Hamilton snatches pole for Bahrain GP

LewisHamilton - Cropped

Reigning Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton sealed his fourth pole position from as many races this season by claiming top spot on the grid in Saturday's qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Mercedes man tops the drivers standings by 13 points, and looks well placed to extend that lead after sealing his first pole at this circuit.

Hamilton topped the timesheets in all three qualifying sessions, and prevailed in a dramatic conclusion to Q3.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel briefly went quickest with his final lap, but Hamilton was still out on the circuit and produced a stunning drive to usurp his rival by 0.411 seconds.

Hamilton's team-mate, Nico Rosberg, will start Sunday's race in third, while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen joined him on the second row.

The Williams duo of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa were fifth and sixth respectively.

There were mixed fortunes for the two McLaren drivers, as Jenson Button retired in the opening session with an electrical failure, while team-mate Fernando Alonso made it into Q2 on his way to qualifying 14th - the first time the team have made it past Q1 so far this season.

 

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:32.571

2. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 1:32.982

3. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 1:33.129

4. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:33.227

5. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) 1:33.381

6. Felipe Massa (Williams) 1:33.744

7. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 1:33.832

8. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) 1:34.450

9. Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso) 1:34.462

10. Romain Grosjean (Lotus) 1:34.484

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