[ad_1]
• Lewis Hamilton on pole for the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.
• Hamilton set a new track record with his pole time.
• It is Hamilton’s 98th pole position in Formula 1.
• For more motorsports stories, visit www.Wheels24.co.za
Lewis Hamilton claimed his 98th career pole position in Formula 1 when he prevailed in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Hamilton looked like a man on a mission throughout the hour, and only one mistake could keep him from taking first place. Behind him, his Mercedes-AMG teammate Valtteri Bottas will start second, with Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen in third.
It is the 11th time this season that Mercedes blocked the first row in qualifying.
The sessions
The session started without incident with the pilots venturing onto the track under a cloud of darkness in Bahrain. With headlights shining on the cars, the drivers made their way down the track before shooting and finding their way out of the first qualifying session. The biggest surprise of the session was Williams driver George Russell, who pulled his car out of Q1 and into Q2. Russell has beaten his teammate Nicholas Latifi in every qualifying session this season.
In Q2, the biggest shock, if we can call it that, was the elimination of the two Ferrari drivers. Sebastian Vettel qualified in 11th place, with Charles Leclerc in 12th. Both drivers struggled to find a good rhythm and finished the session more than 1.5 seconds behind Hamilton’s Q2 time. Three minutes into the session, McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. lost the back of his car down the stretch. He raised the red flag as the sheriffs had to remove the crashed car from the track.
In the final part of qualifying, it came down to Hamilton, Bottas and Verstappen. It looked like the Red Bull man could beat his Mercedes rivals, but Mercedes’s pace was too much for the energy drink company. En route to his 98th F1 pole position, which extends the record, Hamilton set the fastest time on the Shakir track, a new track record with 1: 27.264.
The race takes place tomorrow at 16:00, SA time.
[ad_2]
