Lewis Hamilton plots against Max Verstappen as Ferrari plan comes together

Lewis Hamilton is plotting to work strategically with Charles Leclerc to overcome polesitter Max Verstappen at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Hamilton will line up third at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, behind the four-time F1 drivers' champion and his Ferrari team-mate.

The British driver looked right in contention to top the grid-setting session after a sublime effort in Q2, but a couple of corrections on each of his Q3 laps left him unable to extract the maximum from the SF-26 underneath him.

"Another difficult Q3. Congrats to Max, he did a great job," Hamilton said after getting out of his car. "We made some changes going into qualifying. The car was feeling so much better, and I really felt like she had more in her; we were pushing her more and more through the laps and through the sessions.

"Q1 and Q2 we were awesome. We got to Q3, and I snapped into Turn 1, 3 and was two tenths down. The rest of the lap was good.

"And the last lap I just struggled with snapping. There's a real fine line with our car where it's over the edge or under the limit.

"Finding that sweet spot is very difficult. I probably had it in the first two [sessions] but you have to look to the progress of the track, the grip coming up and you have to kind of react to that.

"With hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have, so it wasn't great enough with myself."

Hamilton's plan to fight Verstappen

Hamilton was quick to praise the impressive pace of the RB22, before sharing a glimpse of the potential tactics Ferrari might employ to stop Verstappen from finally winning in Singapore.

"Red Bull has done a fantastic job," Hamilton added. "They've done a great job with their engine, but I think also with their car; it's obviously a great team, and I think they brought an upgrade in Baku, which has really put them at the front.

"And I think it's really still a good result for us to have two Ferraris up there. We could definitely, hopefully, work as a team tomorrow to try and hold on to Max and put them under pressure.

"I think that's the only way it's gonna be. I'm sure it's gonna be fast, but hopefully, together as a team, we can potentially... Who knows? We'll see if we can get ahead of them."