Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for the Australian Grand Prix, with a dominant performance in Melbourne that left his rivals reeling as he and Mercedes proved their car is once again ominously strong over the single-lap discipline. Hamilton’s team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, fared even worse, after an accident that left him unhurt but failing to record a time in Q3. Hamilton’s second, however, was simply untouchable, a masterful performance; even with Mercedes able to turn up the qualifying mode on the car, he exploited it perfectly. It is Hamilton’s seventh pole in Melbourne and he has now surpassed his hero Ayrton Senna’s record of six poles at the Australian Grand Prix. But Vettel hit back in the second session with a fine run that was a tenth up on Hamilton.

Source: The Guardian March 24, 2018 07:49 UTC