It was Hamilton’s 34th pole position, eclipsing the record set by Scot Jim Clark back in the 1960s. PHOTO: REUTERS
SHANGHAI:
Lewis Hamilton will line up on pole position for Sunday’s Chinese Formula One Grand Prix after putting in a storming lap in treacherous conditions to maintain Mercedes’ qualifying stranglehold.
The Briton’s best time of one minute 53.860 seconds through rain and spray was a hefty 0.595 of a second quicker than Red Bull’s Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who joined him on the front row.
“It is so slippery out there,” said Hamilton, who will be chasing his third win in a row on Sunday. “Trying to find the grip, not making mistakes on your lap and putting it together was a challenge. I really enjoyed it.”
It was Hamilton’s third pole in four races this season and 34th of his F1 career, pushing the 29-year-old past the late Jim Clark’s British record that he equalled in Malaysia last month.
He is now fourth on the all-time pole list, led by Michael Schumacher with 68.
Red Bull’s quadruple Formula One world champion, Sebastian Vettel, was third fastest, but more than a second slower than Hamilton and outqualified by teammate Ricciardo for the third time in four races.
Vettel admitted he needs to raise his game.
“There’s nothing between cars,” he said. “So if he [Ricciardo] manages to beat me, then he beats me on the circuit, fair and square.”
Third-placed Rosberg struggles for control
Championship leader Nico Rosberg, who had been on pole in the previous Bahrain Grand Prix, completed the second row for Mercedes after running wide on his second lap and then spinning on his final flying lap.
The German will have his work cut out on Sunday if he is to win at the scene of his maiden grand prix triumph in 2012.
“I was just struggling on the brakes and that’s why my last sector was so bad,” said Rosberg.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, last year’s winner in China, qualified fifth with new team boss Marco Mattiacci looking on from the pit wall after watching Friday’s sessions from the garage.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2014.
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