Leclerc's 'Pole', Verstappen's trigger and 'top 5' for Sainz and Alonso in Marina Bay

• Singapore GP Starting grid

• Fast lap Max, the invincible and Ferrari's attempts

In a very narrow margin, with three drivers in five hundredths,

fastened his ninth

of the year, a record that allows him to equal, 22 years later, a record held by

with Ferrari.

The Monegasque, for the ninth time in this World Cup, will start at the front of the grid in Singapore (1:49.412).

He will do so ahead of

and

, while

will have to settle for eighth position, aborting his last attempt due to what appeared to be a refueling problem.

The possibility of the Red Bull leader being champion in Marina Bay is even further away, since he needs a victory accompanied by Leclerc's ninth place or worse and Pérez's fourth or worse.

And urgent explanations from his team, who didn't pump enough fuel into his RB18 to pass the final scrutiny of the FIA.

It will sting even more when he checks on his telemetry that he was riding 2.5 seconds faster than on his penultimate attempt.

On the other hand, Leclerc repeated

through these intricate streets, even despite his last mistake, translated into a loud lament on the radio.

Despite everything, he was ahead of Checo by 22 thousandths and Hamilton by 54.

His was once again the leadership at Ferrari, where

finished fourth and apologized to his mechanics.

For his part,

confirmed his great moment with a fifth place, backed by his magnificent sensations behind the wheel.

"It can be all or nothing"

There were no physical or material misfortunes in a session full of alternatives and marked by the humidity of the track.

"Tomorrow it could be all or nothing, a lot

or a lot of boredom," said Sainz.

Some disappointment could be seen on the face of the man from Madrid.

Not because he was just 15 hundredths behind Leclerc, but because of the ingenuity of having crossed the finish line first on the night where passing last gave him a noticeable advantage.

The use of the red tyres, Pirelli's fastest, was only essential in Q3.

But discerning the ideal compound, after

and Leclerc's grip problems at Turn 8, was always key.

A couple of hours before, during the last free sessions, the stewards had closed the

due to the water, while the yellow flags were waved in all sectors so that it could be evacuated.

Disappointment for Ocon and Ricciardo

For anyone who was paralyzed by doubt, the punishment was lethal.

, eighteenth in Q1, left Alpine clearly inferior.

Although the French team was also favored by the problems of

, seventeenth, determined to leave McLaren without margin for that fight for fourth place in the Constructors' World Cup.

In Q2, the first to test the

were

and

, faced with the difficulties of the second sector, resurfaced in recent weeks and with more difficulty drying.

"We put them on too early," the four-time champion would later lament, never finding a competitive rhythm.

Neither did

, knocked out by just six thousandths, much to the disappointment of the Mercedes garage.

The British gap was filled by

and Magnussen.

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• Fernando Alonso

• Carlos Sainz Jr.

• Max Verstappen

• Sergio Perez

• Lewis Hamilton

• Mercedes GP

• Red Bull Racing