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F1: Lewis Hamilton takes pole in season finale

November 24, 2018

It has been Lewis Hamilton's season and it looks to stay that way right until the end. Not only has the Briton given himself a great chance to win another race, but his team has also made history.

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Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix | Lewis Hamilton
Image: Getty Images/C. Mason

Freshly crowned Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton clinched pole position for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas took second, 0.162 seconds behind, as Mercedes made history by becoming the first team to lock out the front row of a course for five straight years.

Hamilton posted 1 minute 34.794 seconds on the 5.554-kilometres Yas Marina course to claim his 11th pole of the season and record-extending 83rd of his career. "What a great way to end the season with a 1-2 qualifying," Hamilton said afterwards. "I wanted to finish the season on a high. Really happy with today."

For a while though, Hamilton's pole looked in some doubt as Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was quicker at the first time split.

Vettel went too wide on the last turn though, and that left the Ferrari man in third - 0.331 off the pace. "I thought (it) was in reach. I would have liked to have been on the front row, it's not the case," the German driver said afterwards.

Hamilton is aiming to sign off in style with an 11th win of the season, which would be a personal record for the Briton. Bottas has yet to win a race this season while Vettel's last victory came at the Belgian GP in August. For the second straight year, four-time F1 champion Vettel led during the championship only to finish second behind Hamilton.

jh/mf (dpa, AP)