Vettel took pole for the Singapore Grand Prix on September 19 with a Q3 lap of 1:43.885. Ricciardo was second and Räikkönen third, while the two Mercedes drivers managed only fifth and sixth.
Kvyat led Q1 with a 1:45.340, followed by Hamilton. Button progressed in the closing stages, while Nasr, Ericsson, Maldonado and both Marussia drivers were eliminated in the opening session.
Vettel was fastest in Q2 with a 1:44.743, ahead of Kvyat. Sainz struck the barrier with his left-rear wheel at Turn 19, bringing out yellow flags that affected some drivers on their final laps.
Hülkenberg, Alonso, Pérez, Sainz and Button missed out on Q3 and were officially classified 11th to 15th respectively. Alonso’s Q2 time was 1:46.328.
Vettel was already quickest on the first Q3 runs. Hamilton ran wide at Turn 7 and failed to produce a competitive time on his first attempt.
On his final run, Vettel lowered the benchmark to 1:43.885, beating Ricciardo by 0.543 seconds. Räikkönen was third on 1:44.667, with Kvyat fourth on 1:44.745.
Hamilton improved to fifth with a 1:45.300, followed by Rosberg in sixth. Bottas, Verstappen, Massa and Grosjean filled seventh to tenth.
It was Vettel’s first pole since the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix and ended the Mercedes drivers’ run of poles dating back to June 2014. Stevens and Rossi were 19th and 20th respectively, and both received separate five-place grid penalties for unscheduled gearbox changes.
| Position | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:46.017 | 1:44.743 | 1:43.885 | 14 |
| 2 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:46.166 | 1:45.291 | 1:44.428 | 17 |
| 3 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:46.467 | 1:45.140 | 1:44.667 | 17 |
| 4 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull | 1:45.340 | 1:44.979 | 1:44.745 | 15 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:45.765 | 1:45.650 | 1:45.300 | 16 |
| 6 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:46.201 | 1:45.653 | 1:45.415 | 17 |
| 7 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 1:46.231 | 1:45.887 | 1:45.676 | 20 |
| 8 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso | 1:46.483 | 1:45.635 | 1:45.798 | 16 |
| 9 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:46.879 | 1:45.701 | 1:46.077 | 19 |
| 10 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | 1:46.860 | 1:45.805 | 1:46.413 | 18 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India | 1:46.669 | 1:46.305 | — | 12 |
| 12 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:46.600 | 1:46.328 | — | 12 |
| 13 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1:46.576 | 1:46.385 | — | 13 |
| 14 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:46.465 | 1:46.894 | — | 13 |
| 15 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1:46.891 | 1:47.019 | — | 12 |
| 16 | 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 1:46.965 | — | — | 8 |
| 17 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:47.088 | — | — | 6 |
| 18 | 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus | 1:47.323 | — | — | 6 |
| 19 | 28 | Will Stevens | Marussia | 1:51.021 | — | — | 8 |
| 20 | 53 | Alexander Rossi | Marussia | 1:51.523 | — | — | 8 |
