SINGAPORE: Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel topped qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday, preventing Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team from equalling the all-time record streaks for pole position.

The four-time world champion clocked 1min 43.885sec on the demanding street circuit to front the grid for the first time in nearly two years, half a second ahead of Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo.

The second row of the grid in Sunday’s race will follow that pattern, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen in third and Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat fourth.

Hamilton qualified fifth and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg sixth.

Hamilton was going for his eighth straight pole, which would have equalled the record set by his idol Ayrton Senna across the 1988 and 1989 seasons, while Mercedes were aiming for their 24th in a row, which would have tied the mark set by the Williams team over the 1992 and 1993 seasons.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2015

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