Hamilton Takes Another Pole in Singapore; Maldonado Second.

Formula 1 visits the streets of Singapore for the only night race of the season. McLaren has been on a tear by winning the last three races, but it is no time to rule out Fernando Alonso for a win. Keep an eye on Sebastian Vettel as well, he has struggled in the last races, but he is still a world champion. 

There is very little runoff in Singapore, and that means very little margin for error. Kimi Raikkonen nearly collided with a wall after coming into a corner too hot early in Q1.

The turn 10 Singapore Sling three corner chicane is another problematic area. If drivers screw up a single one of the corners, they hit the high curbs and potentially damage the car. Bruno Senna and Lewis Hamilton both got caught out here on this complex in Q1. 

There were about six minutes left in the session when all of the drivers had finally completed a lap. There were no real surprises in the knockout zone. The fastest drivers of the session were Romain Grosjean, Paul di Resta, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel. 

The Q2 session began quietly until Romain Grosjean slid the rear end into the wall. He was able to continue racing. With 8:50 to go, Sebastian Vettel smashed the top time and did a 1:46.791. Moments later Hamilton came around and did a 1:46.665. While they were lapping, Bruno Senna slammed the rear into the wall and broke the driver's right rear suspension.

At the end of the Q2 session, Felipe Massa was unable to move into Q2. Raikkonen was knocked into 12th after the fastest laps came in. Hamilton and Vettel's times stayed fastest through the end of the session.

The Q3 session began for the top 10 drivers. Early on Hamilton, Button and Vettel put in the fastest laps, but they were the only ones who had done laps with 4 minutes to go. It was going to be a shootout. With two minutes left, the rest of the drivers began coming out. Grosjean nearly hit the wall again. Mercedes did not release Schumacher or Rosberg; it preferred that they start with fresher tires. With 20 seconds to go, Hamilton still led with Button behind him.

When the top eight drivers finished their laps, Hamilton was still fastest. He could not improve on his time later in the session, but it did not matter because he stayed fastest. The same could not be said for Button who was knocked down the order by Pastor Maldonado and Sebastian Vettel.