Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix as Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel split the Mercedes — breaking a record-setting streak of 9 consecutive front-row lockouts over two seasons — in a rain-affected qualifying session. Hamilton held on with a time set on his first flying lap in Q3 despite not improving on his final run as Vettel got to within just 0.074 seconds of him. The Briton’s teammate Nico Rosberg took 2rd after appearing to delay the World Champion on his penultimate lap.
Lewis Hamilton on Malaysian GP pole after torrential rain | BBC Sport
The heavens really opened after the first set of flyers, effectively sealing the order. From then, it became a matter of waiting to see just how bad the rain got. But speculation was rife that Rosberg, in an echo of Monaco last year, deliberately impeded his rival when Hamilton aborted a flying lap as he drew up behind the German.
As Hamilton spoke to reporters, Rosberg appeared and, joking that he was a journalist, asked what the Briton thought about suggestions that he was blocked by his teammate. “I think you should probably ask him,” responded Hamilton drily. As Hamilton finished on pole, the incident was of little consequence but it evoked memories of last year’s clashes as the two Mercedes drivers vied for the title.
In Monaco, Rosberg claimed pole position ahead of Hamilton after blocking his teammate on a flying lap, and in Belgium he crashed into his rival and was later punished. Hamilton played down Saturday’s skirmish after a rain-interrupted qualifying session, and Rosberg was at pains to protest his innocence. “He bailed out [of the flying lap] very well before coming up on me,” insisted the German, before admitting that he couldn’t prove his claim.