That will have to wait for Sunday, but the margin here was emphatic. He beat Daniel Ricciardo into second by 0.7s, and was 1.5s quicker than both Mercedes. What a turnaround from Monza when Mercedes dominated as usual. Kimi Raikkonen took third, while Daniil Kvyat was fourth in the second Red Bull.
• David Coulthard’s Inside Track
This astonishing result brought many remarkable records to an end. Mercedes run of 23 consecutive pole positions is over. For the first time since these hybrid engines came in at the beginning of last year, something other than Mercedes’ power is at the front.
Vettel in action in Singapore
As the sun went down over the spectacular city-state, Ferrari and Red Bull’s challenge was just hotting up in final practice. Mercedes were seemingly behind on pure pace for the first time in a long time.
The explanation for how they could wipe the floor with everyone in Monza but be faltering so badly here? The team could not seem to make the Pirelli rubber work in the heat and on this bumpy street circuit. The tyre temperatures were inconsistent, different from front to rear, making the car tricky to handle and slow through the corners.
Hamilton and Rosberg were fifth and sixth in free practice, more than a second slower than Vettel out front. Even more astonishingly, Fernando Alonso’s underpowered McLaren was just 0.014s off Rosberg.
The start of qualifying confirmed that Mercedes were in trouble. The two Red Bulls, and then Vettel, led the way. After his first run Hamilton was 14th, unheard of territory this season. The world champion bolted on a pair of the super soft tyres to go quickest, but not for long.
• Shock as Mercedes outside top three in practice
Kvyat ended qualifying one quickest, while both Ferraris did not even bother using the quicker Pirellis. At the back, Button made it through by just seventh hundredths of a second. The Manors, Saubers and the Lotus of Pastor Maldonado failed to make the cut.
Rosberg will start sixth on the grid
Mercedes bewildering lack of speed continued in the second segment of qualifying. Hamilton and Rosberg were almost a second slower than Vettel, a three-time winner in Singapore. Both Force Indias and McLarens went out, joined by Carlos Sainz jnr. after a bump with the barriers.
The solution for the final part of qualifying was as baffling to Rosberg as it was to everyone else. Tony Ross, his engineer, told him: “We’ll use these pressures but without the bleed on the rear, is that OK?” Rosberg replied: “I don’t really understand but OK.”
Nothing was seemingly going to fix their issues here. Hamilton abandoned his first lap, while Vettel was quickest from Ricciardo and Raikkonen.
Fifth was all the reigning champion could manage, while Vettel obliterated everyone at the front. Qualifying has not been this exciting for quite a while.