Singapore  - Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton was all smiles Saturday after storming to the pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix.

"It's great to be up here," said the McLaren Mercedes driver, who beat Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Williams driver Nico Rosberg in the qualifying session.

"We had a very, very tough year, we are still pushing as hard as we can," said Hamilton, currently ranked seventh in the drivers' standing with 27 points.

"When you finally get another pool position it's a great feeling," he said. "It's the perfect position for the rest weekend."

Commenting on the poor performance of the Brawn team, Hamilton, who also took pole in Monza two weeks ago, said he did not know what happened to the team.

"I know there are pushing as hard as they can," said Hamilton.  dpa