SINGAPORE, (Reuters) – Sebastian Vettel broke Mercedes’ qualifying stranglehold to secure a first pole position of the season for Ferrari at the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix yesterday.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton had roared to 11 poles in 12 races, with his team mate Nico Rosberg claiming the other, but neither could prevent Vettel from lapping quickest at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on a balmy Singapore evening.
The four-time world champion clocked one minute, 43.885 seconds around the 23-turn 5.065 km floodlit circuit to edge out Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo as Ferrari claimed their first pole position since the German Grand Prix in July 2012.
Kimi Raikkonen and Daniil Kvyat will make up the second row on a circuit that is notoriously difficult to overtake on with the pole sitter winning five of the seven grands prix to have taken place in the city-state since it joined the series in 2008.
Hamilton and Rosberg qualified in fifth and sixth respectively.
With seven rounds remaining, defending world champion Hamilton leads Rosberg by 53 points with Vettel a further 21 points adrift of his fellow German.
