Ferrari dominate again as Sebastian Vettel takes pole position for Chinese GP
Formula 1 | Apr 14, 2018, 04:26 PM ISTBoth Ferrari cars were 0.5 seconds faster in qualifying than either Mercedes, a huge gap in F1.
Both Ferrari cars were 0.5 seconds faster in qualifying than either Mercedes, a huge gap in F1.
Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen was the second quickest in both sessions, and in the afternoon he was only 0.007 behind Hamilton.
World champion Lewis Hamilton could only manage fourth, and will start from ninth on Sunday after incurring a grid penalty.
Raikkonen and Vettel were up front as cooler temperatures and nightfall matched the conditions for Sunday evening's race. Raikkonen's time of 1 minute, 29.8 seconds on the 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) desert circuit was a fraction quicker than Vettel's.
World champion Lewis Hamilton must overcome the frustration of being denied victory at the season-opening Australian GP by his own team's careless computer error.
The German becomes the fourth driver to claim 100 podium finishes, joining Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost.
The four drivers behind Hamilton were separated by just over 0.3 second, setting up the promise of an extremely competitive race on Sunday between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.
On a bright, clear day, defending world champion Lewis Hamilton completed the 5.303-km Albert Park circuit in 1 minute, 24.026 seconds.
Hamilton and Vettel have something else to vie for this year — a chance to pull even with former Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio for second place on the all-time championship list.
After winning three races last year — the first ones since he started in 2013 — Bottas is keen to challenge Hamilton all the way.
The Australian GP next weel will be Vettel's 200th race whereas meanwhile, Hamilton seeks a record-extending 73rd pole and a 63rd GP win.
It was a busy day at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona after snowfall and cold temperatures kept most cars in the garage on Wednesday.
The Finish driver further said that he is not going to hold on his weaknesses and would rather concentrate on spending his energy and focus on performing well on track.
Speaking at the launch of Mercedes' new W09 car at Silverstone, Hamilton said that he had already made it clear to his current Formula One team that he is not considering any other options outside Mercedes.
Brown insisted that McLaren and almost all other teams would be very interested to rope in Hamilton.
The four-time F1 champion was heavily criticized after he posted a video on his Instagram account wherein he could be seen lambasting his nephew online and making inappropriate comments on his relative's choice of Christmas attire.
Hamilton who holds the record for highest pole positions (72) said he was assured from the beginning of doing well in the 2017 season.
Describing Bottas as an "amazing" teammate, Hamilton backed the former to put up a more sustained challenge next season.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton recently became a four-time world champion with a ninth-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix, the race which was won by the Red Bull's Verstappen.
The 30-year-old German finished behind Mercedes-Amg driver Lewis Hamilton in the 2017 F1 driver standings.
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