The Ferrari driver snatched back-to-back poles in 2023 in a tense qualifying around the Marina Bay track, edging out Mercedes' George Russell.
The sister Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was knocked off the front row by Russell and will start third ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes.
The big shock of qualifying came from Red Bull, as both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez failed to get out of Q2 as the struggled with their cars.
Verstappen, who provisionally starts 11th but is facing impeding investigations, says set-up changes made to his Red Bull made it "undriveable" in qualifying.
The session was halted for a lengthy spell after Lance Stroll totalled his Aston Martin in a big off at the last corner at the end of Q1. He blamed being stopped at the weighbridge prior to his final run and dirty air during the lap for contributing to his crash.
Source: Autosport