Hamilton: I was in a perfect place during Singapore qualy

Ayrton Senna had his famous Monaco qualifying lap, after which he described an out of body experience he had when pounding the streets of Monte Carlo in 1988 to claim top spot on the grid by 1.5 seconds.

Fast forward thirty years, Hamilton at his very peak also delivered a lap for the ages, three-tenths faster than next best Max Verstappen, six-tenths up on title rival Sebastian Vettel and seven-tenths quicker than his teammate Valtteri Bottas in the sister Mercedes.

It was a huge effort with plenty riding on it, Hamilton himself declared that the lap was "heaven-sent" and explained, "I'm not saying that's controlled from above or anything. When I say it's heaven-sent, it's just you're always searching for perfection."

"You never get close to it, but that was the closest I felt. The lap just went. It was awesome. For me, that was one of the best laps I've ever done."

"When I say it's heaven-sent, it's just about setting yourself goals and that feeling you have. Think of heaven - heaven's a perfect place and on that lap, I felt I was in a perfect place. In a beautiful place, an amazing feeling, balanced and at my best," explained the five times Formula 1 World Champion.

That lap was applauded universally by the Formula 1 world which witnessed not only a big moment in this year's fierce title battle but also a big moment in the Briton's legacy.

The next day Hamilton went on to win the Singapore Grand Prix to deal Vettel another telling blow. Spurred on by the success the Mercedes driver kept the momentum and went on to claim victory in the next two races which in retrospect was the mortal blow that all but ended his rival's title challenge.

Looking back now, the spark was lit that night when he scorched around Marina Bay Circuit in a time of 1:36.015, his 79th pole position start and arguably the most important of all.

https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/09/15/singapore-qualifying-thats-why-they-pay-lewis-big-bucks/