Leclerc takes 3rd straight pole at Singapore GP, Hamilton starting 2nd

Charles Leclerc claimed a third straight pole at qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday.

The Ferrari driver clocked the fastest lap at the Marina Bay street circuit with a time of 1 minute, 36.217 seconds.

''If you look at the lap, it was a good lap, but there were some moments that I lost control,'' Leclerc said, according to Jim Armstrong of The Associated Press. ''We brought some new bits that worked properly, which was good to see. I had a very tough Friday and didn't feel comfortable in the car, but we worked hard and it paid off.''

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton placed second, just 0.191 seconds behind the pole sitter. The Formula One points leader has eight wins on the season and is looking for his first victory since the Hungarian GP in early August.

''I don't know where Ferrari picked up their pace, it's not usually one of their circuits,'' Hamilton said. ''But they did a great job, Charles did some great laps. Hopefully, we can be in the mix with them tomorrow. I think we can be aggressive.''

Leclerc's teammate, Sebastian Vettel, will be in the third position to start Sunday's race.

Renault's Daniel Ricciardo has been excluded from qualifying results despite finishing with the eighth-best lap time; he will start from the back of the grid because his car exceeded the power limit, according to Ryan Wood of Motorsport Week.