Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton admits claiming pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix is crucial if he is to stand any chance of victory on Sunday.

The Brit set the pace on Friday as he went quickest in P2 at the Marina Bay circuit. Hamilton set the pace for the 11th time this season but he will be aware of the threat from his teammate Nico Rosberg.

Rosberg was set for a flying flap on supersoft tyres but that was halted after Pastor Maldonado crashed, causing a red flag.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso also showed his pace on Friday and his teammate Kimi Raikkonen displayed potential after finishing in fourth. Both Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel are also in contention and Hamilton has admitted the importance of pole position is huge.

Speaking after the session, he told Sky Sports F1: “It [pole]’s been very, very important. For the start, for example, the right side always gets better starts, and it’s impossible to follow here.

“So getting at the front, as always, is going to be really important and that’ll be the target.

“I feel good this weekend, but Nico’s very quick as well. Also the Red Bulls, we don’t know where they’ll be, and also Ferrari look quite quick so we’ve just got to focus on our job.”

Hamilton will be hoping for another victory on Sunday in a bid to close the gap at the top of the Drivers’ Standings and he is currently 1.75 to win the race with Dafabet.