Lewis hamilton (Mercedes) took the pole position of the Grand Prix of Portugal by signing this Saturday, at the Portimao circuit, the best time ahead of his teammate, the Finn Valtteri Bottas.

This is the 9th pole of the season for the Briton and the 97th of his career.

In the event of victory on Sunday, he will become F1’s most victorious driver in the F1 Grand Prix with 92 wins, to 91 for German legend Michael Schumacher.

The Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull) will start 3rd and the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 4th.

“We have a fantastic car but you have to work hard to get the most out of it. Valtteri was very fast throughout the weekend setting the best time in each of the free practice sessions so I pushed hard to find the extra seconds, ”said Hamilton.

The Briton currently has a 69-point lead in the World Championship over Bottas, with six Grands Prix to go, and is aiming for a 7th title this year, just like Schumacher.

Mercedes can mathematically obtain a 7th consecutive constructors’ title, although for this its rival Red Bull will have to sign a poor performance on the Algarve circuit, included for the first time in the F1 World Championship calendar.

This circuit welcomes spectators this weekend but in a limited number due to the coronavirus pandemic.