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Hamilton on pole again for McLaren
Source: Agencies |
March 25, 2012, Sunday
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LEWIS Hamilton claimed pole position yesterday for the Malaysian Grand Prix after again edging out teammate Jenson Button to make it an all-McLaren front row in successive races.
Hamilton made it back-to-back poles with a time of one minute 36.219 seconds at Sepang International Circuit, beating Button by a tenth of a second and giving the team its first-ever pole in Malaysia for today's race.
Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher was third fastest, ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber and Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen, who will take a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox.
World champion Sebastian Vettel qualified sixth. It was a relatively lowly position for the German, who put his Red Bull on pole 15 times last season, but he completed his final flying lap on hard tires. That will allow him to pit later than the cars ahead of him in today's race, when tire management will be critical.
Lotus' Romain Grosjean qualified seventh, ahead of Mercedes' Nico Rosberg. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Sauber's Sergio Perez completed the top ten.
Ever-present threat
Rain held off throughout qualifying but is an ever-present threat at Malaysia and could well affect today's race.
Hamilton had a skip in his step as he emerged from the car, in contrast to his post-race demeanor in Australia when he was very disappointed to have finished third after starting from pole.
"I don't know if (pole) is the best place possible to start here, it's a long haul to turn one," Hamilton said. "It's about positioning, it's about tire management. It's a tricky circuit with the track temperatures and the humidity outside - it's going to be tough tomorrow."
Button was again second-best to his teammate but the 2009 Malaysia winner will be bolstered by the memory of last weekend in Australia when he beat Hamilton off the line and sped to victory. "I can't complain too much - it's good for us as a team to be in the front row."
Schumacher came inside two tenths of his first pole position for six years but was enthused by the progress Mercedes is making. "This was the maximum that was available," the German said.
Hamilton made it back-to-back poles with a time of one minute 36.219 seconds at Sepang International Circuit, beating Button by a tenth of a second and giving the team its first-ever pole in Malaysia for today's race.
Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher was third fastest, ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber and Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen, who will take a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox.
World champion Sebastian Vettel qualified sixth. It was a relatively lowly position for the German, who put his Red Bull on pole 15 times last season, but he completed his final flying lap on hard tires. That will allow him to pit later than the cars ahead of him in today's race, when tire management will be critical.
Lotus' Romain Grosjean qualified seventh, ahead of Mercedes' Nico Rosberg. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Sauber's Sergio Perez completed the top ten.
Ever-present threat
Rain held off throughout qualifying but is an ever-present threat at Malaysia and could well affect today's race.
Hamilton had a skip in his step as he emerged from the car, in contrast to his post-race demeanor in Australia when he was very disappointed to have finished third after starting from pole.
"I don't know if (pole) is the best place possible to start here, it's a long haul to turn one," Hamilton said. "It's about positioning, it's about tire management. It's a tricky circuit with the track temperatures and the humidity outside - it's going to be tough tomorrow."
Button was again second-best to his teammate but the 2009 Malaysia winner will be bolstered by the memory of last weekend in Australia when he beat Hamilton off the line and sped to victory. "I can't complain too much - it's good for us as a team to be in the front row."
Schumacher came inside two tenths of his first pole position for six years but was enthused by the progress Mercedes is making. "This was the maximum that was available," the German said.
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