HAMILTON TAKES POLE IN BRAZIL, STEWARDS SUMMON VETTEL

SAO PAULO: Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton handed Mercedes their 100th pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday while Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel qualified second but faced a stewards’ investigation for a weighbridge incident.

The pole was a record-extending 82nd of Hamilton’s career and his 10th of a season that has already seen the Briton clinch his fifth world championship.

Mercedes will seal the constructors’ title at Interlagos on Sunday unless Ferrari outscore them by 13 points.

Earlier, Vettel smashed the outright lap record as he topped the times for Ferrari in the third and final practice ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

The four-time champion German clocked a best lap in one minute and 7.948 seconds to outpace new five-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes by twotenths of a second.

Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, who was the previous record holder with his lap for pole position last year, was third-quickest ahead of Sauberbound fellow-finn Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari.

Max Verstappen was fifth ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Renault-bound Australian Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen and his Haas team-mate Romain Grosjean. Pierre Gasly was ninth for Toro Rosso and Charles Leclerc, the Monegasque prodigy who will join Ferrari next year, was 10th for Sauber.

Hamilton was affected by a loose oil breather pipe in the first period, delaying him from clocking any serious laps until half an hour had passed.