Lewis Hamilton has matched Jim Clark’s British record of 33 pole positions after seeing off Sebastian Vettel in qualifying at Sepang. Qualifying was delayed by fifty minutes due to typically torrential rain in Kuala Lumpur but the change in conditions didn’t alter Mercedes’ status as the team to beat. After cruising through the two knockout sessions, Hamilton set a 1:59.431 on his very first lap of Q3 which ultimately proved enough for pole as conditions worsened. Vettel produced a heroic effort to go second, just half a tenth back, and the world champion may later rue the decision to back off in the last minute in an attempt to find space, eventually causing him to miss the...
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