Superb Lewis Hamilton seizes pole for Japanese Grand Prix
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ByEurosport
Updated 07/10/2017 at 12:32 GMT
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton seized pole position with a dominant display in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday.
Top three qualifiers Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP, Valtteri Bottas of Finland and Mercedes GP and Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari in parc ferme during qualifying for the Formula One Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit.
Image credit: Eurosport
The Briton lapped the Suzuka Circuit in one minute, 27.319 seconds in his Mercedes, the outright fastest ever at the 5.8-km track, to finish well clear of his rivals.
His team mate Valtteri Bottas set the second fastest time but will drop five places after collecting a penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.
That will elevate Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel, who was third quickest nearly half a second off the pace, to the front row of the grid alongside Hamilton.
The German trails the Hamilton by 34 points in the overall standings with just five of the season's 20 races left.
McLaren's Fernando Alonso will start from the back of the grid after the Spaniard picked up a 35-place penalty when the team's mechanics fitted his car with a fresh power unit on Friday night.
The team broke curfew -- during which members associated with the operation of the car must leave the track -- after the engine the double world champion used on the opening day of practice suffered a hydraulic issue.
Rules restrict drivers to no more than four power units and its constituent components for the duration a season, and Alonso has long exceeded his allocation as McLaren continues to struggle with a lack of reliability from their Honda engines.
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Lewis Hamilton
Image credit: Getty Images
Sunday's grand prix at Suzuka is the home race for the Japanese manufacturer, who will part ways with McLaren at the end of the season after three years of dismal performances, with the Surrey-based team switching to Renault power units.
Honda will instead supply engines to Red Bull's junior team Toro Rosso, currently powered by Renault, whose Spanish driver Carlos Sainz has also been hit with a 20-place penalty for exceeding his allocation of engine components.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes were also handed grid penalties, with both Finns dropping five places for unscheduled gearbox changes.
The Italian team was forced to replace Raikkonen's gearbox, which has to be used for at least six straight races, after the 2007 champion damaged it in a crash during Saturday's final practice session.
Briton Jolyon Palmer will also drop 20 places for exceeding his allocation of power unit components after his Renault squad fitted his car with a new turbo charger, MGU-H and internal combustion engine.
Qualifying from the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit on Saturday
- 1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 1:27.319
- 2. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Mercedes 1:27.651
- 3. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari 1:27.791
- 4. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Red Bull - TAG Heuer 1:28.306
- 5. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull - TAG Heuer 1:28.332
- 6. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1:28.498
- 7. Esteban Ocon (France) Force India - Mercedes 1:29.111
- 8. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India - Mercedes 1:29.260
- 9. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams-Mercedes 1:29.480
- 10. Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren 1:30.687
- - - - - - - - - - -
- 11. Stoffel Vandoorne (Belgium) McLaren 1:29.778
- 12. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Renault 1:29.879
- 13. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) Haas - Ferrari 1:29.972
- 14. Jolyon Palmer (Britain) Renault 1:30.022
- 15. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) Toro Rosso - Renault 1:30.413
- - - - - - - - - - -
- 16. Romain Grosjean (France) Haas - Ferrari 1:30.849
- 17. Pierre Gasly (France) Toro Rosso - Renault 1:31.317
- 18. Lance Stroll (Canada) Williams-Mercedes 1:31.409
- 19. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Sauber - Ferrari 1:31.597
- 20. Pascal Wehrlein (Germany) Sauber - Ferrari 1:31.885
- - - - - - - - - -
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