ESPN rounds up the main talking points from qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix, a tight session which saw Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel snatch a stunning pole position ahead of the Red Bulls.
Shock: On the surface, a Sebastian Vettel pole position in Singapore is hardly a shock, but Ferrari was certainly made to work for it far more than anyone expected at the beginning of the weekend. Even Vettel seemed a little surprised when he was informed he had secured his 49th career pole and his fourth in Singapore.
Throughout practice and even in the early stages of qualifying, Red Bull appeared to have the upper hand with both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo consistently setting quicker lap times than the German. However, when it mattered Vettel fired in a brilliant 1:39.491 to jump to the head of the field.
Shocker: What a wretched weekend it has been for Williams. While never expected to set the Marina Bay circuit alight -- a track where high downforce is critical -- a double Q1 exit is arguably the team's low point of the season. Felipe Massa was two seconds off Max Verstappen's leading time of the session and qualified 17th after twice tagging the barriers. Teammate Lance Stroll was a further 0.714s behind in 18th, only managing to outqualify the Saubers. Needless to say, it's going to be a difficult Sunday afternoon for the team.
Mercedes' déjà vu: If there is such a thing as a bogey circuit then for Mercedes it is Singapore. Just like in 2015, the Silver Arrows locked out the third row of the grid with championship leader Lewis Hamilton six tenths off Vettel's pole time. He will start ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas and will hope it's not a complete carbon copy of 2015 when he retired mid-race with an engine failure.
Watch the barriers: It may not have a name like the 'Wall of Champions' in Montreal but Turn 21 in Singapore is without doubt one of the trickiest of any circuit on the calendar. The high speed sweeper is difficult to judge and time after time in qualifying we saw drivers sliding into the outside wall. Massa was the first to collect it before Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen and Pascal Wehrlein all had their own forgettable moment. Earlier, during practice, Vettel also made contact.
Quotes of the night: Daniil Kvyat gave a scathing assessment of his Toro Rosso after qualifying 13th, 0.9s and three places below teammate Carlos Sainz. "I'm fed up with this s---," he said over the radio as he made his way back into the pitlane. Despite posting the fourth best time of Q1, the Russian couldn't get it together in the second phase of qualifying. It will certainly be interesting to know his thoughts on the team's switch to Honda power units from 2018.
For whatever reason, Nico Hulkenberg was determined to outqualify the McLarens and as soon as he had crossed the line he was on the radio to his Renault team. "Did we beat the McLaren or not?" he said. When he was informed that he was actually in front of both Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, the German exclaimed, "F--- yeah baby, in your face!"
Star of qualifying: When the pressure was on Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel delivered. The Scuderia didn't look overly comfortably until the German set one of the best laps of his career. Bravo, Sebastian.
Turn 1 prediction: The Red Bulls, who qualified second and third, will feel as though this was a pole position opportunity they let slip, so expect both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo to get their elbows out into the first corner on Sunday. For Vettel, he has the championship battle to worry about and may not be as aggressive in the opening stages given how long the race is. Hamilton will have his work cut out for him but he too will be looking to pick off Kimi Raikkonen early to try and keep the top three in his sights.