Singapore GP: Nico Rosberg surprised to be so close to pole
Nico Rosberg says he is surprised to have qualified on the front row alongside Sebastian Vettel for the Singapore Grand Prix
The German came closest to toppling the current championship leader towards the end of the session, but was 0.091 seconds shy of beating his compatriot.
When asked as to how he was able to produce such a performance, Rosbeg said: "It's very difficult to explain and I don't know.
"I didn't expect such an improvement, maybe track ramping up or cooling down, I am not sure."
He is optimistic he can challenge Vettel in Sunday's race on a circuit that he has excelled on in the past.
"I really like street tracks and I always go quick on them, so second place is still a good result and gives me a good position to attack tomorrow," said Rosberg.
"If I can get by Sebastian, and the left-hand side has less grip than the right, then anything is possible."
Team-mate Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth for the race, a major improvement on his 12th on the Italian Grand Prix grid, but the Briton remained downcast.
"I just wasn't fast enough today," admitted Hamilton.
"But clearly the car was quicker than I was able to get out of it. I will just have to do my best tomorrow."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Russell: Mercedes locked in F1 "battle of fine margins"
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
Hamilton: Ferrari F1 switch doesn't need "vindicating"
Rosberg and Vettel F1 comebacks not an option for Mercedes
The defending champion harnessing a "calming feeling" in Extreme E
Why Bottas won't emulate Rosberg to beat Hamilton
How MotoGP brakes work: Secrets of stopping a 220mph bike
Hyundai enacts contingency plan after WRC Kenya fuel issue
Vanwall working on 2025 WEC comeback with heavily-revised Hypercar
Russell: Mercedes locked in F1 "battle of fine margins"
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments