Saturday in Singapore. Under the bright lights of Singapore's nighttime Marina Bay Street Circuit, Scuderia Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel took pole position. At three points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, this gives Vettel his best chances of snatching the title lead away from Hamilton, who surged ahead by the slimmest of margins after a strong finish at the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month. Vettel was considered the favorite for pole position prior to qualifying due to his past successes in Singapore, winning it four times since it was first held in 2008. He continues his streak of taking pole in oddly numbered years, starting in 2011, followed by 2013, 2015, and now, 2017.
Vettel's performance was aided by his Ferrari SF-70H's aptitude for high downforce circuits and wide tire temperature window. The next closest team, Red Bull Racing, whose drivers split the two Ferraris, is also known to have a strong aero team, led by Adrian Newey, whose cars at Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull have been among the most dominant in the sport's history. Red Bull, however, is restrained by an underperforming Renault engine, whereas Ferrari's power unit is almost on par with Mercedes'.
Should the Singapore Grand Prix finish in the order it starts, it will push Vettel back ahead of Hamilton in the championship standings, with 260 points to Hamilton's 248, a comforting buffer zone going into the last six races of the season.
The top ten are completed after Vettel with Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Nico Hülkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Carlos Sainz Jr. No drivers from Williams, Force India, Haas, or Sauber managed to escape Q2. Full results can be found here.
Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix airs at noon GMT, or 8 AM EST. Check local airing times here based on your time zone.