Singapore Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton says he knew it would be his day when rain arrived minutes before the race.

In dry conditions, Mercedes had proven no match for Ferrari or Red Bull, but a downpour on the grid seemed sure to shake things up.

Within a matter of seconds, pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel spectacularly collided with the fast-starting Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen, forcing all three to retire. 

Hamilton, who started fifth, duly swept into the lead and comfortably held off Daniel Ricciardo thereafter to take what could prove a critical victory.

"Today the miracle I needed was rain," he told reporters. "We've come here 10 years and we've never had rain on a Sunday, or even in qualifying.

"It was the first time we were all driving in the rain and when that happened I was like 'yes, it's going to be my day'."

The Briton, who was expected to relinquish the championship lead this weekend, leaves Marina Bay 28 points clear of Vettel.

"Coming here with the idea of damage limitation, thinking 'I'm going to come out of here behind in the championship again' and now I'm further ahead," he said.

"I definitely count my blessings and don't take it for granted."

Lewis Hamilton isn't expecting too many opportunities to improve on his disappointing fifth place from qualifying, believing Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix will resemble a "train" due to the difficulty of overtaking.

Though the gap has varied at different stages this weekend, when the drivers pushed to the limit, Mercedes had no response to the pace of Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel with the three-time world champion six-tenths slower than the pole position time.

Reflecting on the final outcome, Hamilton acknowledged the struggles the Brackley team have had are not surprising, although he was surprised by how his main title rival, Vettel, was able to find a great deal of performance to claim his fourth Marina Bay pole.

"Well, we knew that we would come here and it would be difficult. I think every year we’ve come here it’s been relatively difficult for us generally, but we knew today would be tough," the 32-year-old said.

"We definitely didn’t anticipate Ferrari would be as strong as they were, I thought Red Bull would be as quick as they were but we remained hopeful."

As for his own performance, he added: "I got everything I could out of the car. I got everything and more, I literally threw the sink at it. I squeezed every bit out of it."

Looking ahead to Sunday and it will likely be a case of damage limitation for the championship leader, who's time at the top could last just one race weekend, however, Hamilton is refusing to throw in the towel on this weekend even if little seems to be in his favour.

"This is a crap track for overtaking so it’s usually just a long, long train. So it’s going to be difficult," he claimed. "[But] the start is an opportunity, strategy, Safety Car, who knows, but tomorrow we’re just going to have to play the long game. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, so we’ll try and take that method into tomorrow."

As for teammate Valtteri Bottas, the Finn has been struggling even more than Hamilton over the four sessions so far. In qualifying, he ended some seven-tenths off behind the Briton and, speaking afterwards, claimed his problems show that Mercedes still have plenty of areas to improve.

“The gaps are too big for us and from two weeks ago in Monza to now we are really struggling,” he said. “It just highlights we still have issues producing enough downforce, enough mechanical grip at a track like this, so that is an area we really need to work on.

“We've tried a lot of different set-ups this week and in Practice 3 and made big changes – bigger than we normally do, as we are so off the pace. We tried something for qualifying, but I’m not sure it was really good.

“Tomorrow is the race and we know the car is not quick enough for the podium, that's a fact, but we need to get the other areas right and maybe it's possible.”

Fernando Alonso says he was 'guaranteed' a podium and could even have fought for victory had he not sustained significant damage in the first corner chaos in Singapore.

Alonso made an excellent getaway from eighth on the grid but found himself caught up in a clash between Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen.

The Spaniard tried to continue but was forced to retire a few laps later after slipping down the pecking order.

Alonso was left to rue the incident after the race, insisting it cost him a sensational podium.

"The car was completely destroyed on the left side, and it was almost a miracle we could continue after that hit," he explained.

"In the end we had to retire which is shame because we had high hopes for this race.

"I think we would even be leading now because Hamilton was behind me in Turn 1, so if Hamilton is leading now it means we would be leading.

"Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don't. When we start last because of penalties or we change the engine, usually 20 cars finish.

