Saturday: A breath separates Hamilton from Rosberg at Mercedes in Singapore

Lewis Hamilton (No. 44) – 6th and Pole position

For the Briton, the Singapore pole position has a particular taste as it was so difficult to obtain, with a gap of 7 thousandths, which represents 33.5cm according to the German team: « It was one of the most exciting qualifying sessions I can remember. I lost a lot of time at the beginning of my last lap and at that moment, I thought pole was gone. But I just kept going and managed to make up time. As a driver, throughout the weekend, you plan to have the best possible final lap in qualifying. […] But there was so much happening on the track and I was just trying not to pay attention to it. I was surprised by how tight it was – the Red Bulls and Ferraris seemed fast all day – and it was really fun to be part of that session. »

Nico Rosberg (No. 6) – 3rd and 2nd

The championship leader is disappointed to miss out on a new pole position by so little, but he is optimistic for the race: « Overall, it was the most difficult qualifying of my career so far. I really struggled to find my rhythm. I had to change my brakes for qualifying and then find the right balance in the first few laps, which was tricky. I just thought: « Damn »! I immediately reviewed my lap and there were so many places to gain seven-thousandths of a second, especially in the last corner. But in the end, he was seven-thousandths better, so well done to him. The 2nd place is still good for tomorrow’s race, and I am focused on a good start. »