F1 Singapore Grand Prix: Charles Leclerc takes pole, Sebastian Vettel unhappy

Ferrari rookie Charles Leclerc is on fire! After the summer break, he has now taken his third consecutive pole position in the Singapore Grand Prix after similar feats in Belgium and Monza. He has not out-qualified his teammate, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, in the last eight Grands Prix.

There is now very little doubt that Charles Leclerc is outshining Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari camp. Not only has he been doing better in qualifying, he also overtook Vettel in the Championship race after his victory in Monza two weeks ago. Leclerc now has 182 points against Vettel's 169.

Unfortunately for the Italian team, a mix of sub-par performances, reliability issues and bad luck earlier in the season still puts both Ferraris eons away from the leading Mercedes drivers (Lewis Hamilton 284 points, Valtteri Bottas 221 points). However, Leclerc does have a good chance of overtaking Red Bull's Max Verstappen (185 points) for the third spot. If Leclerc clinches victory at the Singapore GP, he will overtake Verstappen and extend the gap to his Vettel.

After Saturday's qualifying session, Leclerc was clearly ecstatic as he nervously spoke to Paul di Resta after exiting his car. He repeated what he told his team on the team radio: "There were a few moments when I almost lost control of the car - but what an amazing feeling"

Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel, who could only manage third, was seen walking away with a grim look on his face. "The final attempt should've been better," said Vettel, in the post-qualifying press conference.

"Obviously we had a tiny wobble so [there was] no point finishing the lap because I was already quite a bit behind, but yeah, puts us in a good position for tomorrow," he concluded.

Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto also shared his opinion about Vettel's disappointing result: "I think [it's] a shame for him because he did a fantastic first attempt, first run, I think he was doing well in the second up to the last sector…"

He also hinted that Vettel might be needing a confidence boost, if he wants to get his season back on track. "He could've done better, but I think it's important for him to know that he can be very, very fast. He knows, but it's a matter of confidence," said Binotto.

Meanwhile, despite the extra challenge from a soaring Leclerc, Hamilton could not resist but show his admiration towards the youngster. Hamilton secured second position on the grid and sat beside Leclerc in the press conference. The five-time champion gushed about Leclerc's third consecutive and fifth total pole position this season.