McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton takes pole for Singapore GP as Red Bulls dominate Brawns
By APSaturday, September 26, 2009
Hamilton earns pole position for Singapore GP
SINGAPORE — Lewis Hamilton of McLaren has taken pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, while Red Bull’s cars will start ahead of championship rivals Brawn GP.
Hamilton timed 1 minute, 47.891 around the Marina Bay circuit Saturday and will start alongside Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel on the front row for Sunday’s race.
Nico Rosberg of Williams was third fastest, ahead of Mark Webber of Red Bull.
Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello crashed late in qualifying and was fifth fastest, but will start from 10th after a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox.
Championship leader Jenson Button of Brawn GP will start from 12th.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
SINGAPORE (AP) — Lewis Hamilton of McLaren has set the fastest time in the final practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix, while Rubens Barrichello’s title challenge sustained a hit because of a gearbox change.
Hamilton’s time of 1 minute, 47.632 seconds around the Marina Bay circuit Saturday placed him ahead of the Formula One drivers fighting out the championship.
Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel was second fastest while teammate Mark Webber was down in 13th. Championship leader Jenson Button was 14th and Brawn GP teammate Rubens Barrichello was seventh.
After the final practice session, Brawn confirmed it had replaced Barrichello’s gearbox, meaning he will start the race five places further back from where he qualifies later Saturday.
The qualifying session Saturday will be vital, as passing will be difficult on the tight Singapore street circuit.
Williams’ Nico Rosberg, a consistently strong performer in practice but not races, was third fastest and aiming to improve on his career-best second-place finish last year in Singapore.
Renault’s Fernando Alonso, who won the 2008 race after then-teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed, was 15th.
McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen was fourth ahead of BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld. Toyota’s Timo Glock was eighth.
