastian Vettel

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