F1: Vettel Keeps Pouring It On In P3

Formula 1

F1: Vettel Keeps Pouring It On In P3

Sebastian Vettel made it a clean sweep of the three practices in Singapore...

Jared Turner | Posted September 22, 2012 Marina Bay (SGP)

The front wing on the Red Bull RB8 turned some heads in Singapore. (Photo: Getty Images)

Sebastian Vettel is clearly a man on a mission this weekend in Singapore.

His rare feat of leading all three practices leaves little doubt about it.

Looking to breathe new life into his sputtering bid for a third straight World Championship, the German was atop the leaderboard once again Saturday for P3 after setting the pace in both Friday practices at Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Vettel, who sits fourth in the standings and carries a 39-point deficit to championship leader Fernando Alonso, topped the P3 time sheet with a lap of 1:47:947 in his Red Bull RB8.

Lewis Hamilton, a winner of two of the last three Grands Prix, was second after posting a lap of 1:48:272 in the final minutes of the one-hour session.

Alonso ran third in his familiar red Ferrari with a lap of 1:48:643 that more than six tenths off Vettel's pace. Nico Hulkenberg and a resurgent Kimi Raikkonen, who struggled badly on Friday, completed the top five.

Filling out the rest of the top 10 were Felipe Massa, Paul Di Resta, Nico Rosberg, Bruno Senna and Michael Schumacher.

Championship contender Mark Webber's recent woes continued, as the Australian suffered a right-rear tire puncture from contact with the Armco under the grandstand. The Red Bull team managed to get Webber back on track, however, with seemingly little if any harm done.

Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix is the 14th of 20 events on the 2012 Formula One calendar, which concludes in late November with the Brazilian GP.

Coming into the weekend, Alonso leads the drivers' standings by 37 points over Hamilton, 38 over Raikkonen and 39 over Vettel. Webber (-47) completes the top five.

Alonso and Hamilton both have a season-high three victories, while Webber and Jenson Button, each with two victories, are the season's other repeat winners.

McLaren has won the last three Grands Prix.

SPEED coverage of Formula One in Singapore resumes at 9 a.m. ET Saturday with three rounds of knockout qualifying to set the grid for Sunday's Singapore GP.

Jared Turner is an Associate Editor for SPEED.com, covering NASCAR and Formula One, and is an Editor for TruckSeries.com. His professional motorsports writing career began in 2005.