Lewis Hamilton pipped title rival and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by just seven thousandths of a second after a nail-biting qualifying session for the Singapore Grand Prix.
For once this season there were drivers other than the Mercedes duo in the hunt for top spot on the grid under the lights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Yet come the conclusion it was Mercedes – and Hamilton in particular – who again just had the edge, with the Briton claiming back-to-back poles after starting out front in the last race in Italy.
On the slow-down lap, Rosberg let his frustrations come to the fore as he bellowed "Damn it!" over the radio when informed he had lost out to Hamilton. Yet there were occasions throughout the entire qualifying session it appeared as if neither man would be on the front row.
Ferrari had suggested through practice they would be in contention for a crack at pole, further underlining such credentials come the end to the initial 18-minute qualifying session. Kimi Raikkonen led the way from Fernando Alonso, with Hamilton a quarter of a second back in third and Rosberg a lowly seventh.
Come the end of the middle 15-minute run it was Mercedes back on top with a one-two led by a lightning lap from Rosberg, who finished almost half a second up on Hamilton. The 29-year-old, however, was forced back out for a second stint on a fresh set of supersoft tyres as his first run in the session left him at risk of dropping out of the top 10.
As Rosberg gave an indicator as to what he and his car were capable of, Hamilton, Alonso, Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo all stayed in the garage, so guaranteeing themselves a fresh set of tyres for the race.
Come the first laps in Q3 Williams' Massa suddenly led the way, with Hamilton and Rosberg in sixth and seventh respectively, leaving them fighting to simply make it on to the front row.
On the second and final hot lap it was Ricciardo in his Red Bull who sneaked ahead of Massa, only to then be deposed by Rosberg, before Hamilton – despite a lock up at one point that appeared as if it would cost him – had the last laugh.
Ricciardo, third in the championship but 72 points down on Rosberg, finished just 0.73secs behind the German, with team-mate Sebaastian Vettel fourth as he chases a fourth successive win at this circuit.
