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F1: Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes on pole in Australia

F1: Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes on pole in Australia

Mar 16, 2019
06:55 pm

What's the story

Lewis Hamilton took the pole position at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Saturday. His team member Valtteri Bottas grabbed second place ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton picked up intensity in the final runs to edge past Bottas by 0.012 seconds. This helped him to take his sixth consecutive pole at Albert Park. Here's more.

Hamilton

Hamilton way ahead of Vettel in qualification

Hamilton was a massive 0.704 seconds quicker than his arch-rival Vettel, who finished ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen. The Briton dominated all weekend after topping the two out of three qualifying sessions. "I'm shaking it was so close out there. From testing we had no idea where we would be," said Hamilton to the BBC.

Vettel

The car feels all right, says Vettel

Vettel looked confident with his car despite being behind Hamilton and Bottas. Ferrari had looked quicker than Mercedes in pre-season testing and a tough battle was expected. "The car feels all right. There is not anything wrong. Certainly surprised (by the gap). I think everybody is, probably themselves. Yesterday we did not have a good day, today felt better but the gap was similar."

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How will Ferrari line-up on Sunday?

Australian GP

Hamilton goes in as the favorite

All eyes will be on Hamilton and Vettel on Sunday. In 2018 Australian GP, Germany's Vettel had won the title in Melbourne. He then backed it up with victory at the next race in Bahrain. Hamilton fought his way back to sweep 11 of the remaining 19 races and was crowned as the F1 2018 champion. A strong start would benefit both parties.

Information

When and where to watch the Australian GP?

The race day of the Australian Grand Prix is on Sunday, March 17. The race will start at 10:30 AM IST. One can watch the race live on Star Sports Select/HD 2. Fans can also stream it on Hotstar (paid subscription).