IT’S LEWIS HAMIL TON
Brilliant Brit makes history with 100 poles, and admits: It’s incredible... feels like my first win
100 68 65 57 33 33
LEWIS HAMILTON claimed the 100th pole position of his career with a brilliant lap in qualifying for today’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Mercedes’ seven-time world champion edged out the Red Bull of Max Verstappen by just 0.036 seconds at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to reach the landmark.
It’s now 5,083 days since Hamilton took his first pole in only the sixth appearance of his F1 career at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix.
Few then would have predicted quite the heights the then freshfaced 22-year-old Brit would go on to reach.
This year, bidding to win an unprecedented eighth world title, his ton of poles takes him 32 clear of Michael Schumacher and 35 ahead of his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna in the all-time list.
Hamilton now has two more poles than the combined efforts of double world champion Jim Clark, four-time world champion Alain Prost and 1992 title winner Nigel Mansell.
Hamilton said: “I can’t believe we are at 100.
“It is down to the men and women back at the factory who are continuing to raise the bar.
“I can’t thank the team enough for everything they’ve done to help us secure this incredible milestone. I feel humbled and very grateful.
“This feels like my first win all over again.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, onethird owner of Mercedes, watched the drama 22 of the last 30 winners unfold alongside team starting from the front principal Toto Wolff, and slot on the grid.
Britain’s richest man Hamilton added: “It provided the lucky charm was my cleanest lap and for Hamilton. I’ll always remember it.”
Verstappen headed But the Brit admitted it into Q3 as I was always behind hasn’t all the favourite in qualifying, but been plain to secure top that was down to sailing this spot before changes that I made weekend. Hamilton He added: powered his way around “I made some changes the 2.9 miles of Circuit de and I had a bit of anxiety Catalunya asphalt to steal about them with going the glory. into qualifying. You
Hamilton is unbeaten always try to make the on Spanish soil since he car better, but it’s a collided with rival Nico gamble. You have also got Rosberg on the opening to keep the race in mind. lap in 2016. “We made this change
And pole is key and, as soon as I got out, in Barcelona with I was like immediately, ‘This is the wrong one.’ It was my call at the end.
“It was really hard. That’s why I was behind the whole way through qualifying.”
Verstappen had looked the man to beat going into the final part of qualifying after he set a stunning lap in the second knockout session.
But things turned around in the final part of the session and Hamilton pulled it out of the bag.
The grid positions set up what promises to be another gripping race between Hamilton and Verstappen, and the Dutchman said: “Second for us is very good.
“We know that they are hard to beat around here.
“To be that close we can be happy with that.”
Valtteri Bottas will line up in third for Mercedes while Ferrari’s encouraging signs of improvement saw Charles Leclerc finish fourth. British driver Lando Norris will start ninth on the grid.