Chinese GP: Hamilton takes pole ahead of Ricciardo and Vettel

Shanghai: Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton got the better of Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel to capture the pole position at the rainy Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday; his third pole in four races this season.


Hamilton set the fastest time in qualifying at 1 minute, 53.860 seconds at Shanghai International Circuit, ahead of Ricciardo and Vettel in second and third position.

"It is so slippery out there, the conditions - trying to find the grip, not making mistakes on your lap and really putting it together. It was a tough session. I really enjoyed it. The car was feeling great. I hope that we can follow through tomorrow," said Hamilton, who will be chasing his third win in a row on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo said, “I couldn’t have got anything extra out of the car on that last lap, I got everything I could out of it; for that I’m pleased and I got rewarded with a front row place for tomorrow. It took a while to get going in the session today, I didn’t have the comfort or pace that I was aiming for, but I got it at the end. I feel like I’m ready to get a good result, I know it’s never going to be easy but I’m prepared for the fight tomorrow and I’ll embrace it. I couldn’t have settled into the team any better to be honest, they made me feel at home very quickly and it’s helping me. I’m really enjoying the driving and it seems to be showing with the results. I’m really pleased. The team is closing the gap to the front and we’re getting better each race.”

Sebastian Vettel said, “In wet conditions, we have a bit more of a chance against Mercedes than in the dry. I think the conditions for tomorrow are forecast to be dry, but for sure we will try and do what we can. I think we are in the best position to try and give them a hard time in the race, so let’s see. We made some improvements with the car this weekend and I think the test in Bahrain helped, but we still have some work to do. I would like to be first of course, but I have a good position to start the race. Well done to Daniel today, he’s doing very well I have to say.”