Lewis Hamilton captured his second pole position of the Formula 1 season, and 21st career pole, at the Sepang Circuit to take him past the career total set by Damon Hill, in Malaysia commentating for the UK’s Sky Sports F1, and that of Ferrari rival Fernando Alonso, having a torrid time (9th) with the Scuderia.
Michael Schumacher was third fastest with the controversial “f-duct” Mercedes AMG W03. The 43-year celebrated his best grid position since his return to F1 at the start 2010; Schumi’s last top three qualifying performance was at the 2006 French Grand Prix.
The grid itself is remarkably close, the top eight drivers separated by a mere 0.5s. Jenson Button, qualifying 2nd, says the race will be “unpredictable” due to varying tire and fuel strategies and the ever-present chance of rain. Defending World Champion Sebastian Vettel put his Red Bull into 6th, but was the only Q3 driver using hard-compound “prime” Pirelli tires — leading to speculation that he plans to overtake the McLarens with longer race stints.