Mercedes GP driver Michael Schumacher sat out the final part of qualifying in Singapore in order to save a set of tyres for the Grand Prix on Sunday. He was joined in abstinence by Force India drivers Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta.

Tyre strategy dominated discussion surrounding an uneventful afternoon of qualifying at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Vitaly Petrov blamed high tyre pressures for his early exit, while McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton was forced to forfeit a fresh set of rubber after picking up a right-rear puncture.

Looking back, Schumacher remained convinced focusing efforts on Sunday was the right thing to do.

"It was quite a tactical qualifying session, in which we chose not to run in Q3 to save new tyres for the race. In theory, this should be worth some time over the race distance, so it was a calculated risk worth taking."

The two Force India drivers also defended the decision to remain in their garage for the final ten minutes of qualifying and they line up 9th and 10th on the grid behind Schumacher.

While the race on Sunday may verify such long term thinking, fans suffering from a lack of action on Saturday were likely left feeling short changed.