Lewis Hamilton on pole in Singapore

• Hamilton quickest ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg• Button qualifies 12th two places behind Rubens BarrichelloLewis Hamilton secured pole for the Singapore grand prix but there was disappointment for championship leader, Jenson Button, whose world title hopes were dealt a blow by qualifying in 12th place on the grid.Hamilton, whose engineers worked through the night to fit a new chassis for his McLaren, impressed in practice and took that form into qualifying as he clocked a time of 1min 47.891sec in Q3 at the Marina Bay street circuit.In contrast, Button had struggled in practice after his Brawn car had been switched to the same set-up as team-mate Rubens Barrichello. Though they reverted it to yesterday's settings, the 29-year-old failed to threaten, with Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull taking second and the Williams of Nico Rosberg third.Barrichello, who will be looking to cut into Button's 14-point lead tomorrow, was fifth fastest before crashing with 26 seconds of qualifying remaining but will start from 10th on the grid tomorrow after being hit with a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox prior to the session.Race standings1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1min 47.891secs, 2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1:48.204, 3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:48.348, 4 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:48.722, 5 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:48.828, 6 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:49.054, 7 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:49.180, 8 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:49.307, 9 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:49.514, 10 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 1:49.778, 11 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 1:47.013, 12 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 1:47.141, 13 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:47.177, 14 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:47.369, 15 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:47.413, 16 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:48.231, 17 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:48.340, 18 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Ferrari 1:48.350, 19 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Renault 1:48.544, 20 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Force India 1:48.792Note: Rubens Barrichello will start the race in 10th position following a five place penalty for a gearbox replacement.Formula OneLewis HamiltonJenson ButtonMcLarenBrawnMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Simon Roberts returns to McLaren from Force India

Oct.15 (GMM) McLaren's Simon Roberts will next month return to the British team after a one-year appointment with Force India, it was announced late on Wednesday.

Raikkonen and McLaren

Kimi Raikkonen has signed an "outline agreement" to kick off a second tenure with the McLaren team beginning next season, the Mirror newspaper reported on Sunday...  

Brazil Race Review: McLaren

A fantastic drive from the back to the front nets Lewis third - and third place for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in the constructors' championship.

More than pride on the line for McLaren and Ferrari

Some five million US dollars are reportedly up for grabs as F1 grandees Ferrari and McLaren contest third place in the constructors' world championship at the Abu Dhabi finale next weekend...  

McLaren keeps distance from Button

• World champion seeks £5m pay rise to £8m• Bernie Ecclestone brands Brawn team 'arrogant'Jenson Button's growing impatience to secure a better pay deal with Brawn GP became clear yesterday with the new Formula One world champion's adviser hinting darkly that the British driver may look to another team. That has fuelled speculation that he could switch to McLaren, though Lewis Hamilton's team appear unlikely to sign Button.Button is seeking a £5m pay rise to £8m after taking a pay cut to ensure the future of Brawn after Honda pulled out of Formula One before the start of the campaign. Brawn, however, have yet to offer Button new terms.His manager, Richard Goddard, said: "Brawn could have sorted Jenson out weeks ago and none of this would be going on. We've been trying to agree terms with them. He's made it clear he wants to stay and, had they agreed a contract, there would be no speculation. People will speculate that anyone with a free seat next year will be offering Jenson a drive. That speculation won't die until Brawn offer him new terms."He has displayed his great talent in a good car this year. A lot of quality seats may still be available, so it's down to Brawn to make us an offer."The Formula One commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, also seemed to display some impatience with Brawn as he commented on the situation. "They are being a little bit arrogant considering how long they have been in Formula One," Ecclestone said. "They should remember they have only been in the sport 10 minutes, really."Mercedes-Benz, McLaren's engine partner, was quick to distance itself from any link with Button, however. The car maker's director of motor sport, Norbert Haug, said: "There are no current negotiations with Jenson Button but I do understand that people in England are dreaming of an English team with two world champions in the cockpits. However, dreams don't always come true."Formula OneJenson ButtonMotor sportBrawnMcLarenguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds