Summary

  • Vettel to start from fourth Singapore pole; Hamilton in fifth

  • Red Bulls of Verstappen and Ricciardo will line up second and third

  • Eliminated Q2: Palmer, Perez, Kvyat, Ocon, Grosjean

  • Eliminated Q1: Magnussen, Massa, Stroll, Wehrlein, Ericsson

  • Mercedes' Hamilton leads Ferrari's Vettel by three points in title race

Live Reporting

Jamie Strickland

  1. Carlos Sainz bangs the Toro Rosso into third place and team-mate Daniil Kvyat goes sixth. Impressive.

    Carlos SainzReuters
  2. chequered flag

    Chequered flag

    Q1 ends.

  3. Williams in trouble

    Jennie Gow
    BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter

    Williams' year hasn't been great, on this track, it shows.

    On a circuit where it's about your chassis and the down-force of the car, they just haven't got it.

  4. Massa heads out... do or die time for the Brazilian.

  5. Final runs coming up.

    Ericsson, Magnussen, Wehrlein, Stroll and Massa going out as things stand.

  6. Vandoorne running well

    Tom Clarkson
    BBC Radio 5 live commentator

    Vandoorne has really come alive this weekend. He's gaining in confidence every race.

    This is such a confidence track - blind corners pretty much all the way around - so you have to nail the throttle and have a lot of belief in what your car can do.

  7. Toro Rosso update

    Apparently, despite what the TV graphics said, the smoking Toro Rosso was that of Kvyat but there does not seem to be any major problem.

  8. Grosjean goes into 10th place. Ericsson also sets a time but he remains in trouble,.

    Magnussen's Haas is now in the bottom three.

  9. Who's in danger?

    So, going out at present are:

    Wehrlein, Stroll, Massa, Grosjean and Ericsson, the latter having not gone out.

    Formula 1Getty Images

  10. Engine failure for Sainz?

    Smoke pouring out of Sainz's Renault engine in the Toro Rosso as he comes into the pits...

  11. It;s changing all the time.

    Verstappen now leads the way on the 1:42.010, then it's Ricciardo 0.053 back.

    Hamilton in third, 0.4 adrift. Vettel only sixth at present.

    Formula 1Getty Images

  12. Tom Clarkson
    BBC Radio 5 live commentator

    Lewis Hamilton has just set the fastest in the sector where that oil is meant to be, so looks like it's clearing up.

  13. Hamilton's slots into second place.

    Current top 10: Ricciardo, Hamilton, Verstappen, Bottas, Raikkonen, Vettel, Perez, Ocon, Vandoorne, Hulkenberg.

  14. Ricciardo and Verstappen out front for Red Bull at the moment. Hamilton is on a hot lap...

  15. Damage for Massa

    The Brazilian in the Williams has hit the wall and he has a puncture on his right rear tyre.

  16. Daniel Kvyat in the Toro Rosso says the entire final sector feels slippery, so not just confined to Turn 20.

  17. Jack Nicholls
    Radio 5 live Formula 1 commentator

    There is some blue, wispy smoke coming out of Fernando Alonso's car in some corners. I don't want to cause any alarm but I've seen it in two or three corners.

    Formula 1Getty Images

  19. Is Vettel underestimated?

    Tom Clarkson
    BBC Radio 5 live commentator

    Vettel is a much quieter character, he's not in your face in anyway, so his profile as a world champion is much lower.

    But, he won those four championships at Red Bull when he had far and away the most dominate car in each of those seasons, so yes, there are still critics out there who say: "we want to see him in a proper fight."

    There are question marks, but I actually think we're going to see his true colours this weekend.

  20. Brief waved yellows as Haas' Grosjean disappears down an escape road. Quickly back on track.