Expect another 'hectic' Singapore race - Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen expects another "hectic" Singapore Grand Prix as he hopes for better than last year's race, which saw him fail to make the first corner. The Ferrari man was unable to match his pole-sitting heroics from Monza a fortnight previously and will start fifth at Marina Bay.

As they did in Italy, Ferrari have designs on a victory in Singapore, but a front-row lockout in Monza gave way to a third-fifth result on Saturday in the night race.

Red Bull were in the mix at the front for the first time in a few races, with Verstappen qualifying second, hoping – like Raikkonen – that there is no repeat of last season's three-way wipeout between them and Sebastian Vettel.

"Everybody seems to be quite close to each other so it will be quite a hectic race," Raikkonen said.

"A lot of things usually happen here so we will try to make the right decisions and go from there."

Ferrari and Red Bull had looked the form teams in practice, but Lewis Hamilton blew the field away to take pole with a blistering time of one minute 36.015 seconds – three tenths quicker than Verstappen.

Though disappointed with a third-row start, Raikkonen said the form earlier in the weekend had not built up his hopes.

"Obviously, we finished fifth so, for sure, it was more tricky that we expected but this what often happens in qualifying," Raikkonen said.

"Practice is always different so this is why it is pointless to look at lap times in practice really.

"Things change quickly, especially in a place like this.

"It wasn't too bad anywhere, but it was, for sure, more difficult to make the tyres work as we wanted in qualifying compared to any other point of this weekend."