Formula 1 | Azerbaijan GP: Lewis Hamilton takes 66th career pole, overtakes Ayrton Senna on all-time list – Hamilton banished memories of a dismal qualifying session in Baku last year, when he clipped the barrier, to grab pole with a time of 1:40.593 despite running wide at Turn 16.
Pole position winner Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton (C) celebrates next to second placed Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas (R) and third placed Ferrari’s Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen after the qualifying session for the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku on June 24, 2017 (Reuters)
Lewis Hamilton surpassed Ayrton Senna’s career haul of 65 pole positions in Formula One as he edged Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas to secure top spot the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday. Hamilton banished memories of a dismal qualifying session in Baku last year, when he clipped the barrier, to grab pole with a time of 1:40.593 despite running wide at Turn 16.
Hamilton will be joined in an all-Mercedes front row by Bottas, who was pipped at the death.
Formula One championship leader Sebastian Vettel, who leads Hamilton by 12 points in the standings, qualified fourth for Sunday’s race.
Vettel’s Ferrari team mate Kimi Raikkonen was in third. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who dominated Friday practice, qualified fifth but his team mate Daniel Ricciardo was down in 10th after hitting a wall.