Sepang (Malaysia): Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix on Saturday to tie the record for most qualifying wins by a British driver in Formula One.
Tropical rains delayed the start of qualifying for 50 minutes, but even the wet track at the Sepang International Circuit could not prevent Mercedes continuing the dominance they had shown all weekend as Hamilton made it back-to-back poles to start the new season.
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel came close, but the four-time defending champion finished five hundredths of a second behind Hamilton and just in front of Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, who qualified third.
Hamilton’s pole was the 33rd of his career, bringing him level with former world champion Jim Clark for the most by any British driver, and also level with Alain Prost. It also puts him in an ideal position to make up for his early retirement from the season opener in Australia due to an engine misfire.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso recovered from a crash that broke his front suspension in the second session of qualifying and will start from fourth on the grid. Kimi Raikkonen qualified sixth, behind Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen, Toro Rosso’s Jean Eric Vergne and McLaren’s Jenson Button finished the top 10.
