Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton scorched to Singapore Grand Prix pole position with a "magic" lap that left title rival Sebastian Vettel down in the dumps on Saturday.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull will start on the front row for Sunday's race alongside Hamilton after crossing the line 0.319sec behind the Englishman's blistering 1-min and 36.015-seconds, but an exasperated Vettel could only manage third.

"That felt like magic," said a beaming Hamilton of his stunning lap record at the Marina Bay street circuit -- an astonishing 3.476 seconds quicker than last year's pole effort by Vettel.

"It was really special, I don't think there was a bad moment in the lap. It was just perfect," he added.

"I don't know where it came from, but it all came together. It's one of the best laps I can remember. I am overwhelmed."

Ferrari's Vettel, who is 30 points behind Hamilton in the title race with seven races to go, cut a glum figure after encountering traffic on his flying laps and only managing a best effort of 1:36.628.

"It's not ideal. Obviously, we wanted to get a pole (but) didn't," Vettel scowled.

The German is running out of time to make inroads into Hamilton's lead, and Ferrari had targeted Singapore with its twisty, high downforce layout as a place they could turn the tables on Mercedes, a team that usually struggles in the Lion City.

But now Vettel will have to find a way past the flying Hamilton on one of the most difficult overtaking tracks if he is to close the gap, as both men chase their fifth drivers' world championship.