Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton takes pole for 2018 Singapore Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton secured his seventh pole position of the 2018 Formula 1 season for the season’s 15th race, the Singapore Grand Prix.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Lewis Hamilton is set to start the 15th race of the 21-race 2018 Formula 1 season, the Singapore Grand Prix, at Marina Bay Street Circuit from the pole position despite the fact that Scuderia Ferrari and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing were believed to have an advantage over Mercedes in qualifications for the race.

Hamilton, who leads the Formula 1 driver standings by 30 points over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel with seven races to go this season, has now recorded seven pole positions in 2018, the most among all drivers, and 79 pole positions in his Formula 1 career. He continues to add to the all-time record in that category.

The 33-year-old Briton took the pole position for Sunday’s 61-lap race by recording a top lap time of 96.015 seconds (117.994 miles per hour) around the 23-turn, 3.147-mile (5.065-kilometer) Marina Bay Street Circuit in Marina Bay, Singapore in the third and final round of qualifying.

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Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen qualified alongside Hamilton on the front row in second place. His qualifying time was 0.319 seconds slower than Hamilton’s. Vettel, whose qualifying time was 0.613 seconds slower than Hamilton’s, qualified in third alongside Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, whose qualifying time was 0.687 seconds slower than that of his teammate, in fourth.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo were the only two other drivers whose qualifying times were within one second of Hamilton’s. Raikkonen qualified in fifth place with a qualifying time that was 0.779 seconds slower than Hamilton’s while Ricciardo qualified in sixth with a qualifying time that was 0.981 seconds slower than Hamilton’s.

Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Perez was the “best of the rest” in qualifying. He qualified in seventh place with a lap time that was 1.970 seconds slower than Hamilton’s.

Set to start alongside Perez in eighth place is Haas’ Romain Grosjean. Force India’s Esteban Ocon and Renault Sport’s Nico Hulkenberg are set to round out the top 10 on the starting grid in ninth and 10th, respectively.

Here are the full qualifying results for the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Be sure to tune in to ESPN2 tomorrow at 8:10 a.m. ET for the live broadcast of the 15th race of the 2018 Formula 1 season, the Singapore Grand Prix, from Marina Bay Street Circuit.