Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s Malaysian GP from pole position after setting the fastest time with a scorching lap in Saturday’s qualifying session
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s Malaysian GP from pole position after setting the fastest time with a scorching lap in Saturday’s qualifying session
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Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s Malaysian GP from pole position after setting the fastest time with a scorching lap in Saturday’s qualifying session.
The Briton lapped the 5.5-kilometer Sepang circuit in a storming one minute, 32.850 seconds, getting within half a second of the ultimate fastest time set at the track by Fernando Alonso in 2005 during the V10 engine era.
Hamilton’s championship-leading Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg will start alongside in second after setting being 0.414 seconds slower than Hamilton’s best following an error-riddled couple of laps in the final pole-position shootout phase. “Lewis’ lap was very quick so it was always going to be difficult. I would’ve come close but unfortunately I had a mistake in the last corner,” said Rosberg.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will start third.
“A huge thank you to the team who continue through the whole year to improve. Today the car felt fantastic. I really enjoyed the lap. I could’ve been faster,” said Hamilton, who claimed the 57th pole of his career and eighth this season so far.
Force India 7th, 8th
Meanwhile, Sahara Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg will start in the fourth row, at seventh and eighth positions respectively. Perez clocked a best lap time of of 1:34.319, while Hulkenberg clocked 1:34.489.