Lando Norris kept up the pressure on championship leader Max Verstappen after claiming pole position in the Singapore Grand Prix with the Red Bull driver starting second on the grid for Sunday's race.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton qualified third with his Mercedes teammate George Russell fourth and McLaren's Oscar Piastri – who won last time out in Azerbaijan – could only manager fifth.
Under the thousand of bulbs that light up the Marina Bay circuit, McLaren driver Norris posted a dazzling lap to beat rival Verstappen by 0.203 seconds. The Dutchman leads Norris by 59 points with seven rounds remaining and 206 points to play for.
“It was tough especially through qualifying I was finding it a little difficult to progress much and to get a lot of lap time,” said Norris who sealed his fifth pole of the season.
“All the guys around seemed to get quicker and quicker so it put me under a bit more pressure especially with just one lap at the end.
“It was good enough for pole and I’m happy with that, especially here in Singapore, it’s a good feeling. I’ve felt good all weekend, I’ve felt confident, maybe not so much in qualifying but we got the job done.”
Verstappen has never been on pole here and never won and he arrived in the city-state on a seven-race winless streak, a statistic that would have been considered inconceivable at the beginning of the year when he opened his bid for a fourth world title with seven victories from the opening 10.
However, the Dutchman will be delighted to join Norris on the front row, particularly given Sergio Perez could manage only 13th in the other Red Bull.
Verstappen, only 15th in practice on Friday, said: “I am happy to be on the front row when you look at where we came from.
“I will take second. Tomorrow it will be difficult to say. Singapore, a lot of things can happen, but at least we have a shot.”
Hamilton, three tenths back from Norris, added: “Qualifying has been a disaster for me all year long and I’ve just been working and working trying to get back up there. The car all of a sudden came alive in qualifying for the first time in a while, it’s a little bit of a shame because we were getting into a rhythm, the same for all of us.
“Getting that lap at the end was a little bit tricky but there was a tiny bit more left in the car. The mechanics we’ve been moving up and down on balance changing everything each day, the mechanics have just been faultless. I hope we are in a good position to fight for the front tomorrow.”
Hulkenberg starts sixth with Fernando Alonso seventh for Aston Martin and Yuki Tsunoda eighth for RB.
But it was a disastrous session for Ferrari, for whom Carlos Sainz won in Singapore last year.
The Spaniard forced the session to be stopped with a crash early on at the start of his first flying lap and will start 10th while teammate Charles Leclerc had his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits and was ninth. “I don't know if it was cold tyres, dirty air or I was … big snap,” said Sainz over the team radio after his crash.
Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez qualified 13th, the same position he had on the grid in Singapore last year before finishing eighth, on a disappointing night for a driver whose best results have been on street circuits.
Williams drivers Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto will start 11th and 12th. Daniel Ricciardo failed to make it beyond the first phase of what could prove to be the last qualifying session of his career.
The Australian, only 16th fastest, looks set to be replaced at RB by New Zealander Liam Lawson from the next round in Austin, Texas, as Red Bull assess their options for 2025.