"Now we are good here and with the rain – I think the podium was guaranteed or maybe we would be even fighting for victory – everything happened."

McLaren did manage to pick up six points courtesy of Alonso's team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne.

Sebastian Vettel would stun the Red Bulls in Q3 to set a new lap record en route to an important and impressive pole at the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday.

Heading into qualifying it looked as if the Milton Keynes outfit would have the upper hand and in the first two parts of the session they did as Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo led, but in the top 10 shootout, Vettel turned up the engine and used the strengths of his Ferrari to set a 1:39.491s and secure his 49th career pole and fourth at Marina Bay.

Max Verstappen would have to settle for second, as he did two weeks ago in Monza, but this time he will retain that starting grid and look for his first win of the year on Sunday with teammate Daniel Ricciardo in third.

Kimi Raikkonen completed the second row in his Ferrari, crucially beating Vettel's main title rival Lewis Hamilton who was fifth. Mercedes would lockout the third row with the Briton eight-tenths ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas in an unusual sight for the Anglo-German team, as they suffer for pace once again in Singapore.

Nico Hulkenberg snatched seventh and was ‘best of the rest’ in a fierce battle with the McLaren duo, who have been enjoying a good pace this weekend. Fernando Alonso had been threatening higher but would settle for eighth ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne with Carlos Sainz completing the top 10.

Once again, Jolyon Palmer just missed on a Q3 spot in 11th ahead of the disappointed Sergio Perez as the Mexican struggled on his last run before aborting his lap and settling for 12th. Daniil Kvyat finished 13th followed by Esteban Ocon, as Force India were one of the surprise disappointments.

Romain Grosjean was the man to emerge from the bottom three teams and claim the final spot in Q2 in 15th as the two Haas' beat the Williams' with Kevin Magnussen in 16th.

Williams' traditional struggles around high downforce circuits continued as both cars hit the wall at different stages in Q1, with Felipe Massa picking up a puncture, before failing to progress once again.

Despite, his bash against the wall at Turn 21, Felipe Massa would return unscathed and would be eight-tenths clear of teammate Lance Stroll in 17th, with the Canadian in 18th in his first qualifying at this tricky track.

Sauber completed the grid once again with Pascal Wehrlein winning the in-team battle over his teammate Marcus Ericsson, the Swede already destined for that position after picking up a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox after his Practice 3 crash.

Nico Hulkenberg was pleased to help Renault to another ‘best of the rest’ qualifying performance as the German finished seventh in a tricky qualifying session at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Hulkenberg maintained his 100% record of out-qualifying his teammate Jolyon Palmer - who was 11th - and would impressively come out on top in a fierce battle with the team Renault will partner from next year.

After the practice sessions and in Q1 and Q2, McLaren looked set to be the team in charge behind the top three teams, if not sneak into the top 6, but when it all counted it was the 30-year-old who was able to produce a solid lap to put him ahead in seventh.

"It's pole position in our world, behind the top teams," he joked. "I’m very happy to start seventh, it was a good effort from the team, very happy also with how we've done it."

What made the result feel even better for Hulkenberg was the fact his team were the underdogs in that battle till Q3 where they managed to finish ahead when it all mattered.

"I had a nice battle with McLaren in qualifying today. They had the upper hand until the last lap, where I managed to squeeze a really good lap out.”

Talking about his expectations for the race and whether they can keep that form or not the German added: "We have a strong package here this weekend. Everyone gave us the best possible chance to have a good race.

"We know the Singapore Grand Prix is unpredictable, anything can happen. You just have to be ready and stay on your toes for the entire race."

Max Verstappen would claim the top spot in Practice 3 on Saturday as Red Bull completed a clean sweep ahead of qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix with Sebastian Vettel bringing Ferrari back into the mix finishing second ahead of Lewis Hamilton who gave Mercedes some optimism in third.

