Ferrari Formula One driver Felipe Massa of Brazil gestures after winning the pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix yesterday.- AP

SINGAPORE (AP):

FERRARI'S FELIPE Massa edged title rival Lewis Hamilton of McLaren to snatch pole position for today's Singapore Formula One Grand Prix.

With overtaking expected to be difficult on the tight and bumpy track for F1's first night race, Massa took a significant edge yesterday over the man who leads him by one point in the drivers' championship.

With Hamilton sitting in provisional pole in the dying seconds of qualifying, Massa put in a stunning final lap, setting a time six-tenths of a second quicker than the Briton - a significant margin in an otherwise closely contested session.

"The car was just perfect, so nice to drive," Massa said. "And I managed to do a perfect lap."

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen will start from third on the grid and BMW's Robert Kubica - still harbouring slim hopes of a title challenge - from fourth.

It could have been much worse for Hamilton as he only just made it into the final part of qualifying after finishing 10th in the second Q2 session.

nerve-racking

Had Red Bull's Mark Webber been able to find an extra three tenths of a second on his final flying lap of the session, Hamilton would have been relegated to 11th on today's grid.

"It was a little bit nerve-racking for sure, but I still managed to get a spot on the front row," Hamilton said. "We are not worried, we are in a very strong position with the strategy we have."

Hamilton acknowledged he will be at a disadvantage starting on the side of the grid off the racing line, adding "we may see another Valencia". Massa started from pole and Hamilton second in the August 24 European GP, and the Brazilian ran away with the race, finishing 5.6 seconds ahead of Hamilton.

Renault's Fernando Alonso spun his car late in the second session yesterday and complained on the radio about a mechanical problem. He emerged for the third session but his car lost drive and coasted to a stop. A frustrated Alonso, who will start from 15th, climbed out of the car.

McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen will start from fifth today, sharing the third row with BMW's Nick Heidfeld.

Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso - winner of the previous race in Italy - was seventh in qualifying, while Toyota's Timo Glock will start from eighth.