Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton secures pole position for Japanese GP
Formula 1 | October 07, 2017 14:41 ISTWith five races remaining in the season, Lewis Hamilton leads Sebastian Vettel by 34 points in the drivers' championship.
With five races remaining in the season, Lewis Hamilton leads Sebastian Vettel by 34 points in the drivers' championship.
The Mercedes driver was quickest in the afternoon practice with a lap of 1 minute, 48.719 seconds, .799 seconds ahead of Force India rival Esteban Ocon.
Mercedes is 118 points clear of Ferrari and close to sealing a fourth straight constructors' championship
Hamilton secured the 70th pole of his career in qualifying, and his fourth straight in Malaysia, while Vettel failed to set a time because of an engine problem.
Max Verstappen qualified third ahead of Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo, while Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas was fifth.
The Ferrari driver threw away a golden chance to regain the championship lead from Lewis Hamilton in Singapore after an unfortunate crash.
Ferrari's Vettel had topped the drivers' standings, but the Mercedes' racer bounced back to clinch the top spot, 28 points ahead of the German driver with six races to go.
After blowing pole position by causing a crash at the Singapore GP two weeks ago, the Ferrari driver threw away a golden chance to regain the championship lead from Lewis Hamilton.
Although he believes that there are five to six years left in his career, the record of Schumacher is nowhere in his mind.
Ayrton Senna da Silva won three Formula One world championships for McLaren in 1988, 1990 and 1991, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time.
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo prevented a Mercedes 1-2 by finishing ahead of Valtteri Bottas, who placed third in the Singapore GP.
Ayrton Senna da Silva won three Formula One world championships for McLaren in 1988, 1990 and 1991, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time.
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo prevented a Mercedes 1-2 by finishing ahead of Valtteri Bottas, who placed third in the Singapore GP.
Vettel's 49th career pole came on the track where he holds the record with four wins and six podiums overall, and his superiority showed in a lap record of 1 minute 39.491 seconds.
The Briton, who won the Italian Grand Prix last Sunday, is currently standing at the top of the drivers' championship after winnings six out of 13 races this year.
Stroll qualified fourth in torrential rain at the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday but will move up to second on the grid following engine-change penalties to Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.
Maintaining his focus after a two and a half hour rain delay at the Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton finished more than a second ahead of Max Verstappen of Red Bull in difficult, wet conditions.
Bottas is lagging just 41 points behind leader Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and 34 points behind his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton finished nearly half a second ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas as both Mercedes drivers positioned comfortably in front of their rival Ferraris.
Hamilton's fifth win this season was his 58th overall, having equalled Michael Schumacher's pole position record of 68 in the qualifying race.
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