The young Dutchman would post a 1:42.829s on the Ultrasoft tyres as teams completed their final low fuel preparations but was surprised late on as his car started shifting gears on its own, potentially due to electronic interference from the metro under the track, however, the team was able to fix the problem and Verstappen was out once again undisturbed.

Vettel led a Ferrari recovery finishing just 0.072s adrift of the Red Bull after a difficult second session on Friday, while championship leader Hamilton produced a strong final lap to also climb to within two-tenths of Verstappen, although the Silver Arrows still look far from comfortable around Marina Bay.

McLaren was able to grab a promising fourth and fifth as they hope to optimise on the lack of engine-dependence on the street circuit and be lead the midfield. In the order, Fernando Alonso finished ahead of his teammate Stoffel Vandoorne.

Daniel Ricciardo had to settle for sixth best after the Australian made slight contact with the barrier in Turn 10, forcing him to abandon what could well have been the fastest lap in the final minutes.

Nico Hulkenberg able impressed in his Renault to claim seventh, setting the fastest time of anyone in the technical Sector 3 at one stage. The German would be ahead of a struggling Finn's as Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen could only end the session eighth and ninth respectively with Singapore specialist Sergio Perez completing the top 10.

The Mexican's Force India teammate Esteban Ocon finished less than a tenth behind in 11th followed by Carlos Sainz who finished 12th. Jolyon Palmer was able to split the Toro Rosso’s in 13th with Daniil Kvyat 14th.

Williams and Haas are the two midfield teams struggling the most as Felipe Massa was only able to finish 15th with Kevin Magnussen 16th followed by respective teammates Lance Stroll and Romain Grosjean.

In qualifying, it appears the story will be which of those four drivers will be able to escape Q1 and who will join Sauber as they again brought up the field.

Pascal Wehrlein continued to have the edge on Marcus Ericsson, as the Swede caused a red flag by spinning backwards into the wall at Turn 19, breaking his rear wing and spending the last 26 minutes of the session in the garage.

Red Bull continue to set the pace but Ferrari is closing the gap with Mercedes not far behind, therefore, looking ahead one thing is promised, an intense qualifying session. Who will be able to finish on pole?

Robert Kubica has enlisted the help of current Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg as he looks to return to the sport, amid speculation of interest from Williams.

The Pole has been pushing for a remarkable comeback and would complete three tests with Renault this summer, twice in the 2012 car in Valencia and Paul Ricard before driving the 2017 machine last month in Hungary.

Any hope that return would come with the team he drove with before his infamous rally crash in 2011 would end this week as it was confirmed Carlos Sainz would be joining the French manufacturer's works team on a loan deal for 2018.

It is understood Kubica has asked to be released from the contract that he signed to test with Renault and talks are also believed to be taking place between the 32-year-old and Williams over a 2018 seat, with Felipe Massa's future uncertain.  

Rosberg, who made his F1 debut with Williams in 2006, could well now be involved too as he starts life after the sport following his retirement last year. The German has been linked to Mercedes' upcoming Formula E project but insists his racing days are over. 

Confirming the news, Nico would tweet on Friday: "Excited to be working with Robert and his return to F1. He and Lewis were the fastest I raced against."

McLaren Executive Director Zak Brown has revealed the British team began to question their future partnership with Honda in February during the miserable pre-season testing.

On Friday, the anticipated split between the two parties was confirmed as McLaren and Renault announced a new wide-ranging partnership from next year, while Toro Rosso revealed they have signed a three-year engine deal with Honda.

It spelled the end of a saga which has seen growing frustration from McLaren at the inability of their soon-to-be former partner to be competitive against their rivals, with drivers Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne taking engine penalties from as early as Bahrain and only a strong weekend in Hungary lifting them off the bottom of the Constructors' Championship.

"I don't think there was a specific tipping point, other than we knew we were in trouble in pre-season testing," said Brown in Singapore. "We needed to improve upon our 2016 results, so we knew we were in trouble then.

"We've spent quite a bit of time, most of it in the public domain, trying to find ways to get Honda competitive with us. We ultimately couldn't get there in the end, but it's great that they're staying in the sport."

