SINGAPORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc claimed a third straight Formula One pole position on Saturday after outpacing championship leader Lewis Hamilton in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix.
Leclerc clocked a lap of 1 minute, 36.217 seconds at the 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) Marina Bay street circuit, beating Hamilton by 0.191 seconds. Leclerc’s teammate Sebastian Vettel was third.
“If you look at the lap, it was a good lap, but there were some moments that I lost control,” Leclerc said. “We brought some new bits that worked properly, which was good to see. I had a very tough Friday and didn’t feel comfortable in the car, but we worked hard and it paid off.”
Leclerc has won the previous two races. After his first-ever F1 victory in Spa at the Belgian GP, the 21-year-old Leclerc became the first Ferrari driver to win the Italian GP since Fernando Alonso in 2010.
Hamilton holds a 63-point lead over Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas with seven races remaining.
“I don’t know where Ferrari picked up their pace, it’s not usually one of their circuits,” Hamilton said. “But they did a great job, Charles did some great laps. Hopefully we can be in the mix with them tomorrow. I think we can be aggressive.”
While Hamilton already has eight wins this season, his last came at the Hungarian GP in early August.
Pole position in Singapore is crucial as its one of the hardest tracks for overtaking in F1. The driver leading the field has won eight times in the past 11 years.
Hamilton has won in Singapore the past two years. Another victory in Sunday’s night race would move the Briton a step closer to his third straight championship and sixth overall, one shy of Michael Schumacher’s record of seven titles.
Vettel, whose contract ends in 2020, is on a 13-month winless streak. His last victory was at the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix.
Vettel and Hamilton are the only two drivers on the grid with victories at Singapore — with four wins each.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was fourth, almost four-tenths behind Vettel. Bottas was fifth for Mercedes ahead of Red Bull’s Alex Albon.
Carlos Sainz Jr. took seventh place for McLaren in front of the Renault of Daniel Ricciardo.
Nico Hulkenberg was ninth in the second Renault with McLaren’s Lando Norris rounding out the top 10.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc takes third straight pole position at Singapore Grand Prix
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc takes third straight pole position at Singapore Grand Prix
- Leclerc has won the previous two races.
- Hamilton holds a 63-point championship lead over Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas
Comoros chances at Cup of Nations hit by FIFA decision
- Comoros take on highly fancied hosts Morocco in the tournament’s opening game on Dec. 21
- Comoros have been among the worst affected, according to Cusin
DUBAI: Comoros have had their chances of making an impact in the opening game of the African Cup of Nations severely impacted by FIFA’s surprise decision to delay the release of their players, said coach Stefano Cusin.
Comoros, who are the smallest nation competing, take on highly fancied hosts Morocco in the tournament’s opening game in Rabat on December 21.
However, their expansive preparation plans have had to be canceled after FIFA changed the date that clubs have to release players to the national teams competing at the finals.
Last week, world football’s governing body announced that clubs need only release players on Dec. 15, seven days shy of the regulated 14-day period prior to a continental championship kickoff.
It has thrown plans for pre-tournament camps and friendlies into disarray for many of the 24 competing nations.
Comoros, competing at the finals for a second time and hoping to replicate the giant-killing havoc they caused in the 2021 edition in Cameroon, have been among the worst affected, according to Cusin.
“We planned a training camp in Tunisia with a friendly game against Botswana this coming weekend,” he told Reuters.
“Everything was ready, but now we have had to change everything. It affects us more than other teams because we’re going to play in the opening game.”
Comoros draw all their players from clubs across Europe and the Middle East.
“Releasing players on December 15 means we’ll only get in four or five training sessions before our first game,” Cusin added.
“We are angry about that; it was not correct to tell us just one week before. If we’d known from the beginning, then we could have made a different plan.”
The dates for the upcoming Cup of Nations from December 21-January 18 were set to avoid any conflict with the Champions League and other European club competitions.