There had been some improvement towards the end of last year, with Alonso scoring a number of points results, however, a decision by Honda to overhaul the design of their power unit, believing it offers greater long-term development potential, led to the step back this year as flaws with their concept only emerged when track testing began.

That led to speculation McLaren was seeking a return to Mercedes power for next year and even a seemingly unfathomable deal with Ferrari was mentioned before both suppliers said no.

That would only leave Renault as an alternative for 2018 and, thanks to the eventual agreement with Red Bull that will see Toro Rosso drop the French manufacturer for Honda and Carlos Sainz switch to the Enstone team on a loan, a deal was able to the done.

"I want to thank a lot of people, because this has been quite a public process, involved a lot of people, and required a lot of cooperation to get the outcome that I think was best for the sport," Brown added.

"Starting with the McLaren fans, they've been unbelievably supportive as we've been through a difficult three years.

'Then it took the collaboration of Christian [Horner], Toro Rosso and Red Bull. Then the FIA, and Ross [Brawn] and Chase [Carey] – there were a lot of people that needed to come together to make this happen.

"Last but not least, Honda has been a great partner. Obviously, we haven't had the on-track results that we'd hoped for, but they certainly gave it everything they've got. We felt that it was time to move on.

"I'm looking forward to next year. We're very excited to be partnering with Renault and all the work that Cyril [Abiteboul] and his team put in."

Daniel Ricciardo is remaining upbeat about his victory chances at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, despite losing out to Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen in qualifying.

The Australian had set the quickest time of the weekend in practice on Friday and was many people's favourite to finally add to his sole pole position in F1 from Monaco last year. However, come Q3, Sebastian Vettel emerged to pip both Red Bulls for his fourth Marina Bay pole.

Though a little disappointed, Ricciardo admitted the inability to turn up the power during the session once again hurt but was maintaining focus on the race.

"I thought pole would be on but we couldn't quite run with him [Vettel] in this qualifying," he said. "It is a long lap, so you gain a bit here and lose a bit there, but three-to-four tenths was quite significant.

"Once qualifying starts we pretty much put it all in, so no secrets for Q3," Ricciardo added, referring to the extra power modes Ferrari and Mercedes have. "Today I will accept a little bit of defeat but there is still a lot to play for [in the race]. It is on the cusp of one or two stops, so it could be exciting.

"I am still confident we will get the victory, we have a good package. Seb turned it on in qualifying but we will be back tomorrow."

Contemplating his drivers' chances on Sunday, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner pointed to a key difference between the goals of Ricciardo, Verstappen, who will start second, and Vettel ahead.

"The drivers extracted everything there was out of the car, and we just don't have that last little bit," he conceded initially, looking back on qualifying. "But the race pace that we showed yesterday puts us in good step for the race. Happy with a front row start and third as well.

"If we can get a good start, have a good race pace then hopefully we can give them a hard time tomorrow. We've got nothing to lose. Seb has got a championship to think about."

Sebastian Vettel could hardly contain his delight after storming to pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix but accepts Red Bull will be a threat in Sunday's race.

An inspired Vettel got the better of his former team in a thrilling qualifying session at Marina Bay, finishing three-tenths clear of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.

Vettel has been presented with a golden opportunity to retake the championship lead after title rival Lewis Hamilton was forced to settle for fifth.

It was, then, virtually the perfect day for the four-time world champion.

"I don't know [where the lap time came from]," the German said. "I struggled also this morning. I shouted as loud as the crowd. It was unbelievable.

"I love this track. The car was tricky but was getting better and better. I'm so pleased we got it done.

"I need to calm down. The car was amazing. It;s an amazing track when you feel the car was coming together. I knew we had it in us but we had to get there."

The job is far from done, however, with both Red Bulls expected to pose a real challenge in a gruelling 61-lap race.

"I'm happy we got the car where it deserved to be," Vettel added. "Tomorrow is a long race and the Red Bulls are very quick. It will be a very close race."